Oscar winner Ariana DeBose will be the host for the 75th edition of the Tony Awards, which honours the best of the best in American theatre.
DeBose, the first openly queer woman of colour to win an Academy Award in an acting category, will host the awards live from New York's Radio City Music Hall on June 12.
It's a homecoming for the "West Side Story" star who was nominated for a Tony in 2018 for "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical".
"I'm coming home. I'm so honored to celebrate 75 years of excellence in theatre, but more importantly every member of this community who poured themselves into making sure the lights of Broadway have the opportunity to shine brightly once again. This is a dream come true, and I'm excited to see you all on June 12th," DeBose said in a statement on the awards official website.
She started her career with Broadway debuting in "Bring It On: The Musical in 2011". She also appeared in further Broadway plays "Motown: The Musical" (2013) and "Pippin" (2014).
Her breakthrough came in 2015 with Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton", where she played The Bullet, an original member of the Off Broadway and Broadway productions. She reprised the role in the subsequent Disney+ filmed version.
Heather Hitchens, President and CEO of the American Theatre Wing and Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League, said they are looking forward to the event.
"The 75th Tony Awards celebration is a big moment for all of us in the theatre community, and in Ariana we have found the perfect host to lead this celebration. We can't wait to see Ariana take the stage on June 12th and dazzle, inspire, and entertain us," Hitchens said.
"After the last challenging two years there is no one better to bring the theater community together on this important night honoring the best of Broadway, and share the joys of live performing once again than this extraordinarily talented artist," added Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music, Live Event and Alternative Programming, CBS.
The upcoming awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss are executive producers for White Cherry Entertainment. Weiss will serve as director.
The event will air live on CBS and will stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
Published - May 05, 2022 01:30 pm IST
