Forgive me, but this is a terrible attitude to have. Yes, the Tonys are nothing more than a really expensive commercial for the shows in that 6
block radius. We all know this, and it's the same as every other highly publicized awards show out there. Major awards and nominations are decided as much by politics as they are by merit. This is not to say that the people casting their Tony votes are dishonest - rather, since every award the Tonys recognizes is subjective, there's no possible way to objectively identify the "best" of a group without being subconsciously biased by external factors.
However, this doesn't make the removal of a Tony for a design
category any less alarming. How would you feel if a large group of your peers got together and decided that the art form that you had dedicated your life to, and probably earned multiple degrees in, wasn't really art after all? Your post reflects an extremely narrow-minded and insensitive view of the issue, one that ignores the long-term effects that a decision like this will have - effects like lower pay for Sound Designers, smaller resources and budgets, and a lack of inclusion into the design process, where Sound Designers are already fighting for a seat at the table. And if you think this decision won't affect theatres at the
LORT level, you're very much mistaken.
I am not a designer at all, but I have the pleasure of knowing lots of Sound Designers - many who have earned or were eligible for Tony nominations - who now
face the possibilities of lowering design fees, less respect from their fellow
theatre artists, and having to explain to their kids why Daddy's job isn't as important as the other jobs. In the grand scheme of things, Tony awards don't mean much. But to an individual desperately trying to make it in the industry, even a nomination can be a huge career stepping stone - one that they no longer have access to.
First, the creator of the art has the ability to
call it art. If they "believe" its art, it is. Walk though MOMA, you can see this in action.
If there are sound designers out there who want to get their rocks off and be in charge and important, move over to the R&R world where they rule the roost and lighting and scenery take a back seat.
For a musical, it is as much as a feet of acoustical engineering then it is a design artform. On the scale of TD vs
scenic designer the sound designer does
play more TD. That is the honest truth. For legit
theatre, it can sway either direction. But... for straight musicals your more on the technical side. You really can't argue that.
If design fees lower due to this I would be blown away... and 829 is not doing its job right. Who cares what your kids think... if your bringing a paycheck home and supporting a family with money earned in this industry you win no matter what. Drama
desk awards are still out there and still have a sound design
category. Who cares about the art or what people think. If you get paid to do this well enough to live in NYC, you won.
The big thing is... why do we actually care about the Tonys? To be eligible you have to do a show in 1 of 40 theatres. A quarter of those theatres have had the same show in them for the last 10 years, some more. So, you have to get hired to do one of the 15-20 shows that are opening. At that
point, one would think you have already made it. You have spent your time in a
LORT house. You have done the off broadway thing. You probably have an MFA that you are regretting every time you make a student loan payment. You have made it. A Tony nomination is not going to change that. A
producer knows they want to hire the best because they want the audience to hear the show. They won't think less of the person because of the lack of a piece of metal on their
desk.
I would care more if the Tonys were not limited to those 40 venues. Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Boston, and Dallas (+many more) ALL have great regional theaters. Hell, Brooklyn has some good stuff these days. Why are these sound designers not included? Why should the world look at these 40 theatres and only these 40 theatres? The Oscars does not limit it to films only shot at Paramount and Warner Brother studios. The Emmys does not limit it to CBS, ABC, and NBC.
So, with that, I pretty much right off the whole thing. Its not a national award. Its a midtown
theatre award that happens to be broadcast to the world. If you feel you need an award to be validated or to get farther in this industry you should just get out now. This is not little league. Everyone does not get a trophy.
