June 9, 2014
Theatre's biggest night of year, the Tony Awards, called for celebration for University of Texas at Austin Theatre and Dance alumni. Robert Schenkkan’s (B.A. 1975) play All The Way garnered the 2014 Tony Award for Best Play. A depiction of President Lyndon Johnson’s struggle to get civil rights legislation passed while facing an election campaign, Schenkkan’s play also received Best Play Awards from the 57th Annual Drama Desk, The Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and New York Drama Critics’ Circle. All The Way stars Bryan Cranston, recipient of the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of “LBJ” and alumnus Eric Lenox Abrams (M.F.A. 2004) as “Bob Moses.”
Schenkkan is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning epic The Kentucky Cycle. He is currently working on the sequel to All The Way, The Great Society, which will debut at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival this summer.
Alumnus Kevin Adams (B.F.A. 1984) won the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical for his design of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The award marks a fourth-career win for Adams.
He was honored in 2007 with the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical for his work in Spring Awakening and earned a second in 2008 for Best Lighting Design of Play for The 39 Steps. In 2010, Adams received the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical for his work on American Idiot.