First Tony Awards

The Tony Awards have reached their 65th ceremony in 2011, while it has continued to celebrate the most outstanding achievements in theatre for production, performance and craft. The first Tony Award ceremony was held in 1947, with the first Tony winners being remembered to this very day.

Things were a little different when the Tony Awards first started out; there was a smaller number of prizes to be given out, but none of them have lost their shine in the many years that have passed since then. The awards that were given out then were for best actor and actress, direction, author, choreography and composition.

The 1947 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical (supporting or featured) was given to David Wayne for Finian’s Rainbow. Jose Ferrer won Best Actor for the dramatic play Cyrano de Bergerac and Fredric March for Years Ago. Ingrid Bergman and Helen Hayes won the first Tony Awards for Best Actress in Joan of Lorraine and Happy Birthday, respectively. Patricia Neal was rewarded with the title of best actress in a supporting or featured role for Another Part of The Forest.

The famous Arthur Miller won the Tony Awards for Best author for the play All my Sons. The first Tony Awards in 1947 for Best Direction was also given out to All my Sons and director Elia Kazan. Finian’s Rainbow had a second win in 1947 as choreographer Michael Fidd was rewarded with the title of Best Coreographer alongside Agnes de Mille in Brigadoon.

Composer Kurt Weill received the Tony Award for composing and David Folk’s Henry VIII won him the award for scenic design. The night ended with Lucinda Ballard who won the award for best costumes in Happy Birthday, Another Part of the Forest, Street Dance, John Loves Mary and The Chocolate Soldier.