By SHARON EBERSON
Nominations for the 79th Tony Awards showcase the Pittsburgh theater community’s contributions to Broadway, including 11 nominations for the revival of Ragtime. Composer Stephen Flaherty, a Dormont native, won the 1998 Tony for Ragtime’s musical score, and will receive the Richard Rodgers Award on June 12, five days after the 2026 Tonys ceremony, at Pittsburgh CLO’s 80th Anniversary Gala.
For his performance in the current revival of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson, Ruben Santiago-Hudson earned a nomination as Best Featured Actor. He previously won a Tony in that category, in 1996, for Wilson’s Seven Guitars. The play’s five nominations also included Best Costume Design, for Paul Tazewell.
Among the lead producers for the new musical The Lost Boys, which tied Schmigaddon! for most Tony nominations with 12, are Carnegie Mellon alums Patrick Wilson, Marcus Chait and James Carpinello. Fellow CMU alums Chris Hoch and David Hornsby also earned nominations, as co-writers of the musical’s book, along with costume designer Ryan Park.
The other Best Musical nominees come to Broadway from the West End: the Olivier Award-winning Titaníque and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).
Among the winningest producers in Tonys history, Pittsburgh native and CMU alum Jamie deRoy has Best Play nominee Giant, Best Musical Revival, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and, in the Best Play Revival category, Every Brilliant Thing and Oedipus. Producer Ankit Agrawal is a producer of nominees The Lost Boys and Two Strangers.
Will Harrison, a 2019 graduate of the CMU School of Drama, known for his role in Daisy Jones & The Six, made his Broadway debut in Punch, and has been nominated as Lead Actor in a Play. Ben Levi Ross, who attended CMU for a year and a half, has been nominated as Featured Actor in a Musical, for Ragtime.
Pulitzer Prize-winning Liberation is in the Best Play category that includes Little Bear Ridge Road and The Balusters.
The Tony Awards ceremony, hosted by Pink, will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ on Sunday, June 7. Tonys for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre this year will go to André Bishop, James Lapine, and lighting designer Jules Fisher, a Carnegie Mellon alum. The Excellence in Theatre Education Award, sponsored by CMU and presented by the Tony Awards, is TBA.
2026 TONY AWARD NOMINEES
BEST MUSICAL
“The Lost Boys”
“Schmigadoon!”
“Titaníque”
“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
BEST PLAY
“The Balusters”
“Giant”
“Liberation”
“Little Bear Ridge Road”
MUSICAL REVIVAL
“Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
“Ragtime”
“Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”
PLAY REVIVAL
“Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”
“Becky Shaw”
“Every Brilliant Thing”
“Fallen Angels”
“Oedipus”
LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Nicholas Christopher, “Chess”
Luke Evans, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”
Joshua Henry, “Ragtime”
Sam Tutty, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Brandon Uranowitz, “Ragtime”
LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY
Will Harrison, “Punch”
Nathan Lane, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”
John Lithgow, “Giant”
Daniel Radcliffe, “Every Brilliant Thing”
Mark Strong, “Oedipus”
LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Sara Chase, “Schmigadoon!”
Stephanie Hsu, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”
Caissie Levy, “Ragtime”
Marla Mindelle, “Titaníque”
Christiani Pitts, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Rose Byrne, “Fallen Angels”
Carrie Coon, “Bug”
Susannah Flood, “Liberation”
Lesley Manville, “Oedipus”
Kelli O’Hara, “Fallen Angels”
FEATURE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Ali Louis Bourzgui, “The Lost Boys”
André De Shields, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Bryce Pinkham, “Chess”
Ben Levi Ross, “Ragtime”
Layton Williams, “Titaníque”
FEATURE ACTOR IN A PLAY
Christopher Abbott, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”
Danny Burstein, “Marjorie Prime”
Brandon J. Dirden, “Waiting for Godot”
Alden Ehrenreich, “Becky Shaw”
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, “August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
Richard Thomas, “The Balusters”
FEATURE ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Shoshana Bean, “The Lost Boys”
Hannah Cruz, “Chess”
Rachel Dratch, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”
Ana Gasteyer, “Schmigadoon!”
Nichelle Lewis, “Ragtime”
FEATURE ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Betsy Aidem, “Liberation”
Marylouise Burke, “The Balusters”
Aya Cash, “Giant”
Laurie Metcalf, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”
June Squibb, “Marjorie Prime”
DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Michael Arden, “The Lost Boys”
Lear deBessonet, “Ragtime”
Christopher Gattelli, “Schmigadoon!”
Tim Jackson, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Nicholas Hytner, “Giant”
Robert Icke, “Oedipus”
Kenny Leon, “The Balusters”
Joe Mantello, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”
Whitney White, “Liberation”
ORIGINAL SCORE
“Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman,” Music by Caroline Shaw
“August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” Music by Steve Bargonetti
“The Lost Boys,” Music & Lyrics by The Rescues
“Schmigadoon!,” Music & Lyrics by Cinco Paul
“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” Music & Lyrics by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan
BOOK OF A MUSICAL
“The Lost Boys,” David Hornsby and Chris Hoch
“Schmigadoon!,” Cinco Paul
“Titaníque,” Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue
“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” Jim Barne and Kit Buchan
CHOREOGRAPHY
Christopher Gattelli, “Schmigadoon!”
Ellenore Scott, “Ragtime”
Ani Taj, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”
Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, “The Lost Boys”
ORCHESTRATIONS
Doug Besterman and Mike Morris, “Schmigadoon!”
Ethan Popp, Kyler England, Adrianne “AG” Gonzalez and Gabriel Mann, “The Lost Boys”
Lux Pyramid, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Brian Usifer, “Chess”
Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Wilson, Trevor Holder and Doug Schadt, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Design by dots, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”
Soutra Gilmour, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Rachel Hauck, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Dane Laffrey, “The Lost Boys”
Scott Pask, “Schmigadoon!”
SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
Hildegard Bechtler, “Oedipus”
Takeshi Kata, “Bug”
Chloe Lamford, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”
David Korins, “Dog Day Afternoon”
David Rockwell, “Fallen Angels”
COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Linda Cho, “Ragtime”
Linda Cho, “Schmigadoon!”
Qween Jean, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Ryan Park, “The Lost Boys”
David I. Reynoso, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”
COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Brenda Abbandandolo, “Dog Day Afternoon”
Qween Jean, “Liberation”
Jeff Mahshie, “Fallen Angels”
Emilio Sosa, “The Balusters”
Paul Tazewell, “August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Kevin Adams, “Chess”
Jane Cox, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”
Donald Holder, “Schmigadoon!”
Adam Honoré, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Adam Honoré and Donald Holder, “Ragtime”
Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, “The Lost Boys”
LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Isabella Byrd, “Dog Day Afternoon”
Natasha Chivers, “Oedipus”
Stacey Derosier, “August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
Heather Gilbert, “Bug”
Heather Gilbert, “The Fear of 13”
Jack Knowles, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”
SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Kai Harada, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Kai Harada, “Ragtime”
Adam Fisher, “The Lost Boys”
Brian Ronan, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”
Walter Trarbach, “Schmigadoon!”
LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Justin Ellington, “August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
Tom Gibbons, “Oedipus”
Lee Kinney, “The Fear of 13”
Josh Schmidt, “Bug”
Mikaal Sulaiman, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman”
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