The Tony Awards Administration Committee has named a 65-member Nominating Committee for the 2026-27 Broadway season, with former Washington Post chief theater critic Peter Marks and playwrights José Rivera and Migdalia Cruz among the 19 newly seated members.

Each season, the Nominating Committee attends every eligible Broadway production and convenes to select that year's Tony Award nominees. Members serve staggered three-year terms. The committee's votes determine which productions, performers, and designers land on the shortlists broadcast each spring from a New York stage.

What does the committee actually do?

The 19 new members are: stage manager Bonnie Becker, playwright Keith Bunin, orchestrator Bruce Coughlin, playwright Migdalia Cruz, cast album producer Scott Farthing, projection designer Wendall Harrington, performer Daniel K. Isaac, performer Mia Katigbak, theatrical agent Joyce Ketay, composer Michael Kooman, costume designer William Ivey Long, executive director Khady Kamara Núñez, playwright José Rivera, executive director Linda Shelton, composer Rona Siddiqui, performer Pearl Sun, playwright Sanaz Toossi, choreographer Allyson Tucker, and composer Sam Willmott.

The full panel blends producers, directors, designers, performers, dramaturgs, educators, and arts administrators. Peter Marks, the former Washington Post chief theater critic, also joins the new-member class.

What productions are in the running?

The 2026-27 Broadway season will feature "Paddington: The Musical," Dolly Parton's "Dolly," Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Warriors," and Jamie Lloyd's revival of "Evita" starring Rachel Zegler. The new committee will see each eligible production before the season's voting deadline.

At last season's ceremony, "Schmigadoon" won best musical, "Liberation" won best play, Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" took best revival of a play, and "Ragtime" won best revival of a musical. Acting winners included John Lithgow ("Giant"), Lesley Manville ("Oedipus"), Joshua Henry ("Ragtime"), Caissie Levy ("Ragtime"), and Laurie Metcalf ("Death of a Salesman").

Who else is on the roster?

Returning members include composer Mark Bennett, music director Rob Berman, Audible Theater creative director Jeremy Blocker, director Brian Harlan Brooks, actor Kevin Cahoon, director Jade King Carroll, actor-director Victoria Clark, TDF executive director Deeksha Gaur, O'Neill Theater Center executive director Tiffani Gavin, playwrights Joshua Harmon and James Ijames, lighting designer Peter Kaczorowski, choreographer Glen Kelly, and actor BD Wong.

Educators on the list include Bryan Andes, James Bundy of Yale's David Geffen School of Drama, and Dr. Donald P. Gagnon. Designers include lighting designer Mark Stanley and sound designer Jessica Paz. Casting director Rosalie Joseph, director Daniel Goldstein, and choreographer Will Davis round out the design and directorial bench.

What shifts inside the new class?

Several institutional figures joined this cycle. Núñez runs the Perelman Performing Arts Center. Shelton heads The Joyce Theater Foundation. Farthing previously served as executive vice president at Sony Masterworks US and Live Theater.

Composer-to-performer bridges also run through the roster. Isaac has been a steady presence off-Broadway and on Broadway. Jade King Carroll currently serves as producing artistic director of Chautauqua Theater Company.

When do nominations land?

The 2026-27 eligibility window runs through early May 2026. Nominations typically arrive in early May, with the ceremony held in June at a venue to be determined. The Tonys are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.