Every June, the Tony Awards put Broadway on national television. Most viewers know the trophies. Fewer know the organization that started them: the American Theatre Wing.
The American Theatre Wing is a New York-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting theatre and the people who make it. It's best known for creating the Tony Awards, but it also runs grants, scholarships, and education programs for theatre artists and organizations.
The Wing grew out of Stage Women's War Relief, a group of theatre women led by playwright Rachel Crothers that organized support during World War I. As World War II approached, Crothers and director-producer Antoinette Perry revived the effort as the American Theatre Wing.
During the war, the Wing ran the Stage Door Canteen in the basement of the 44th Street Theatre in Manhattan, where Broadway stars served meals, washed dishes, and performed for service members. The idea spread to other American cities and to London and Paris, and it inspired a radio show and a 1943 film.
The American Theatre Wing created the Tony Awards in 1947 and named them for Antoinette Perry, who had died the year before. The first ceremony took place on April 6, 1947, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.
Since 1967, the Tonys have been presented jointly by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League, the industry's trade association. Today they're produced by Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of the two organizations.
Its focus has stayed consistent for more than a century: using theatre's resources to strengthen the art form and the people in it.
You can donate or explore its programs on the American Theatre Wing website.
The Wing's founders turned theatre into a form of public service in wartime. Broadway for Democracy works in a related spirit, using Broadway's reach to strengthen civic participation without telling anyone how to vote. See how Broadway's major nonprofits fit together, or read our guide to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
No. The Wing is a nonprofit organization. The Tony Awards are one of its programs, which it co-presents with The Broadway League.
Antoinette Perry, an actress, director, and producer who led the American Theatre Wing during World War II.
In 1947. The Broadway League became a co-presenter in 1967.
Yes. It's a nonprofit, and you can give through its website.
Want to carry the Wing's spirit of service forward? Donate to Broadway for Democracy.
