By Ben Schachne

A Look at the Best Posters from the 2005–2015 Broadway Seasons

Before the curtain rises, a Broadway production’s first and most important challenge is attracting an audience. While reviews and word of mouth can build interest, a show’s most immediate marketing tool is often their key art. A successful design captures the essence, artistic identity, and story of a production in a single image that can command attention on a billboard, magazine, or social media feed.

From 2005 to 2015, Broadway key art reflected an increasingly diverse range of design approaches, blending traditional illustration and expressive typography with photography, minimalism, and increasingly conceptual imagery. Here are the best posters from the 2005–2015 Broadway seasons.

2014–2015: Something Rotten!

This poster communicates its Renaissance setting and theatrical style almost immediately. The exaggerated Shakespearean imagery and whimsical typography convey the grandeur of the Elizabethan stage while playfully signaling the musical’s irreverent take on the Bard and his work. The detailed composition and tongue-in-cheek visual style instantly capture the musical’s rich theatricality, comedic absurdity, and satirical examination of the Renaissance and show business.

What We Love: It sets the tone perfectly

Honorable Mentions: Fun Home & The King and I

2013–2014: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder

The old-fashioned-looking composition, ornate typography, and repeated imagery of the various D’Ysquith heirs create a visual sense of farce, inheritance, and impending death without needing a complicated explanation. The boldly bright orange backdrop beams off the design and stands out anywhere. The design also fits the production’s overall aesthetic of stylized period design. 

What We Love: It guarantees a fun time

Honorable Mentions: After Midnight & Violet

2012–2013: Pippin

This poster completely reinvents and separates itself from the original production’s design. This key art trades the iconic typography and simplicity for oversized red and teal typography and rich red and blue harlequin curtains which immediately evoke the spectacle and tradition of the circus. The dramatic stage imagery with the title character in the spotlight and the performer emerging from the top of the frame reflects the revival’s fusion of circus acrobatics, theatrical illusion, and Fosse-inspired performance, capturing Pippin’s search for something extraordinary.

What We Love: This new logo is extraordinary

Honorable Mentions: Kinky Boots & Cinderella

2011–2012: Follies

The layered collage of faded photographs, glamorous showgirls, and torn paper feels nostalgic, fragmented, and distorted, perfectly capturing a world consumed by memories of its past. The iconic youthful face remains at the forefront, yet updated with a thematically fitting design including faces that overlap and disappear into one another, visually representing the musical’s central tension between who the characters once were and who they have become.

What We Love: It reinvents a classic

Honorable Mentions: Newsies & Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

2010–2011: The Book of Mormon

The minimalist black-and-white design, missionary figure, and enormous doorbell typography create an immediately recognizable visual. The design cleverly plays with the visual language of religious literature while simultaneously making the show’s irreverent comedy apparent. Its visual concept is so immediately clever that you can explain the entire marketing strategy almost entirely through the poster’s composition.

What We Love: It joyously subverts expectations

Honorable Mentions: Anything Goes & Catch Me If You Can

2009–2010: Fences

The poster’s weathered, earthy visual style and image of a green fence are extremely simple but effective. The fence functions literally as the title while also symbolizing the emotional barriers, racial divisions, and boundaries that shape Troy Maxson’s life. The green color scheme reflects the green garbageman jumpsuit Troy wears on stage, with the bold, painted typography in all-caps at the center of the image, reflecting the themes of the fence and the designs of the past.

What We Love: Its bold simplicity

Honorable Mentions: Superior Donuts & Finian’s Rainbow

2008–2009: Next to Normal

The monochromatic purple palette and halftone portrait of Diana’s eyes create an intimate yet unsettling image, while the suburban houses beneath her suggest the seemingly ordinary world hiding beneath her psychological struggles. The color purple is often associated with themes of the subconscious and hidden emotions, while the fading title alludes to Diana’s fading sense of self, making the poster’s visual hierarchy a representation of the show’s themes of family, grief, and mental illness.

What We Love: The hidden messaging

Honorable Mentions: Shrek the Musical & Blithe Spirit

2007–2008: In the Heights

The colorful, densely layered image captures the energy, diversity, and sense of community that define Washington Heights and the story of the show. Each individual figure feels distinct and meaningful, celebrating the neighborhood’s rich culture and the people who call it home. Combined with bold typography and warm colors, the imagery resembles a nostalgic mural or street collage, reflecting the show’s celebration of culture, family, and belonging.

What We Love: The sense of community

Honorable Mentions: South Pacific & Cyrano de Bergerac

2006–2007: Spring Awakening

The vintage photography, bold red stamped title treatment, and youthful figures create a raw, rebellious aesthetic that immediately challenges the polished look of traditional musical theater. The imagery of young people reaching toward one another captures the show’s themes of adolescence, desire, repression, and the struggle to break free from the expectations of society. The key art has a very distinctive visual language that immediately communicates the collision between a restrictive historical world and modern rock music.

What We Love: It redefined Broadway art

Honorable Mentions: Company & The Coast of Utopia

2005–2006: The Color Purple

The deep purple typography and floral imagery connect directly to the title while evoking the themes of nature, resilience, growth, and transformation that define Celie’s journey. The contrasting purple and yellow palette creates a visual tension through their complementary relationship, mirroring Celie’s internal struggles and the discrimination and abuse she endures. The hand-painted aesthetic and organic composition add warmth and spirituality, reflecting the show’s exploration of identity, family, love, and strength through adversity.

What We Love: The rich painterly colors

Honorable Mentions: The Drowsy Chaperone & Absurd Person Singular

By Ben Schachne

With the 2026 Tony Awards concluded, another production has earned the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, joining a long tradition of bringing celebrated works back to or finally debuting on the Broadway stage. The category recognizes productions that offer fresh interpretations of established plays, whether through innovative direction, contemporary perspectives, or extraordinary performances. Over the past decade, these revivals have revisited some of Broadway’s most defining works while demonstrating how their stories can continue to resonate with modern audiences. Here is a look back at the Best Revival of a Play winners from the 2016–2026 Tony Awards.

2026: Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman is the most recent winner of the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play and is one of the most reinventive and Tony Award-winning productions of the season. Written by Arthur Miller, the classic play follows Willy Loman, an aging 63-year-old traveling salesman as he faces mental decline, professional failure, and fractured family relationships in his efforts to achieve the American Dream. The sixth revival since its 1949 premiere, this production strips away every façade and convention for a dark and gritty abstraction of the material, setting the play within an expansive warehouse garage space to focus on the emotionally powerful performances from Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalff.

2025: Eureka Day

Eureka Day opened in the 2024–2025 season alongside six other play revivals, standing out for its brilliant and timely exploration of community, public health, and the difficulty of agreement. Written by Jonathan Spector, the play follows the board of a progressive California private school as a mumps outbreak forces its members to confront opposing views on vaccines and individual freedom. Originating Off-Broadway in 2019, the Broadway production brought Spector’s acclaimed comedy to a wider audience with an ensemble-driven performance that balanced humor and tension while highlighting the complexities of navigating deeply divided communities.

2024: Appropriate

Appropriate opened in the 2023–2024 season alongside four other play revivals, bringing the darkly comedic family drama to Broadway that confronts buried histories and generational prejudice. Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the play follows three siblings who return to their late father’s Arkansas home to settle his estate, only to uncover disturbing objects that force them to confront their family’s past. Originally produced Off-Broadway in 2014, the Broadway production was deemed eligible for the revival category, with Sarah Paulson earning the Tony Award for Best Actress for her performance as Toni Lafayette.

2023: Topdog/Underdog

Topdog/Underdog opened in the 2022–2023 season alongside five other play revivals, bringing the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama back to Broadway for its 20th anniversary. Written by Suzan-Lori Parks, the tragicomedy follows two estranged brothers, Lincoln and Booth, whose troubled relationship and obsession with the street con game three-card monte force them to confront their complicated family history and identities. The second Broadway production since its 2002 premiere, the revival was praised for its intimate staging and the intense chemistry between Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Corey Hawkins, whose performances captured the brothers’ volatile relationship, competing ambitions, and deep-rooted resentment.

2022: Take Me Out

Take Me Out opened in the 2021–2022 season alongside eight other play revivals, distinguished by the return of Scott Ellis’s stripped-down staging and landing in an era where the core themes of identity, race, and homophobia in sports remained profoundly relevant. Written by Richard Greenberg, the play follows Darren Lemming, a biracial star center fielder who comes out as gay, forcing his teammates to confront their own assumptions about race, masculinity, and sexuality as their championship season begins to unravel. The first Broadway revival since its 2003 premiere, the production was celebrated for its ensemble performances and intimate locker-room setting, with Jesse Tyler Ferguson winning the Tony Award for Featured Actor for his portrayal of Mason Marzac.

2020/2021: A Soldier’s Play

A Soldier’s Play opened in the 2019–2020 season alongside four other play revivals, bringing the Pulitzer Prize-winning play to Broadway for the first time since its star-studded Off-Broadway premiere in 1981. Written by Charles Fuller, the play follows Captain Richard Davenport as he investigates the murder of Sergeant Vernon Waters on a segregated Louisiana Army base in 1944, gradually uncovering tensions surrounding race, identity, and military service. The production featured a stark barracks-inspired set, a commanding ensemble, and standout performances from David Alan Grier and Blair Underwood, with Grier winning the Tony Award for Featured Actor.

2019: The Boys in the Band

The Boys in the Band opened in the 2018–2019 season alongside six other play revivals, marking the play’s 50th anniversary with an all-openly gay cast. Written by Mart Crowley, the play follows a group of gay men who gather for a birthday party in a Manhattan apartment, where old tensions and insecurities gradually surface over the course of one night. The first Broadway production since its 1968 Off-Broadway premiere, the revival recontextualized the play as a historical period piece, honoring the struggles of mid-century queer men while making the story accessible to modern audiences.

2018: Angels in America

Angels in America opened in the 2017–2018 season alongside nine other play revivals, introducing the revolutionary work to a new generation, brought together by Marianne Elliott’s ambitious staging, bold neon designs, and visceral physical theater to handle the epic seven-and-a-half-hour two-part structure. Written by Tony Kushner, the epic follows several New Yorkers during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s as their lives intersect through love, politics, religion, and questions of identity. The first Broadway revival since its 1993 premiere, the production starred Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane, who both won Tony Awards for their performances as Prior Walter and Roy Cohn.

2017: Jitney

Jitney opened in the 2016–2017 season alongside eight other play revivals, finally completing the Broadway presentation of August Wilson’s ten-play American Century Cycle. Set in a Pittsburgh jitney station in 1977, the play centers on a group of Black cab drivers whose conversations about work, family, race, and generational conflict reveal the changing world around them. The play’s Broadway debut after its 2000 Off-Broadway run and almost 40 years after being written, the historic production was defined by its detailed period setting, tightly connected ensemble, and original music by Bill Sims Jr which helped create a vivid portrait of the community.

2016: A View from the Bridge

A View from the Bridge opened in the 2015–2016 season alongside ten other play revivals, delivering a stripped-down, highly abstract interpretation of the classic to highlight the raw, destructive nature of obsession. Written by Arthur Miller, the play follows Eddie Carbone, a Sicilian-American longshoreman whose growing obsession with his niece Catherine and her relationship with an immigrant creates a devastating conflict within his family and community. The fourth Broadway revival since its 1955 premiere, this production was led by Mark Strong as Eddie Carbone, with a minimalist boxing ring or cage-like set that physicalized how Eddie was trapped by his own repressed desires.

Broadway’s Best Shows sat down with Photographer Matthew Murphy to discuss his work with MurphyMade, the leading photography shop for theatrical photography.

Cover photo of Matthew by Ethan Carlson.

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You started as a dancer… what was the moment you realized your path was actually behind the camera, not on stage?

I was fortunate enough to follow my first dream of becoming a professional dancer when I joined American Ballet Theatre in 2003. I spent a fabulous 5 years there, but when I was 22 I retired the tights and picked up a DSLR when I was recovering from Epstein Barr Virus. It was during that time that I really started to photograph a lot of dance—both during rehearsals at ABT and in downtown dance performances of friends’. While I always loved dancing, it quickly became apparent to me that photography allowed me a freedom and variety to my artistic experience that had been lacking in my ballet career. I was fortunate that a lot of opportunities fell into place quickly due to my dance world connections. But it was when I got hired as a freelancer for the Arts section of The NY Times that I really felt this could be a viable career path.

Was there a specific show or moment that felt like your “break” as a photographer?

Without a doubt my big break was when I was hired as the production photographer for “Kinky Boots” during their out-of-town tryout in Chicago. I’d met Jerry Mitchell while photographing “Broadway Bares” and then a few years later I reached out while I was in LA visiting my husband’s family to see if he wanted someone to photograph the Hollywood Bowl production of “Hairspray.” To my surprise, he said yes, and from there he mentioned wanting to try to get me on his next Broadway show. That turned out to be the future Tony-winning hit. I often think how different my life would be if Jerry hadn’t put my name in front of Daryl Roth, Hal Luftig, Aaron Lustbader and Rick Miramontez. They all took a chance on a completely unknown kid (I was 26 at the time and had no clue what the role of production photographer really entailed). It was a crash course and they really encouraged me and helped at every step of the way. Forever indebted is an understatement.

What did being a dancer teach you that most photographers don’t instinctively understand?

I could go on and on about how valuable my dance career has been to my photographic career. First and foremost I think dancers have a work ethic ingrained in them that I have taken with me throughout my life. On top of that, my technical expertise about proper dance technique allows me to really parse the difference between an image that protects the integrity of the dancers/choreographer and one that just has energy. I also think it gave me such insight into the different departments—stage management, company management, designers—that lets me communicate clearly with them.

When you’re shooting now, do you still feel like a performer in the room in some way?

I always say that when I photograph my goal is to kind of tether to the performers on the stage and essentially do a pas de deux with them. We should breath as one. Just like a good partner as a dancer, I should be able to anticipate and support the performances while analyzing space and all the design elements and making split second decisions.

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THE ART OF THE PERFECT SHOT

What makes a perfect theatre photograph… is it technical, emotional, or pure luck?

To me a perfect theater photograph should make the viewer feel what it’s like to be immersed in the show. The photograph should go beyond simply documenting the design elements and performances. It should feel completely alive even though it’s still. Some shots are more successful than others at accomplishing that but it’s always the goal. You should hear the photo, not just see it.

When you’re watching a run-through, what are you actually looking for?

When I’m watching a run through I’m usually antsy about wanting to be photographing it. I’d personally always rather learn the show by shooting (and have multiple times to shoot), but if I only get one chance to photograph it I will certainly stop by and see a run through whenever possible. I’m looking for a variety of things: getting a sense of lighting, pacing, and shape of the physical space. I’m also noting if there are any elements of surprise (things that happen so quickly I might miss them if shooting the show without a first look). More than anything though I would say I’m just getting myself acquainted with the creative teams. I check in about any direction/hopes/dreams they have for the shots and make sure all the goals are aligned and expectations are managed as to what is possible.

Is the best shot usually planned… or something you steal in a split second?

I find that the best, most exciting shots are 99% of the time something that happens in a perfect split second during a run through when all of the elements align to make magic. Often that will happen and then you’ll chase that image for years to come when replacement casts come in and you try to replicate the same energy that originally happened organically.

How do you capture energy, something that’s inherently live, in a still image?

You stay really, really tapped into what’s happening at every moment. The adrenaline that goes through your body while photographing a show is akin to waiting for the starting gun of a race to go off—for 2 hours straight.

Have you ever missed “the shot”… and had to live with it?

Oh 10000000%. I’d be lying if I said no. But…as you gain more experience you get better and better at ensuring you get the shots.

What’s a photo you’ve taken where you knew immediately, “that’s the one”?

A recent shot that I went into the shoot aiming to get was this tackle moment during the rumble in “The Outsiders.” That entire section is impossibly difficult to shoot…the lighting has extreme changes every couple of seconds so you’re constantly adjusting your settings and reacting to how the performers are situated in the space. I’d really wanted to get this shot, but even once I got it I wasn’t sure it would ever see the light of day. I knew it was exciting, but that doesn’t always mean it gets selected as an official press shot. I was thrilled when it did.

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COLLABORATION / POLITICS OF THE ROOM

Who are you really working for in the room… the producers, marketing, the director, or the show itself?

The role of a production photographer is one that wears many hats. Ultimately you’re working for the producers, but you are aiming to deliver photos that please producers, press/marketing teams, the creatives of the show, and the performers. When it really comes down to it, I think if I take the approach of trying to create images that excite me, I tend to hit the mark most fully for everyone. If I go into it trying too hard to shoot in a way that is safe/pleases everyone it usually ends up having diminishing returns. You “yes and” the needs. You make sure you get what the teams think they want, and then you show them something more exciting they may not have thought of by using your expertise behind the lens.

How early do you get involved in a production… and how does that relationship evolve?

It depends production to production and has varied as the industry has evolved. My preference would be to get in the room during rehearsals at the studios to not only get acquainted with the show, but to familiarize myself with the actors and creative teams. I think that ultimately creates the most trust between photographer and subject(s) which you get a sense of in the photos, especially when setups are involved.

Have you ever had creative tension with a team about what the show should look like visually?

I wouldn’t say I’ve had tension over how the show should look, as ultimately my opinion about the design choices is above my pay grade. I’ve had opinions but usually by the point we come in it’s too late for those opinions to have anything but a negative effect. However, I have definitely run into stressful situations where a show might look one way to the eye but looks differently on camera. Or something that when in motion you don’t clock (a design element like a costume, or makeup design for instance), suddenly becomes a glaring issue in a still image. This most often happens during the first photo review for new musicals when all of a sudden the stress of putting on a $20 million show is staring the teams in the face. And suddenly they have to decide…what are the 10 images that are going to differentiate ourselves in the market and sell the show.

How do you balance telling the truth of the show versus selling the show?

I think if I let feeling be my guide I tend to be most successful. By that I mean that when you’re watching a show as an audience member your heart connects a lot of dots and forgives a lot that your eye might not when faced with cold hard facts of a photo-journalistic image. So when I’m creating an image to sell a show—especially if we are doing a setup–, sometimes I do something that I call a hybrid moment which is when you are maybe taking an element or two from one moment and putting it together with something else to make it all coalesce on camera.

What’s the best collaboration you’ve had with a director or performer?

I have been so lucky to have so many. But one that really sticks out to me is my collaboration with Alex Timbers. I’ve worked on 10 of his shows and I always feel like I’m not only trusted but encouraged to explore and create. He is so clear about what he wants (both during the shoot and during the editing process where he’s wonderfully collaborative with notes). He took a chance on me really early on with “Rocky,” which to this day is one of my favorite shows I’ve ever photographed. A big one where I felt like I really came into my photographic voice most fully was “Moulin Rouge” which was a big turning point in terms of helping to create the brand of the show from the ground up. I just never could have imagined being so lucky. I also put it together recently that the first time I ever took a photo in a Broadway theater was during tech of “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” when a friend brought me in and let me snap a couple of shots from the back of the house. And I’m always incredibly excited to see what Alex comes up with next.

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TOOLS OF THE TRADE

What kind of equipment is actually essential for theatre photography… and what’s overrated?

For theater photography you absolutely have some requirements in terms of gear. You need what photographers call fast glass, which is a lens that has the ability to function quickly and precisely in low light. These days, you need the ability to shoot silently on a mirrorless camera. You need fast memory cards because you’re usually shooting a lot of images in quick succession. In terms of most overrated…that’s tougher because we tend to be pretty slim in terms of gear.

How do you deal with low light, movement, and the unpredictability of live performance?

In terms of the unpredictability you have to somehow find a way to direct an image without having any control. So that leaves the one thing you have control over to be yourself. Where are you positioned? How are you micro adjusting to split second shifts in staging? Even though I’d probably look relatively calm from the outside, internally it feels like you’re doing math equations constantly.  

Are there shots you simply can’t get no matter how good you are?

A mantra of mine internally while I’m shooting is that there’s always a shot to be found. The one you think you might need or want could prove impossible for whatever reason, but if you keep doing the math of what’s possible there’s always a shot to be found. One recent one that comes to mind is from “Moulin Rouge” where I was shooting a put-in for the new Satine. She was in costume…most other people were not, including her Christian for a large part of the second act. One of our signature shots is from “Come What May” and I was shooting at odd angles knowing that there was no way to get the expected shot, or even the secondary or third angle shots we’ve done over the years. But I kept saying…there’s a shot here and I figured out that if I could shoot into the reflection of the window and get the angle right I could get an exciting new shot (that needed a little photoshop love to finesse some of his outfit and remove an Apple watch…shout out to our retoucher Peter James Zielinski who does the lord’s work on the production photos that Evan Zimmerman and I take). But if I’d let my brain rest knowing we couldn’t’ get the normal shot I never would have found a new exciting one.

Has technology made your job easier… or just raised the bar?

Definitely both. Mirrorless cameras are mind boggling. It’s hard to remember that for the first half of my career I was shooting on standard DSLR cameras where you couldn’t see the exposure/changes in live time through the viewfinder. You were just looking through a little window to the stage and doing actual math for exposure adjustments in real time as lighting cues shifted and you could steal a second to check on the back of the camera.

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THE JOB PEOPLE DON’T SEE

What’s the biggest misconception people have about your job?

That all the best shots of a show are the ones that are released. I would say a huge learning curve for me early on was accepting that for a million different reasons (costumes changing, actors not approving a shot, a certain element being maintained as a surprise) gorgeous shots never see the light of day. A painful reality of the profession.

People think it’s glamorous… what’s the part that’s actually grueling?

The turnaround time on launches is brutal. Often we are shooting a show until 11pm, then editing an initial gallery of photos until 2am or later, waking up at 8am to check in with teams and get the approval process going for a “first look” shot, then waiting on producers, press, actors, ad agencies to weigh in, then hustling through a retouch, sending that through the proper channels for notes, and trying to get an image out the door by 2pm the day of first preview. Exhilarating and exhausting.

I’ve heard theatre photography can be physically demanding… what does a long day actually feel like?

Theater photography is a huge adrenaline rush, so when the show finally ends you feel like you’ve fun a race. Then you’ve got the physical component of holding multiple cameras for hours. I have more back, shoulder, wrist issues than I ever did when I was a dancer.

What does an “easy” day look like… and what’s a day from hell?

An easy day is when I get to be in the room during tech of a new show and all the elements are running smoothly and I’m one of a handful of people seeing a new piece of theater before the first public performance. A day from hell is when someone forgets to call spotlight operators to a musical photo call.

Have you ever had to push through exhaustion or pain to get the shot?

Absolutely. There have been times where because of how tech schedules line up you’re shooting many days back to back (or even two shows in a day) and your brain is fried. In those moments I remind myself to stay curious. And I usually have some Chipotle and a Bloom Energy Drink and keep it peppy.

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THE EYE / TASTE LEVEL

How do you develop an eye… can it be taught, or is it instinct?

I think it’s a little bit of both. I think a lot of the “eye” is instinct, but then a lot of it is learned from problem solving and building to your toolbox.

Do you think audiences today read images differently because of social media?

Absolutely. The reality is that these days most people are seeing our images on their phone and so much of the detail is lost. So things like color and movement become especially important to help the image become “thumb stopping” as you’re scrolling.

Are you ever thinking about how a shot will perform online while you’re taking it?

I would say that there are times during setup calls when I think through shooting more vertically so it fits the ratio of social media more easily. But it’s not my guiding principle.

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CAREER PATH / BREAKING IN

How does someone actually break into theatre photography today?

I think starting small and slowly building connections and experience. I got my start in cabarets and off-off-off Broadway productions. And honestly learning on shows that didn’t necessarily have the production value of huge mega musicals allowed me to be creative and learn how to problem solve on my feet.

What should young photographers be doing right now if they want your career?

Build that portfolio shot by shot. Analyze why a certain image works and why others don’t.

What mistakes do you see early photographers make over and over?

Airing dirty laundry/complaints online. Group texts exist for a reason.

On top of that, too often I see people reaching out just saying “tell me what to do.” Reach out to people when you are ready to have a conversation, not just siphon info. And before you reach out to people make sure you’ve looked online to see if they’ve answered your questions somewhere already.  

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LEGACY / REFLECTION

You’ve captured so many shows… do you think about legacy at all?

I recently passed my hundredth Broadway show as production photographer and it was one of the first times I really stopped and reminisced about what the past decade has been like and what the future looks like. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about legacy, I just keep working hard, leading with kindness and trying to get the next exciting shot.

Is there a moment you’ve photographed that you feel will outlive the production itself?

I think the beauty of production photography is that it is one of the few things that does outlive the production just by nature of a show’s life cycle. But in terms of broader picture, I think the HAMILTON logo is the first thing that comes to mind. I photographed all of the silhouettes and to see parody logos pop up in Disney movies and Legoland renderings…seeing bootleg merch is always a good reminder of how much that star logo infiltrated pop culture.

After all these years, what still excites you when you walk into a theatre with a camera?

The possibility of capturing a real star-is-born performance. I remember when my incredible associate Evan and I were in Chicago photographing BOOP! It was this instant awareness that Jasmine Amy Rogers was a true force that we were witnessing right on take off. Getting to photograph those career milestone moments for people never gets old.

And what still scares you? 

I think these days I wouldn’t necessarily say I get scared. I get excited (and a little anxious) before shoots sometimes but rarely actually scared. If anything I get scared a person won’t like a photo that goes out. I always want people to look at an image of their performance and think…wow, that really captures how that moment felt when I was performing.

The Tony Award nominations arrive on Tuesday, May 5th at 8am-and with them comes the annual ritual of thrills, confusion, and being personally offended on behalf of someone you’ve never met.

But how does a Broadway show actually get nominated for a Tony Award?

The answer is more interesting than “people vote.” It is also more complicated. 

First, a show has to be eligible. Not every great production in New York can compete for a Tony. Off-Broadway shows and touring productions are not eligible. The official Tony Awards FAQ states that only Broadway productions that open in one of the 41 designated Broadway theatres in Manhattan are eligible. So yes, your favorite downtown miracle may be brilliant, devastating, and performed under one perfect bare bulb, but unless it transfers to an eligible Broadway theatre, Tony voters are not circling it on a ballot.

Think of the Administration Committee as Broadway’s Supreme Court – except the cases involve whether an actress counts as “featured” and the oral arguments happen over lunch. Is a performer leading or supporting? Is something a revival if it’s never actually been on Broadway before? The committee decides, and then everyone else argues about it loudly until June.

That matters because Tony categories are not always as obvious as they look. Is a performer leading or featured? Is a production a revival even if it has never been on Broadway before? Is a role placement determined by billing, producer request, or committee judgment? The answer is often: let the Administration Committee decide, and then let everyone else debate it loudly until June. Many times, producers will petition a category (for example, an actress to be put into a featured role instead of lead) to help with their chances of winning, but at the end of the day, the committee is there to determine it.

Once eligibility is settled, the nominations themselves are chosen by the Tony Awards Nominating Committee. This is a rotating group of theatre professionals selected by the Administration Committee. They serve overlapping three-year terms, are asked to see every new Broadway production, and then meet shortly after the eligibility deadline to determine the nominations by secret ballot. The ballots are supervised by an accounting firm to check accuracy.

In other words, this is not the full Tony voting body deciding nominations. It is a smaller group of nominators whose job is to watch the season, consider the eligible candidates, and vote.

For the 2025-2026 Broadway season, the Tony Awards announced a Nominating Committee of 64 members. The group includes actors, directors, designers, producers, writers, administrators, educators, and other theatre professionals. That range matters. The idea is that the nominations should come from people who understand the many crafts that make Broadway Broadway, from the person belting downstage center to the person who crafted the sound. 

After the nominations are announced, the process shifts. The winners are chosen by the larger Tony voting body. The Tony Awards says there are approximately 831 eligible voters, though that number can fluctuate year to year. Voters include members of The Broadway League, the American Theatre Wing, theatre unions and guilds, critics, casting professionals, press agents, managers, and the Nominating Committee.

Of course, every season comes with its own share of “wait… what?” moments, and this year delivered. The Tony Awards Administration Committee made a notable ruling that Marjorie Prime would be eligible for Best Revival of a Play, despite never having appeared on Broadway before, a reminder that “revival” can mean returning to prominence, not just returning to Broadway. Then there’s Schmigadoon!, where composer Cinco Paul was deemed eligible for Best Original Score, even though the music technically originated on television, signaling a continued evolution in how the Tonys define “written for the theatre.” And in the ever-strategic world of performance categories, both Jessica Vosk and Kelli Barrett were ruled eligible as Leading Actress contenders for Beaches, despite initial hopes to position Barrett in Featured. When that happens, the category doesn’t shrink, it expands, meaning more nominees and a slightly more crowded race. In other words, even the rules have plot twists.

There’s one more catch worth savoring: voters are expected to actually attend the productions they vote on. Skip a show and fail to log it in the Tony Voter Portal, and you’re locked out of voting in its categories. In other words, you cannot phone in the Tonys – even if you very much want to.

So the Tony nomination process is really a three-act play – one that somehow requires four committees and an accounting firm just to reach intermission.

Act One: a Broadway production opens and qualifies. Act Two: the Administration Committee rules on categories and eligibility. Act Three: the Nominating Committee sees everything, convenes, and votes by secret ballot. Curtain.

The Tonys matter because Broadway people care. A nomination can extend a run, change a career, boost a box office, and introduce audiences to shows they might otherwise miss. It is industry procedure, yes, but it is also storytelling. Every nomination morning tells us what Broadway is choosing to celebrate, what it is still wrestling with, and which performances managed to cut through the noise.

The Tonys may end with a trophy, but they begin with rules, committees, eligibility meetings, and a room full of people who saw everything.

Updated May 13, 2026

Oh, Mary!

The chaos queen of the season, and still the play everyone points to when they say, “Yes, comedy can sell on Broadway.” Cole Escola’s deranged Mary Todd Lincoln fantasia has become a genuine Broadway phenomenon, now extended through January 3, 2027. It is short, sharp, filthy-smart, and proof that a very specific comic voice can become commercial when it is truly undeniable.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

The long-running spectacle play that keeps reminding Broadway there is more than one way to make a “play” feel like an event. It is still the big magic-machine of the category, built for tourists, families, fans, and anyone who wants theatrical wizardry without needing a song cue every seven minutes. The current one-show version follows Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the next generation 19 years later.

Proof

A prestige revival with a killer package: Ayo Edebiri, Don Cheadle, Jin Ha, Kara Young, David Auburn’s Pulitzer and Tony-winning play, and Thomas Kail directing. The play’s central question, whether Catherine has inherited her father’s genius, madness, or both, still lands because it is really about belief, family, grief, and the terrifying possibility of your own brilliance.

Becky Shaw

A dark comedy with teeth. Gina Gionfriddo’s play turns a blind date into a social grenade, with marriage, obligation, class, kindness, cruelty, and emotional neediness all getting dragged into the room. It feels like one of those plays where everyone thinks they are the sane one, which is usually when theatre gets fun.

Every Brilliant Thing

The heart-warmer, but not in a soft-focus way. This solo play uses a list of life’s small joys to talk about depression, survival, memory, and hope. Daniel Radcliffe leads the Broadway run through May 24, with Mariska Hargitay stepping in for 40 performances beginning May 26. It is intimate, interactive, and emotionally direct without feeling like homework.

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

A major August Wilson revival, and one of the season’s weightier American classics. Set in Pittsburgh in 1911, it centers on a boardinghouse during a moment of migration, identity, and spiritual searching. With Taraji P. Henson, Cedric the Entertainer, Joshua Boone, and Ruben Santiago-Hudson, this has the potential to be both literary and star-powered.

The Balusters

David Lindsay-Abaire doing neighborhood warfare, which is exactly the kind of petty American comedy that can become weirdly profound if handled right. The setup is almost beautifully ridiculous: a neighborhood association spirals over porch railings, trash protocol, and a proposed stop sign. Translation: it is about control, taste, community, and people absolutely losing their minds over small things because the big things are harder to say out loud.

The Fear of 13

True crime, justice, wrongful conviction, death row, Adrien Brody, Tessa Thompson, David Cromer, Lindsey Ferrentino. That’s the sell. Based on the story of Nick Yarris, the play follows how a traffic stop became a murder conviction, 22 years on Death Row, and a shocking request for an execution date. It is built like a moral thriller, but the real hook is truth versus the system that claims to protect it.

Fallen Angels

Noël Coward, Rose Byrne, Kelli O’Hara, champagne, husbands out of town, and a shared former lover possibly arriving from France. It is elegant bad behavior, which is the best kind because everyone is dressed well while making terrible decisions. At 90 minutes with no intermission, this feels like a sleek comedy revival built for people who want wit, glamour, and a little marital panic.

Death of a Salesman

The heavy hitter. Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf in Arthur Miller’s American tragedy, directed by Joe Mantello. This is one of those productions where the casting alone becomes the event, because Willy and Linda need actors who can carry national disappointment in their bones. Miller’s story of a family crushed by the American Dream remains brutally current, because, well, have you looked around?

Stranger Things: The First Shadow

A play, yes, but also basically Broadway’s blockbuster franchise experiment. Set in Hawkins in 1959, it serves as a prequel to the Netflix series and leans hard into special effects, lore, and theatrical scale. For non-theatre audiences, this may be one of the easiest bridges into Broadway because it sells itself less like “a play” and more like stepping inside the mythology.

Giant

A serious, awards-shaped drama about Roald Dahl, legacy, apology, and public reckoning. John Lithgow reprises his Olivier-winning performance as Dahl following the play’s West End run. Set across a single afternoon in 1983, the play confronts Dahl after the backlash to his antisemitic article, asking whether a public apology can repair private conviction or public damage.

Dog Day Afternoon

A true-crime pressure cooker with major actor heat. Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach lead Stephen Adly Guirgis’ stage adaptation of the famous 1972 bank robbery story, directed by Rupert Goold. This one has commercial muscle: recognizable title, New York grit, prestige playwright, hot TV actors, and a story that already knows how to hold an audience hostage, pun unfortunately earned.