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The 2nd Tony Awards were held on March 28, 1948, at the Waldorf-Astoria Grand Ballroom in New York City, and broadcast on radio station WOR and the Mutual Network. The Masters of Ceremonies were Harry Hershfield, Bert Lytell, and Hiram Sherman. The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, or more commonly, the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live Broadway productions and performances, plus several non-competitive Special Awards (such as the Regional Theatre Award). They are presented by the American Theatre Wing and the League of American Theatres and Producers at an annual ceremony in New York City.
| 2nd Tony Awards | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 28, 1948 |
| Location | Waldorf-Astoria Hotel New York City, New York |
| Hosted by | Harry Hershfield, Bert Lytell and Hiram Sherman |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | WOR (radio), Mutual Network (radio) |
The award for the women was a gold bracelet, with a disc inscribed with the actress' initials and the name of the prize, and the men received a gold bill clip, similarly inscribed.[1]
Performers and performances were: High Button Shoes (Nanette Fabray, Helen Gallagher, and Donald Saddler), Make Mine Manhattan (Kyle MacDonnell and Joshua Shelley), Look Ma I'm Dancin'! (Virginia Gorski and Don Liberto), Forest Bonshire, Jack Carter, Stan Fisher, Lisa Kirk, Kathryn Lee, Jack McCauley, Lucy Monroe, Ferruccio Tagliavini and Pia Tassinari (of the Metropolitan Opera), Maggie Teyte (City Center Opera).[2][1]
Source:Tony Awards[1]
Note: There were no pre-announced Tony nominees prior to 1956
Production
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Play | Mister Roberts by Thomas Heggen and Joshua Logan – Producer Leland Hayward |
| Outstanding Foreign Company | The cast of The Importance of Being Earnest (Donald Bain, Jane Baxter, Pamela Brown, Jean Cadell, Stringer Davis, Robert Flemyng, John Gielgud, John Kidd, Margaret Rutherford, and Richard Wordsworth) |
Performance
Craft
| Award | Winner (s) |
|---|---|
| Director | Joshua Logan (Mister Roberts) |
| Costume Designer | Mary Percy Schenck (The Heiress) |
| Choreographer | Jerome Robbins (High Button Shoes) |
| Tony Award for Best Conductor and Musical Director | Milton Rosenstock (Finian's Rainbow) |
| Tony Award for Best Scenic Design | Horace Armistead (The Medium) |
| Tony Award for Best Stage Technician | George Gebhardt |
Special Awards
| Award | Winner (s) |
|---|---|
| Progressive Theatre Operators | Robert W. Dowling, president of City Investing Company, owner of several theatres in New York Paul Beisman, operator of the American Theatre, St. Louis |
| Spreading Theatre To The Country While The Originals Perform In New York | Mary Martin (Annie Get Your Gun) Joe E. Brown (Harvey) |
| Contribution To Development Of Regional Theatre | Barter Theatre, Virginia, Robert Porterfield |
| Contribution To Theatre Through A Publication | Theatre Arts, Rosamund Gilder, editor |
| Distinguished Wing Volunteer Worker Through The War And After | Vera Allen |
| Experiment In Theatre | The Experimental Theatre, Inc., John Garfield accepting |
| Special Award | George Pierce, for twenty-five years of courteous and efficient service as a backstage doorman (Empire Theatre) |
Multiple nominations and awards
The following productions received multiple awards.
- 3 wins: Mister Roberts
- 2 wins: Angel in the Wings, Command Decision and The Heiress
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