| 2nd Tony Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | March 28, 1948 | |||
| Location | Waldorf-Astoria Hotel New York City, New York | |||
| Hosted by | Harry Hershfield,Bert Lytell andHiram Sherman | |||
| Television/radio coverage | ||||
| Network | WOR (radio), Mutual Network (radio) | |||
| ||||
The2nd Tony Awards were held on March 28, 1948, at theWaldorf-Astoria Grand Ballroom in New York City, and broadcast on radio stationWOR and theMutual Network. The Masters of Ceremonies wereHarry Hershfield,Bert Lytell, andHiram Sherman. TheAntoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, or more commonly, theTony Awards, recognize achievement in liveBroadway productions and performances, plus several non-competitive Special Awards (such as the Regional Theatre Award). They are presented by theAmerican Theatre Wing and theLeague of American Theatres and Producers at an annual ceremony in New York City.
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, andDonald Saddler),Make Mine Manhattan (Kyle MacDonnell andJoshua 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 andPia Tassinari (of theMetropolitan Opera),Maggie Teyte (City Center Opera).[2][1]
Source:Tony Awards[1]
Note: There were no pre-announced Tony nominees prior to 1956
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Play | Mister Roberts byThomas Heggen andJoshua Logan – ProducerLeland Hayward |
| Outstanding Foreign Company | The cast ofThe Importance of Being Earnest (Donald Bain,Jane Baxter,Pamela Brown,Jean Cadell,Stringer Davis,Robert Flemyng,John Gielgud, John Kidd,Margaret Rutherford, andRichard Wordsworth) |
| 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) |
The following productions received multiple awards.