TheTony Awards forBest Sound Design of a Play andBest Sound Design of a Musical recognize excellence insound design forBroadway theatre. They were first given in the 2007–2008 season.[1] In 2014, the Tony Awards Administration Committee announced that starting with the 2014–2015 season the Tony Awards for Best Sound Design of a Play and of a Musical would be eliminated, but that they would consider awarding "a special Tony award for certain productions that have excelled in this particular design realm".[2] This resulted in considerable industry backlash,[3] including thousands of signatures on a petition and a viral social media campaign by sound designerJohn Gromada, #TonyCanYouHearMe, and was a catalyst for the formation in 2014 of the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association,[4][5] to protest for its reinstatement. In 2017, the committee presented a Special Tony Award toGareth Fry andPete Malkin for their sound design ofComplicité'sThe Encounter. In 2017, the committee announced that the two Sound Design awards would again be presented starting in the 2017–2018 season.[6]
Jessica Paz is the first woman to receive a Tony nomination for Sound Design of a Musical and the first woman to win a Tony Award for Sound Design.[22][23]
