“ Tony ” Award , which was founded by the American Theatre Wing in 1947 , is bestowed annually on theatre professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway .

The Tony is one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry and the annual telecast – the night America watches Broadway – is considered one of the most prestigious programs on television .

The Broadway community embraced the Tonys from the beginning . While the awards ceremony in its early years was smaller than it is today , the annual gala dinner quickly became one of the highlights of the New York theatre season . More than 1,000 guests attended the first Tony dinner in 1947 .

is festival neighbo showca of inde inaugur become indepen genres broad a

The fes up inclu indepen docume features a progr films .

The fes panel d in the e and a m with th of Com and Pu showca