Tony Award Nominees

Judith Light

Patina Miller

Billy Porter

Seven alumni from Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama are up for a Tony Award this year, Broadway's highest honor.

Recognized for excellence in acting, costume design, sound and lighting, the nominees reflect the breadth of drama education at CMU, and the range of impact graduates are having on the Broadway stage.

"We are absolutely thrilled for our alumni, all of whom are so very deserving of this recognition of their work," said Peter Cooke, professor and head of the School of Drama. "Our graduates consistently stand out among their peers, and this speaks volumes for what we can expect from our alumni in the future. These nominees serve as role models for today's students."

Billy Porter, an East Liberty native, was nominated for Best Performance in a Leading Role in a Musical for "Kinky Boots." He earned his bachelor's in fine arts from the School of Drama in 1991, and is the star of the new Broadway production from Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein. The show garnered 13 nominations, and Porter has been receiving buzz for his role as drag club singer, Lola, who helps to revive business at a shoe factory.

Patina Miller (A'06) is the star of "Pippin," which returned to Broadway last weekend. She is nominated in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her role as the Leading Player. Stephen Schwartz (A'68) wrote the music and lyrics to "Pippin" while he was a student at CMU.

Judith Light is celebrating back-to-back Tony nominations. A winner in 2012 in the category of Best Featured Actress in a Play for her work in "Other Desert Cities," Light earned her BFA in 1970 at CMU. This year, she is nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for her role in "The Assembled Parties."

Peter Hylenski (A'97) was nominated for Best Sound Design of a Musical for "Motown The Musical." The show follows Motown founder Berry Gordy's journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and so many more.

Ann Roth (BFA, 1953) was nominated for Best Costume Design of a Play for "The Nance." The show is set in burlesque's heyday and stars two-time Tony winner Nathan Lane as Chauncey Miles, as the lead "nance" in a group of performers. The nance was a headliner who was a stereotypically camp homosexual and master of comic double entendre — usually played by a straight man, according to show notes. Roth is one of five who were nominated; Lane also received a nomination.

Jules Fisher (BFA, 1960) and Peggy Eisenhauer (BFA, 1983) were nominated for their work on Tom Hanks' Broadway debut, "Lucky Guy," the Nora Ephron-penned play in which Hanks plays New York Daily News columnist Mike McAlary. Fisher and Eisenhauer are nominated in the category of Best Lighting Design of a Play.

Martin Platt (A'71) and Jamie deRoy (A'67) were nominated for their work as producers for "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike." Plat and deRoy were nominated in the category of Best Play.

To date, CMU's alumni have received 24 Tony Awards.

The 67th Annual Tony Awards will be broadcast June 9 on CBS.

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