“BURN THIS”
Adam Driver
“We’re asking 900 people to stop what they’re doing for two hours, and we’re given this opportunity to grab their attention. It had better be worth it.”
“Ain’t too proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations”
Derrick Baskin, Ephraim Sykes and Jeremy Pope
“During one of the bows, a woman came to the stage and threw panties at us. I told Otis, the guy I play, and he said, ‘Yeah, that’s about right.’” — Derrick Baskin
“I get to expose someone’s and even my own demons. While we celebrate the best of a legend’s life, we can also celebrate him in his fullness — and ours.” — Ephraim Sykes
“I was a part of two of the biggest, blackest shows on Broadway this season. It’s a reminder to me that everything I am is beautiful, and I shouldn’t shy or run away from that.” — Jeremy Pope
“The Cher show”
Stephanie J. Block
“I was lovingly dragged into this role. My instincts were to say ‘Thank you, but I don’t think I am the right fit.’ But the more I did homework on Cher, I went, ‘O.K., I either want to be this woman’s best friend, or I am going to go ahead and play her.’”
“ALL MY SONS”
Annette Bening and Benjamin Walker
“I’ve always loved Arthur Miller. We all struggle with adhering to the truth in our own lives, and certainly our public officials struggle with adhering to the truth, as we’re seeing right now, and Miller spoke up for our obligation to serve a greater cause than our own.” — Annette Bening
“This play was written in 1947, but we’re still asking the same questions, we’re still having the same discussions and fights. It will still blow your hair back.” — Benjamin Walker
“the prom”
Beth Leavel and Caitlin Kinnunen
“The show has taught me a great deal about how important it is to tell stories where people can see themselves onstage.” — Beth Leavel
“I’ve learned so much about bravery and courage and speaking up for yourself.” — Caitlin Kinnunen
“burn this”
Brandon Uranowitz
“I can tend to be a little shy in real life, and for whatever reason when I get onstage I come out of my shell and I am able to say things that I can’t normally say.”
“King Lear”
Ruth Wilson
“You’re sitting in language that’s 400, 500 years old, and it’s a slippery fish. From day to day you can be on top of it, and other days you just feel so disconnected. It’s like speaking a foreign language.”
“Hadestown”
Amber Gray, Patrick Page, Anaïs Mitchell, Rachel Chavkin, André De Shields and Eva Noblezada
“The other day we had some gremlins in the show, and Patrick Page, in a moment where he reveals a flower, dropped it. We had this physical improv about how we get the flower, and it was very beautiful, and I was like, I love actors. It occurred to me in that moment: I find such joy performing lately because it is my daily meditation — it is the only time where I get to listen and see with my whole body.” — Amber Gray
“the ferryman”
Fionnula Flanagan
“I think we go to the theater to have our hearts broken. Because it’s the only real evidence we have that we’re human. Once your heart is broken, you’re home free.”
“the prom”
Brooks Ashmanskas
“Why am I an actor? I can’t do anything else. And I love it. I still do, even at my age!”
“what the constitution means to me”
Heidi Schreck
“I’ve gained a kind of living understanding of our country’s history. My relationship to the Constitution has deepened and become a very present, personal thing.”
“the cher show”
Bob Mackie
“The funny thing is there’s somebody in the play playing me, which is really bizarre and kind of fun at the same time.”
“oklahoma!”
Ali Stroker and Mary Testa
“Playing Ado Annie has taught me that you don’t have to apologize for who you are. ‘I Cain’t Say No’ is an anthem about living life to the fullest.” — Ali Stroker
“I’ve known there’s a darkness in America, but we really expose it. It’s interesting to watch when people want to see it, or when they don’t want to see it.” — Mary Testa
“OKLahoma!”
Damon Daunno
“The one show where they filmed — I don’t know if it was for promotion or posterity — I fell into a man’s lap. It took about four minutes for me to uncurl myself.”
“tootsie”
Andy Grotelueschen, Sarah Stiles, Santino Fontana and Lilli Cooper
“Making people laugh is my favorite thing in the world to do, and to be able to do that in a grander sense and make multiple people laugh at one time is the greatest thing.” — Sarah Stiles
“I love getting opportunities to step into other people’s shoes and tell their story. And I love uniting a group of strangers in a common story.” — Santino Fontana
“I’ve learned a lot from playing Julie Nichols. She’s optimistic and finds utter joy in what she does. And I have taken that on, too.” — Lilli Cooper
“beetlejuice”
Alex Brightman
“Pushing away the thought of death is a problem for me. So it’s nice to look death in the face.”
“to kill a mockingbird”
Celia Keenan-Bolger
“From the public school kids who come to Sonia Sotomayor, all seem to have a similar response, which is that there actually is some importance to what we’re doing, which is deeply meaningful to me.”
“to kill a mockingbird”
Gideon Glick
“I’ve been playing queer roles for 13 years. I feel really lucky that people can see all these varied queer characters and see themselves reflected in my work.”
“the boys in the band”
Robin De Jesús
“That show came to me at an interesting time in my life. There’s part of me that forgot who I was. But the theme of pride kept coming up. Emory, my character, is the proudest one of the bunch, and it got me thinking.”
“kiss me, kate”
Kelli O’Hara
“To call someone a shrew is to not look inside them and find why they are. To get to know someone is to understand that. That’s my goal every night.”
“ink”
Bertie Carvel
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the relationship between art and truth. In art, you do have a responsibility to the truth, but your access to it is as much through the imagination and through empathy as it is through some quasi-objective rendition of fact.”
SPECIAL TONY AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE theater
Rosemary Harris
“Acting was my third choice. I wanted to be a nurse. Then I wanted to be a physiotherapist, but it was too expensive. Then my sister said, ‘Why don’t you be an actress?’”
