Tony voting

[SFFrontRow]

i cannot find info on this, so I thought I’d post it as a question...

What is the last date for submitting Tony ballots for Tony voters?

The reason I ask is that Amber Grey was out today (6/1) for both matinee and evening (her understudy was awesome). But, a thought occurred to me. What if Tony voters tried to catch her performance today to vote, and they did not see her? And taking that a step further, if they don’t see her prior to voting, by rule doesn’t that mean the voter should not choose a nominee from that category (as that voter would not have seen all the nominees)?

i know I’m being naive about the voting thing, but still wondering about the assumed process.

[SomethingPeculiar]

Ballots are due this coming Friday.

Yes, there probably were a good number of Tony voters at the shows today. They could switch to a different performance or see it without her. Most probably kept their tickets because time is running out.

Per the Tonys website:  "Voters are expected to attend all nominated productions; or at least to refrain from voting in any category in which they have not seen all of the nominees."

Voters need to prove they've seen every show, but I don't think the League really has a way to enforce if they saw an understudy for a supporting character in the final week of voting.

[dramamama611]

They vote for whomever they want...regardless of who they see. Heck, the voters got to award all 3 Billy Elliot boys by only seeing one.

I wonder how many seats from each performance are held back from sale.

[Samanthacq]

Would the show know how many tony voters are attending a performance? Hard to imagine Amber Gray knew there will be 50 voters there on Saturday but still choose to be out (unless she is really sick).

[dramamama611]

If it was a scheduled day...and with enough notice, the production would have kept as many away as possible.

[SFFrontRow]

Samanthacq said: "Would the show know how many tony voters are attending a performance? Hard to imagine Amber Gray knew there will be 50 voters there on Saturday but still choose to be out (unless she is really sick)."

I think they provide tickets for voters. If that’s the case, then they would know but I assume there are a limited number of tickets available for a single performance. It’s kind of interesting to actually think of the logistics of this process and how tight or loose it is.

As to missing Amber Grey, disappointed but that’s live theater. Hadn’t checked for preplanned time off. Too bad a missed performance could possibly cost an actor Tony votes. But, again, that’s live theater.

[musikman]

My former boss was a Tony voter. He had tickets scheduled for A Gentleman’s Guide one evening when Jefferson Mays suddenly called out. We received a call from Joey parnes’s office (the general manager) stating that he was out and that it was strongly recommended that the tickets be switched for another performance, though he was welcome to see the show if it was his only option.

[Samanthacq]

I know it’s live theater. What i’m say is, if she knew the number of voters who were going to be there and still choose to be out, then either she or the production didn’t think it will affect her chance, or there was no way she can perform so she decided to take the risk.

[Smaxie]

This site wrote about the process. There is a Tony Awards portal, where voters must register when they've attended a show. Apparently starting with this year, if they haven't seen a nominated show in a category, they are blocked from voting in that category. The process still depends on voters being honest in that they have personally attended the nominated show, and not given the tickets away, which is a common occurrence. The article does mention that with the new system, Tony voter attendance has been up over previous years. 

Tony Awards Voting and the Flaw in the System

[ChildofEarth]

She was very clearly losing her voice in a few interviews last week. It’s a shame because I think it’s a tight race and one I desperately wanted her to win.

[SomethingPeculiar]

Samanthacq said: "Would the show know how many tony voters are attending a performance? Hard to imagine Amber Gray knew there will be 50 voters there on Saturday but still choose to be out (unless she is really sick)."

Yes, the general management office handles all the Tony voter tickets on behalf of the show. Amber wouldn't know who's there (unless she requested it), and it's not a really a "choice" to be out -- she's a new mom and she's been campaigning a lot and shaking a lot of hands. That's a lot of extra work on top of an 8-show week, for someone who has never had to deal with the campaign circuit before.

The new portal helps keep voters accountable, but it still uses an honors system, and it would be easy to say "oh, I saw it with a friend/colleague."

[SFFrontRow]

Thanks to both musikman and smaxie for their info. It’s a process and all processes have flaws, but at least they try to make it work fairly for all. And thanks childofearth for clarifying what might have been happening, I hope she recovers.