Tony Awards 2020: Nominations coming Oct.15, but which shows are eligible?

Ending months of speculation since Broadway shut down due to COVID-19 in mid-March, the 2020 Tony Awards will be held virtually this fall.

Nominations will be announced at noon on Oct. 15. The announcement will be hosted by Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart on the Tony Awards YouTube channel.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to recognize Broadway’s magnificent work of during the 2019-2020 season,” said Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing and Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, in a statement.

“Our Broadway community has been incredibly resilient during this difficult time, and we look forward to paying tribute to the performers and artists.”

The Tony Awards Nominating Committee vote on this year’s nominations on Oct. 13.

A date and time for the awards, the platform where they will hosted and more will be determined and released "soon," according to Tony Award Productions.

The Tony Awards, Broadway's highest honor, are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

Productions that opened prior to Feb. 19, 2020, will be eligible for this year's awards ceremony.

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“Though unprecedented events cut the Broadway season short, it was a year full of extraordinary work that deserves to be recognized,” said Martin and Hitchens.

“We are thrilled not only to have found a way to properly celebrate our artists’ incredible achievements this season, but also to be able to uplift the entire theatre community and show the world what makes our Broadway family so special at this difficult time. The show must go on, no matter what — and it will.”

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Broadway shut down on March 12, and on March 25, it was announced that the 74th annual awards ceremony, which was scheduled for June 7, was postponed.

"The health and safety of the Broadway community, artists and fans is of the utmost importance to us," organizers said at the time.

Originally, a new date for the Tonys was to be announced once Broadway re-opened, which at the time had a target date of April 12. The closure has since been extended to at least January 2021, although it is widely expected that Spring of 2021 is a more likely scenario.

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Which shows are eligible for nominations?

Broadway shut down amid the busy spring season, with a slew of new shows that were in previews, about to begin previews or had just opened.

The official opening cut-off date for this year's awards was to be April 23. With the Feb. 19 cutoff date, the following 18 productions would be eligible for Tony Award nominations.

NEW MUSICALS: "Jagged Little Pill;" "The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical;" "Moulin Rouge! The Musical;" "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical'

MUSICAL REVIVALS: None

NEW PLAYS: "A Christmas Carol;" "Grand Horizons;" "The Great Society;" "The Height of the Storm;" "The Inheritance;" "Linda Vista;" "My Name Is Lucy Barton;" "Sea Wall/A Life;" "Slave Play;" "The Sound Inside"

PLAY REVIVALS: "Betrayal;" "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune;" "The Rose Tattoo;" "A Soldier's Play"

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Two shows that opened just prior to the deadline are ineligible for this year's awards, a revival of "West Side Story" and the new musical "Girl From the North Country." In addition to the shows in previews which also are ineligible this year, the highly anticipated musical "Six" was shut down on what would have been its opening night.

With the lessened amount of eligible productions and performances in many Tony Award categories, it is likely decisions will be made to adjust the number of nominees in some categories and combine or eliminate others.

Follow the Tony Awards on Twitter and Instagram @TheTonyAwards or visit tonyawards.com for more information.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Tony Awards 2020 go virtual: Here's what you need to know