Alumni of Carnegie Mellon University achieves Big with 13 Tony Award nominations

The nominations for the 78th Tony Awards – the highest awards in the American theater – have been announced, and five of the candidates are graduates from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The alumni received a total of 13 nominations between them.

The 78th Tony Awards of the American Theater Wing will take place on Sunday, June 8th, at 8 p.m. in New York City and celebrate success on Broadway stages from last year.

CMU has a famous story with the Tony and has connections to stars like Leslie Odom Jr., Billy Porter, Sutton Foster, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Stephen Schwartz.

This year's Harvest of CMU Grad Honorees has been nominated in a variety of categories.

Megan Hilty, a 2004 CMU School of Drama Graduate, is already a Tony winner. In 2016 she won the award for the best actress in one piece for her performance in “Noises Off”. This year she is nominated for the best actress in a musical for “Death”, the musical adaptation of the 1992 film of the same name.

Natalie Venetia Belcon, 1991 CMU School of Drama Alumna, was nominated for her role in “Buena Vista Social Club”, a show that shows the music of the Titular Music ensemble group, for her role in “Buena Vista Social Club”. Previously, she had created the role of Gary Coleman in Broadway musical “Avenue Q” in 2003, who won the Tony Award for the best musical.

Peter Hylenski has a record nominations for Tony Award for the best sound design. The 1997 CMU Alumnus won two of these nominations for musicals “especially in time” and “maybe happy ending” this year. Before that, he won the price for “Moulin Rouge! The musical”.

Producer Jamie Deroy, CMU graduate from 1967, used seven nominations this year. This includes nominations in the category of the best game for “John Proctor is the villain” and “The Hills of California”. In the best musical for “Buena Vista Social Club”, “Dead Outlaws” and “Operation Mincemeat: a new musical”; And the best revival of a musical for “Gypsy” and “Sunset Boulevard”. Deroy has won 14 Tony Awards since last year, including for shows that she produced with the “The Band's Visit”, “Merry We Roll” and “Once on this island”.

Ankit Agrawal, 2014 Heinz College of Information and Public Policy Alumnus, is also nominated for his work as a producer. His two nods are the best musical for the show “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical” and “Buena Vista Social Club”.

At the last annual ceremony, three CMU alumni brought four awards home: Deroys two for the production “Merry We Roll” (Best Revival of a Musical) and “Stereophonic” (best game). The CMU School of Drama Class of 2009 Alum Will Brill won for the best actor in a piece for “Stereophonic”, and the CMU graduate of CMU from 1991, Billy Porter, received the Isabelle Stevenson Award, who has a strong commitment to voluntary work.

“Carnegie Mellon community is looking forward to celebrating our talented alumni, which further shape the future of the theater in front of and behind the spotlight,” said CMU President Farnam Jahanian in a release. “Your passion and art function illustrate the excellence that is promoted at the DRAMA's CMU school, and we look forward to celebrating it at Tony Awards.”