FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For More Information : JUNE 15, 2008 Amy McGee [email protected]/310-492-2333

PASSING STRANGE WINS 2008 TONY AWARD FOR BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL

June 15, 2008 - New York – and , tonight received the 2008 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical . Sundance's latest project to land on Broadway, PASSING STRANGE was cultivated at the 2004 and 2005 Theatre Labs.

The were announced in a three-hour CBS telecast from Radio City Music Hall. Whoopi Goldberg served as host.

"We congratulate Stew and Heidi and the entire cast on PASSING STRANGE. We're so happy they are part of the Sundance family and for all of their recent successes," said Philip Himberg. "PASSING STRANGE is unlike other Broadway musicals; it is significant that the show is enjoying critical success. And it is exciting that audiences are hungry for work that's completely unique."

Stew, who wrote the book of PASSING STRANGE with Heidi Rodewald, accepted the award at a pre-broadcast ceremony. "I don't know what to say, because I didn't know we were going to do this right now," he said. "I thought this was going to happen in an hour or something. I was looking for some M & M's in my pocket." Later in the awards program Stew appeared sporting a fake nose and moustache. PASSING STRANGE is currently on Broadway at The , 111 West 44th Street, . The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American theatre and are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League. The complete list of Tony Award winners can be found here: http://www.tonyawards.com

Photos from PASSING STRANGE at the 2005 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab are available at the press ftp site:

URL: ftp://ftp.sundance.org Login ID: press Password: SFF08! (all caps)

PASSING STRANGE is the third Sundance-supported production to go on to Broadway in the past year. Recently, the Institute supported the development of by , and Michael Korie, and SPRING AWAKENING by and . Part of the Sundance Institute founded by Robert Redford in 1981, the Sundance Institute Theatre Program supports emerging theatre artists and encourages the development of new work and creative growth from established artists.

# # #