Media Release: Monday June 5, 2017 THE 71st ANNUAL TONY AWARDS Stars from stage and screen join host Kevin Spacey LIVE AND ONLY ON FOXTEL ARTS NEXT MONDAY JUNE 12 AT 10AM Or stream it on Foxtel Play Foxtel Arts channel will broadcast Broadway’s ultimate night of nights the 71st Annual Tony® Awards live and exclusive from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Monday June 12 from 10am. Marking 71 years of excellence on Broadway, The Tony Awards honour theatre professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway and has been broadcast on CBS since 1978 and are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. For the first time, Tony and Academy Award winning actor Kevin Spacey will host the Tonys and will be joined by some of the biggest stars from theatre, television, film and music who will take to the stage at the 71st Annual Tony Awards. Broadway’s biggest night will feature appearances by Orlando Bloom, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Josh Gad, Taraji P. Henson, Scarlett Johansson, Anna Kendrick, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Wilde, and 2017 Tony Nominees Josh Groban, Bette Midler and Ben Platt. Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, an offbeat pop opera based on a slice of Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”, which stars Josh Groban leads with 12 nominations, including the category for Best Musical alongside Come From Away, about a Canadian town that sheltered travellers after the terrorist attacks of 2001, Dear Evan Hansen, about an anxiety-ridden adolescent who insinuates himself into the life of a grieving family and Groundhog Day The Musical, an adaptation of the Bill Murray Film. Hello, Dolly! scored 10 nominations, including its stars Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce and for Best Revival of a Musical, against Falsettos and Miss Saigon. In addition to Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce, Tony Awards nominations were announced for other known performers including our very own Cate Blanchett for The Play “The Present”, Josh Groban for “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812”, Kevin Kline for the Play “Present Laughter”, Laurie Metcalf for the Play “A Doll’s House”, as well as Sally Field for the Play “The Glass Menagerie”, Danny De Vito for the Play “The Price”, Nathan Lane for the Play “The Front Page” and Laura Linney and Cynthia Nixon for the play “Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes”. Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre will be awarded to two-time Tony Award winner and stage and screen icon James Earl Jones’s whose voice is known by people of all ages and walks of life, from Star Wars fans who have long recognized him as the voice of Darth Vader, to children for whom he is Mufasa from Disney’s The Lion King. Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will be awarded to Nina Lannan and Alan Wasser. For more information on the Tony Awards, visit TonyAwards.com and Facebook.com/TheTonyAwards and follow @TheTonyAwards on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. THE 71st ANNUAL TONY AWARDS LIVE and ONLY on Foxtel Arts, Monday, June 12 from 10am AEST With a special encore screening Monday June 12 at 8.30pm AEST. Find your story, find your vision, find your beat, and find your self on Foxtel Arts, Channel 133. About Foxtel Foxtel is one of Australia’s most progressive and dynamic media companies, directly employing around 2,800 people and delivering a diverse subscription television service over cable, satellite and broadband distribution. Foxtel effortlessly connects Australians to all the stories they love by offering a better entertainment experience every day to more than 2.8 million subscribing homes through delivery of new and inspiring programming across all genres, the world’s most popular channel brands, and investment in high quality local content. As constant champions of innovation we have brought customers the iQ personal digital recorder; Australia’s largest HD channel offering; the Foxtel Go App for tablets and mobile devices; internet TV service, Foxtel Play; and television, broadband and home phone bundles with Foxtel internet and voice services delivered over Australia’s largest telecommunications network. Foxtel is owned by Telstra Corporation Limited ACN 051 775 556 (50%) and News Corporation (50%). About the Tony Awards The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. At The Broadway League, Robert E. Wankel is Chairman and Charlotte St. Martin is President. At the American Theatre Wing, David Henry Hwang is Chairman and Heather A. Hitchens is President. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment are the Executive Producers of the 2017 Tony Awards. Mr. Weiss will also serve as Director of the 2017 Tony Awards. For further information: Foxtel Publicity- Victoria Richards [email protected] +61 2 9813 7439 +61 (0) 418 630 100 .