Two UNCSA alumni nominated for Tony Awards

Two alumni from UNCSA have been nominated for Tony Awards. The nominations, which honor theater professionals for distinguished achievements on Broadway, were announced today. Awards will be announced Sunday, June 7, during a live ceremony at Radio City Music Hall hosted by singer and songwriter Pink.

UNCSA alumni nominations include:

• Drama alumnus Joe Mantello (B.F.A. ’84) is nominated for best direction of a play for his work on “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman,” which earned nine nominations, including best revival of a play, best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play, best scenic design of a play, best lighting design of a play, best sound design of a play and more.
• Design & Production alumnus and Academy Award winner Paul Tazewell (B.F.A. ’86) is nominated for best costume design of a play for his work on “August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” which earned five nominations, including best original score, best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play, best lighting design of a play and best sound design of a play. The production is directed by Debbie Allen, who received an honorary doctorate from UNCSA and served as the school’s 1992 commencement speaker.

Mantello has won two Tony Awards and has received multiple Tony nominations across his career as a director and performer. His Broadway directing credits include “Wicked,” “Assassins,” “Take Me Out,” “Three Tall Women,” “The Boys in the Band,” “The Humans” and “Grey House,” among others.

Tazewell made history in 2025 as the first Black man to win an Academy Award for costume design for the film “Wicked.” He also won the 2025 Tony Award for best costume design of a musical for “Death Becomes Her” and previously won a Tony Award in 2016 for “Hamilton.” He was also nominated for an Oscar for “West Side Story” and has designed original costumes for nearly two dozen Broadway shows and countless productions off-Broadway.

In addition to the aforementioned nominees, numerous alumni from multiple disciplines contributed to several Tony-nominated productions.

The 79th annual Tony Awards will air live Sunday, June 7, at 8 p.m. on CBS and stream on Paramount Plus.

Information in this release reflects what could be obtained by press time; updates will be made with additional nominations as they are brought to our attention.

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