Several UNCSA alumni nominated for Tony Awards

Four alumni from UNCSA have received Tony Award nominations. The nominations, which honor theater professionals for distinguished achievements on Broadway, were announced today. Awards will be announced June 8 in a live telecast hosted by Cynthia Erivo.

“We are incredibly proud of our alumni whose talent and hard work have been recognized with Tony nominations this year,” said Chancellor Brian Cole. “Their success on Broadway reflects the dedication, discipline and creativity that are hallmarks of a UNCSA education. These nominations are a testament to the powerful contributions our alumni are making in the performing arts.”

UNCSA alumni nominations include:

• D&P alumnus and recent Academy Award winner Paul Tazewell (B.F.A. ’86) is nominated for best costume design of a musical for his work on “Death Becomes Her,” which earned 10 nominations including best new musical, best book of a musical and more. Tazewell was announced as the 2025 UNCSA commencement speaker earlier this year.
• Drama alumnus Orin Wolf (High School ’97) is nominated as a producer for best musical nominee “Buena Vista Social Club,” which earned 10 nominations including best direction of a musical, best book of a musical, best scene design of a musical and more.
• Dance alumna Camille A. Brown (B.F.A. ’01) is nominated for best choreography for her work on “Gypsy,” which received five nominations including best revival of a musical, best performance by an actress in a leading role and more.
• Drama alumna Holly Pierson (B.F.A. ’06) earned her first Tony nomination for best costume design of a play for her work on “Oh, Mary!” which earned five nominations including best play, best direction of a play and more.

Brown, who leads Camille A. Brown and Dancers, has previously been nominated for four Tony Awards and received numerous awards including Princess Grace, Bessie and Doris Duke. In 2023, Brown was presented with an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts during the UNCSA commencement in which she addressed graduating undergraduate and graduate students and their families and friends.

This year, Tazewell made history as the first Black man to win an Academy Award for costume design for the film “Wicked.” He has previously nominated for an Oscar for “West Side Story” and won a Tony in 2016 for “Hamilton.” He has designed original costumes for nearly two dozen Broadway shows and countless shows off-Broadway.

Pierson, who began her career designing costumes for historical reenactments, earned her first Tony nomination for her Broadway debut, Cole Escola’s Broadway comedy “Oh, Mary!” The two began collaborating on the TV series “At Home With Amy Sedaris,” and she has also worked with Escola on other projects including “Our Home Out West.” Previous New York theater credits include “LA Lights Fire,” “Head Over Heels” and “Line.”

Wolf was nominated for a Tony Award last year for his work as producer on “Illinoise,” and has previously won two Tony Awards for “Once” and “The Band’s Visit.” Wolf has also been nominated for his work on projects including “Orphans” and “Fiddler on the Roof.”

In addition to the aforementioned nominees, numerous alumni from the schools of Dance, Design and Production (D&P), Drama and Music are connected to 2025 Tony-nominated productions. 

The 78th annual Tony Awards will air live Sunday, June 8, at 8 p.m. on CBS and 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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