UNCSA alumnus Joe Mantello wins Tony Award

Joe Mantello, an alumnus of the School of Drama at UNCSA, won a Tony Award for best direction of a play for his work on “Death of a Salesman” during the 79th annual ceremony presented on Sunday night. The awards recognize excellence on Broadway and are among the most prestigious in American theater.

The show won a total of six awards, including best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play, best scenic design of a play, best lighting design of a play, best sound design of a play, best direction of a play and best revival of a play. Mantello previously won two Tony Awards for his work on “Assassins” in 2004 and “Take me Out” in 2003.

Joe Mantello / Photo credit: Dave Krysl

Additionally, High School Music alumna Mary-Mitchell Campbell (High School Piano ’92) was the recipient of the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award, which recognizes her commitment to advocacy and transformative arts-based service.

Design & Production (D&P) alumnus and former Academy Award winner Paul Tazewell (B.F.A. ’86) was nominated for best costume design of a play for his work on “August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.” Additionally, D&P alumnus Johnny Milani (D&P ’09) was the stage manager for the show, which earned five nominations, including best original score, best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play and more. The production was directed by Debbie Allen, who received an honorary doctorate from UNCSA and served as the school’s 1992 commencement speaker.

Laurie Metcalf, Christopher Abbott, Ben Ahlers, and Nathan Lane / Photo by: Emilio Madrid

In addition, several alumni from the schools of Dance, Design and Production (D&P), and Drama contributed to several Tony Award-winning and nominated productions. They include:

D&P alumnus Sean Beach (B.F.A. ’09) served as video programmer for “Ragtime,” which won four awards and earned 11 Tony Award nominations. D&P alumnus Brad Peterson (B.F.A. ’09) co-led the projection design for the production.
Drama alumnus Brian D. Coats (Drama ’93) appeared as an ensemble member in “Dog Day Afternoon,” which earned three Tony Award nominations.
Drama alumnus Todd Freedman (B.F.A. ’87) appeared as an ensemble member in “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.”
D&P alumna Christina Grant (M.F.A. ’04) served as makeup designer for “The Lost Boys,” which won four awards and earned 12 Tony Award nominations. Additionally, D&P alums Jill Sawyer (B.F.A. ’20) was the hair and makeup supervisor and Tayler Winer (B.F.A. ’18) served as the associate makeup designer for the production.
Drama alumnus Tom Hulce (B.F.A. ’74) served as the producer for “Chess,” which earned five nominations.
Dance alumnus Zac Snyder (B.F.A. ’23) contributed to three of this year’s Tony-nominated and winning productions including “Death of a Salesman,” “Fear of 13,” and “Giant” in his role as commercial/Broadway rentals and relations manager.
Drama alumna N’yomi Stewart (B.F.A. ’21) served as directorial fellow on “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” which won three awards and earned nine Tony Award nominations.

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.

Contact Media Relations

June 08, 2026