On May 8, this year’s Tony nominees attended the 78th Annual Tony Awards’ “Meet the Nominees” event. Nominees in attendance included Academy Award-winning George Clooney and comedian Cole Escola — both nominated for Best Actor in a Play, as well as Tony-winning Megan Hilty for her role in “Death Becomes Her” and “Stranger Things” star Sadie Sink for her performance in “John Proctor is the Villain.”
Over a hundred nominees attended the event and spoke to the press about their experiences performing or working on their productions and their excitement for the future of theater.
At the event, Tom Francis — nominated for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Joe Gillis in “Sunset Blvd.” — spoke to The Knockturnal about his experience bringing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic 1993 musical from The West End to Broadway.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 08: Tom Francis attends the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet The Nominees Press Event at Sofitel New York on May 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
“The New York audience is so enthusiastic all the time,” Francis said. “Their reactions are brilliant, and that really feeds you as a performer and informs your [acting] choices.”
At just 25, this is Francis’s first Tony nomination, and his performance in “Sunset Boulevard” marks his Broadway debut.
“I’m just excited to see what comes next for me, and see what doors [this experience] opens,” Francis said.
Another Broadway newcomer, Jasmine Amy Rogers, was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Betty Boop in “Boop! The Musical!” — also spoke to The Knockturnal about her first Tony nomination. She called her time on Broadway “ a dream come true” and a “one-of-a-kind experience.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 08: Jasmine Amy Rogers attends the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet The Nominees Press Event at Sofitel New York on May 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Rogers spoke about her initial audition for “Boop! The Musical,” which initially premiered at the CIBC Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, in 2023 before transferring to Broadway this March.
“I always tell myself: the goal isn’t to be Tony nominated, the goal is just to get to [perform] in the first place,” Rogers said.
Harry Lennix, known for his ten-year run on NBC’s hit television show “The Blacklist,” received a nomination for Best Actor in a Play for his portrayal of Solomon in the Pulitzer Prize-winning production “Purpose.” He spoke to The Knockturnal about how “Purpose” fits into the Broadway 2025 season, calling the show the “definitive American play of the new millennium.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 08: (L-R) Debra Martin Chase, David Stone, Glenn Davis, Harry Lennix, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Kara Young, Jon Michael Hill, and LaChanze attend the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet The Nominees Press Event at Sofitel New York on May 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
“I think it deals with every new issue that has come to the floor in the last 25 years,” Lennix said.
Lennix told The Knockturnal that he’s pleased with the positive reception of this year’s Broadway season.
“This [Broadway] season seems especially robust — I’ve considered this a predictive season of what was promised during the pandemic. I think that a lot of people were working on these plays during the pandemic, and that they are now coming into fruition,” Lennix said. “I think that Broadway’s back, and if that’s the case, I think that American theater is back.”
The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards will broadcast live to both coasts on Sunday, June 8, 2025 (8:00 – 11:00 PM ET/5:00 – 8:00 PM PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S.
