How Will the Tonys Nominate Non-Binary Performers?

Sometime in the not-too-distant future, there is going to be an incredible performance on Broadway that everyone will be talking about. This performance will be so brilliant, it will become a must-see event.

Obviously, this quality of performance will be looked at as an award favorite. And this is where this performer and performance will change how the Tonys award performers.

Because this performer identifies as non-binary and they’re playing a non-binary role. And the Tonys have no idea how to recognize that.

Thankfully today, we’re seeing more and more performers who identify as non-binary being cast in major Broadway productions. For instance, Maybe Burke portrayed a non-binary character in the Off-Broadway production of safeword (and was cruelly misgendered in many of the reviews). I’m hopeful that the number of non-binary performance opportunities on Broadway will increase in the next couple of years. This means it’s a very realistic idea that they will be eligible for various acting awards. But as of today, many awards such as the Tonys and Drama Desk Awards don’t have a plan on how to recognize them.

The Tonys and Drama Desk Awards currently hand their acting trophies under the category of “Best Performance by an Actress/Actor” and “Outstanding Actress/Actor” respectively. So how could these awards recognize a non-binary performer? They don’t identify as either gendered term for the profession.

You might think that the Tonys could simply change it to “Best Leading Performance in a Female Role”. Okay, but what if the non-binary performer was playing a non-binary role? Then neither the performer nor the role would identify as either gendered term.

You might think, “well then they could choose which gendered category they’d like to be considered for.” Well, that would be over-the-line discriminatory. Forcing a non-binary performer to pick a gender is about the worst thing I can imagine.

So what do these awards do then?

Well, there is one solution, but as inclusive as it is, it could lead to a whole other set of issues: Remove the gender for all categories.

Instead of the “Best Performance by an Actress/Actor”, it would be changed to “Best Performance in a Leading Role” and include all gender identities.

This isn’t exactly a revolutionary idea, some awards are already doing it. The Grammys, for instance, have top awards such as “Album of the Year” and “Best New Artist” which can go to anyone. Even within the Broadway community, the Drama League Awards feature a “Distinguished Performance Award” which is awarded from a pool of over 30 nominees from all gender identities playing either leading or featured roles in musicals and plays. The Tonys could easily do something similar while still dividing the categories into leading/featured for plays and musicals.

But changes like these can create issues. Removing gender from the awards categories doesn’t automatically level the playing field, especially given Broadway casting trends. For instance, in the 2017-18 Broadway season, ProductionPro found that out of 233 principal roles, only 37% were female. Since women were given fewer opportunities than men, this could put them at a severe disadvantage when trying to compete in the same award category as their male colleagues.

I mentioned the Drama League Awards earlier, while their idea might be a solution, it should be pointed out that women have won their performance award only five times in the past 17 years.

The important thing to know is that these award systems are never going to be perfect. But they should certainly strive to be and recognize their recipients properly. With the push to tell new stories to new audiences, Broadway awards need to make sure they’re prepared to welcome everyone with open arms.