The Tony Awards Administration Committee is giving out special Tony Awards this year to the late actor Marin Mazzie, to the creators of the puppet at the center of “King Kong” and to arranger Jason Michael Webb.
Sonny Tilders and Creature Technology Company are being recognized as the team that created the 20-foot tall, 2,000 lb. puppet at the center of “King Kong.” The puppet is operated by 13 puppeteers.
Jason Michael Webb is being honored for his arrangements in “Choir Boy,” which ran on Broadway earlier this season at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. The play features 10 songs, including a mix of gospels, hymns and ballads.
Mazzie, a longtime Broadway actor who passed away in September, is being honored for “her advocacy and leadership” in the theater community as well as her work with organizations such as the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.
“We are honored to recognize these three Special Tony Awards this season. These artists have demonstrated outstanding passion and dedication,” said Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing and Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League, in the press release. “Sonny and Creature Technology Company’s “Kong” embodies extraordinary design, technical complexities and sophisticated emotional capabilities. Jason’s a capella arrangements in ‘Choir Boy’ are transformative. Marin was and is a beacon of light for our community, by advocating for women’s health issues.”
