Everybody knows the Tony Awards, right? The annual celebration of excellence and achievement in Broadway theater and sister to the Oscars, Grammys, and Emmys. And if you’re like me, you assumed the awards were named after either an obscure theater reference, or a man.
Well, I was wrong.
Antoinette Perry, known affectionately as ‘Tony,’ was born in 1888 in Denver, Colorado. Growing up, she was surrounded by the theatrical influences of her aunt and uncle, and at the age of 15 joined her uncle’s traveling theater company.
“I watched and learned,” said Perry. “I did everything from helping in wardrobe to selling tickets. I was petite and blonde and soon was playing the ingenue in melodramas and farces. Eventually, Uncle George trained me, mainly in the Shakespearean male roles.”
In 1905, Perry left her uncle’s company and traveled to New York. She was soon cast in the lead female role in the long-running melodrama The Music Master opposite David Warfield. Warfield took a liking to Perry and arranged for her to audition for David Belasco, a theatrical producer, playwright, and director. Belasco cast her in his show A Grand Army Man (once again alongside David Warfield), and Perry’s career took off.
A TRailblazing career
In the 1910s and 20s, Antoinette Perry was a force on the Broadway stage. She appeared in several shows including Mr. Pitt (1924), The Masquerader (1917), The Lady of the Camelias (1917), and Mrs. Boltay’s Daughters (1915). She took a brief break from acting after marrying Denver businessman Frank Frueauff, with whom she had daughters Margaret and Elaine Perry, but soon returned to the New York theater scene and began dabbling in staging.
After losing her husband in 1922 to a heart attack, Perry found herself with a $13 million estate, worth about $253 million today. Though some wondered if her husband’s death might mean the end of Perry’s theatrical career, she famously said, “Should I go on playing bridge and dining, going in the same old monotonous circle? It’s easy that way, but it’s a sort of suicide, too.” Nothing would deter Perry from the siren song of Broadway.
She was known for her generosity, frequently taking it upon herself to pay off fellow actors’ debts, and was skilled in playing the stock markets to the point that she doubled her already-impressive wealth. Despite suffering during the Great Depression and suddenly finding herself two million dollars in debt, Perry managed to rebuild her fortune over the next seven years, partially thanks to the success of Strictly Dishonorable (1929), which she co-directed with theatrical producer and director Brock Pemberton.
With Pemberton, Perry co-founded the American Theater Wing, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting education in theater. The ATW descended from Perry’s American Theater Wing of Allied Relief, which held benefits during World War II to raise money and support for the war effort. At the same time, Perry’s Stage Door Canteens provided hospitality to sick soldiers and servicemen. She coordinated and supported countless hospital ward entertainment units both in America and abroad, and the Canteen is considered one of Perry’s lasting legacies.
After the war, Perry continued to work closely with Pemberton, directing several of his plays. Though Perry was not the first female director on Broadway, she was undoubtedly one of the most prolific and successful, paving the way for female directors in years to come. In total, she accrued 17 directing credits, including Cuckoos on the Hearth (1941), Glamour Preferred (1940), and, most famously, Harvey (1944). Written by Colorado playwright Mary Chase, Harvey was an enormous success, winning a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1945, and Perry’s skillful directing was no small factor in this accomplishment. Harvey would also be the last play Perry directed before her death of a heart attack in 1946. She was 58.
Perry’s Legacy
After Perry’s death, Pemberton suggested to the ATW that they create an award in honor of her memory and incredible service to Broadway theater. This led to the first Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre (more commonly known as the Tony Awards) on April 6th, 1947. The award remains the highest achievement for theater in the United States to this day.
Antoinette Perry’s legacy and service to Broadway theater is incredible, and the fact that she isn’t more of a household name feels like something of an injustice to me. During a time when Broadway was dominated by male producers and directors, Perry made her mark on and behind the stage time and time again, leaving behind a legacy of achievement and generosity.
Without Perry’s passion, drive, and creativity, the American theater scene would not look quite the way it does today. Her accomplishments inspired in me an even greater love for theater and Broadway in particular, and reminded me just how important women have been to theater since the very beginning. Truly, she deserves her spotlight.