Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play

The Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play has been given since 1960. Before 1960 there was only one award for both play direction and musical direction, then in 1960 the award was split into two categories: Dramatic and Musical. In 1976 the Dramatic category was renamed to Play. For pre-1960 direction awards please reference Tony Award for Best Director.

Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play
Awarded for	Best Direction of a Play
Location	New York City
Presented by	American Theatre Wing The Broadway League
Currently held by	Sam Pinkleton for Oh, Mary! (2025)
Website	TonyAwards.com

Winners and nominees

  indicates the winner

1960s

Year	Production	Director
1960 (14th) [1]
	The Miracle Worker	Arthur Penn
	The Best Man	Joseph Anthony
	A Raisin in the Sun	Lloyd Richards
	Sweet Bird of Youth	Elia Kazan
	The Tenth Man	Tyrone Guthrie
1961 (15th) [2]
	Big Fish, Little Fish	John Gielgud
	All the Way Home	Arthur Penn
	The Hostage	Joan Littlewood
	Rhinoceros	Joseph Anthony
1962 (16th) [3]
	A Man for All Seasons	Noel Willman
	The Caretaker	Donald McWhinnie
	Gideon	Tyrone Guthrie
	Great Day in the Morning	José Quintero
1963 (17th) [4]
	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	Alan Schneider
	Never Too Late	George Abbott
	The School for Scandal	John Gielgud
	Tchin-Tchin	Peter Glenville
1964 (18th) [5]
	Barefoot in the Park	Mike Nichols
	The Ballad of the Sad Café	Alan Schneider
	The Deputy	Herman Shumlin
	Marathon '33	June Havoc
1965 (19th) [6]
	Luv	Mike Nichols
	The Odd Couple
	The Subject Was Roses	Ulu Grosbard
	Tartuffe	William Ball
	Tiny Alice	Alan Schneider
1966 (20th) [7]
	Marat/Sade	Peter Brook
	The Lion in Winter	Noel Willman
	Philadelphia, Here I Come!	Hilton Edwards
	You Can't Take It with You	Ellis Rabb
1967 (21st) [8]
	The Homecoming	Peter Hall
	Black Comedy	John Dexter
	A Delicate Balance	Alan Schneider
	Marat/Sade	Donald Driver
1968 (22nd) [9]
	Plaza Suite	Mike Nichols
	A Day in the Death of Joe Egg	Michael Blakemore
	Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead	Derek Goldby
	You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running	Alan Schneider
1969 (23rd) [10]
	Hadrian VII	Peter Dews
	Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?	Michael A. Schultz
	The Man in the Glass Booth	Harold Pinter
	Play It Again, Sam	Joseph Hardy

1970s

Year	Production	Director
1970 (24th) [11]
	Child's Play	Joseph Hardy
	Borstal Boy	Tómas Mac Anna
	Butterflies Are Free	Milton Katselas
	Last of the Red Hot Lovers	Robert Moore
1971 (25th) [12]
	A Midsummer Night's Dream	Peter Brook
	Home	Lindsay Anderson
	The School for Wives	Stephen Porter
	Sleuth	Clifford Williams
1972 (26th) [13]
	The Prisoner of Second Avenue	Mike Nichols
	Old Times	Peter Hall
	Sticks and Bones	Jeff Bleckner
	The Trial of the Catsville Nine	Gordon Davidson
1973 (27th) [14]
	That Championship Season	A. J. Antoon
	The Changing Room	Michael Rudman
	Much Ado About Nothing	A. J. Antoon
	The Sunshine Boys	Alan Arkin
1974 (28th) [15]
	A Moon for the Misbegotten	José Quintero
	Chemin de Fer	Stephen Porter
	Find Your Way Home	Edwin Sherin
	Ulysses in Nighttown	Burgess Meredith
	Uncle Vanya	Mike Nichols
1975 (29th) [16]
	Equus	John Dexter
	London Assurance	Ronald Eyre
	The National Health	Arvin Brown
	Same Time, Next Year	Gene Saks
	Scapino	Frank Dunlop
	Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and The Island	Athol Fugard
1976 (30th) [17]
	The Royal Family	Ellis Rabb
	Ah, Wilderness!	Arvin Brown
	Knock Knock	Marshall W. Mason
	Travesties	Peter Wood
1977 (31st) [18]
	The Shadow Box	Gordon Davidson
	American Buffalo	Ulu Grosbard
	Comedians	Mike Nichols
	Streamers
1978 (32nd) [19]
	Da	Melvin Bernhardt
	Deathtrap	Robert Moore
	Dracula	Dennis Rosa
	The Gin Game	Mike Nichols
1979 (33rd) [20]
	The Elephant Man	Jack Hofsiss
	Bedroom Farce	Alan Ayckbourn and Peter Hall
	The Crucifer of Blood	Paul Giovanni
	Whose Life Is It Anyway?	Michael Lindsay-Hogg

1980s

Year	Production	Director
1980 (34th) [21]
	Morning's at Seven	Vivian Matalon
	Betrayal	Peter Hall
	Children of a Lesser God	Gordon Davidson
	Talley's Folly	Marshall W. Mason
1981 (35th) [22]
	Amadeus	Peter Hall
	Fifth of July	Marshall W. Mason
	A Life	Peter Coe
	The Little Foxes	Austin Pendleton
1982 (36th) [23]
	The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby	John Caird and Trevor Nunn
	Crimes of the Heart	Melvin Bernhardt
	Mass Appeal	Geraldine Fitzgerald
	"Master Harold"...and the Boys	Athol Fugard
1983 (37th) [24]
	Brighton Beach Memoirs	Gene Saks
	All's Well That Ends Well	Trevor Nunn
	Angels Fall	Marshall W. Mason
	'Night, Mother	Tom Moore
1984 (38th) [25]
	The Real Thing	Mike Nichols
	Glengarry Glen Ross	Gregory Mosher
	A Moon for the Misbegotten	David Leveaux
	Noises Off	Michael Blakemore
1985 (39th) [26]
	Biloxi Blues	Gene Saks
	As Is	Marshall W. Mason
	Much Ado About Nothing	Terry Hands
	Strange Interlude	Keith Hack
1986 (40th) [27]
	The House of Blue Leaves	Jerry Zaks
	The Iceman Cometh	José Quintero
	Long Day's Journey Into Night	Jonathan Miller
	Loot	John Tillinger
1987 (41st) [28]
	Fences	Lloyd Richards
	Asinamali!	Mbongeni Ngema
	Coastal Disturbances	Carole Rothman
	Les Liaisons Dangereuses	Howard Davies
1988 (42nd) [29]
	M. Butterfly	John Dexter
	Breaking the Code	Clifford Williams
	Joe Turner's Come and Gone	Lloyd Richards
	Speed-the-Plow	Gregory Mosher
1989 (43rd) [30]
	Lend Me a Tenor	Jerry Zaks
	The Heidi Chronicles	Daniel J. Sullivan
	Largely New York	Bill Irwin
	Our Town	Gregory Mosher

1990s

Year	Production	Director
1990 (44th) [31]
	The Grapes of Wrath	Frank Galati
	Lettice and Lovage	Michael Blakemore
	The Merchant of Venice	Peter Hall
	The Piano Lesson	Lloyd Richards
1991 (45th) [32]
	Six Degrees of Separation	Jerry Zaks
	La Bête	Richard Jones
	Lost in Yonkers	Gene Saks
	Our Country's Good	Mark Lamos
1992 (46th) [33]
	Dancing at Lughnasa	Patrick Mason
	Conversations with My Father	Daniel J. Sullivan
	Four Baboons Adoring the Sun	Peter Hall
	Two Shakespearean Actors	Jack O'Brien
1993 (47th) [34]
	Angels in America: Millennium Approaches	George C. Wolfe
	Anna Christie	David Leveaux
	The Sisters Rosensweig	Daniel J. Sullivan
	The Song of Jacob Zulu	Eric Simonson
1994 (48th) [35]
	An Inspector Calls	Stephen Daldry
	Abe Lincoln in Illinois	Gerald Gutierrez
	Angels in America: Perestroika	George C. Wolfe
	Timon of Athens	Michael Langham
1995 (49th) [36]
	The Heiress	Gerald Gutierrez
	Having Our Say	Emily Mann
	Indiscretions	Sean Mathias
	Love! Valour! Compassion!	Joe Mantello
1996 (50th) [37]
	A Delicate Balance	Gerald Gutierrez
	Buried Child	Gary Sinise
	An Ideal Husband	Peter Hall
	Seven Guitars	Lloyd Richards
1997 (51st) [38]
	A Doll's House	Anthony Page
	The Gin Game	Charles Nelson Reilly
	Skylight	Richard Eyre
	Stanley	John Caird
1998 (52nd) [39]
	The Beauty Queen of Leenane	Garry Hynes
	'Art'	Matthew Warchus
	The Chairs	Simon McBurney
	A View from the Bridge	Michael Mayer
1999 (53rd) [40]
	Death of a Salesman	Robert Falls
	The Iceman Cometh	Howard Davies
	The Lonesome West	Garry Hynes
	Not About Nightingales	Trevor Nunn

2000s

Year	Production	Director
2000 (54th) [41]
	Copenhagen	Michael Blakemore
	Dirty Blonde	James Lapine
	The Real Thing	David Leveaux
	True West	Matthew Warchus
2001 (55th) [42]
	Proof	Daniel J. Sullivan
	The Invention of Love	Jack O'Brien
	King Hedley II	Marion McClinton
	Stones in His Pockets	Ian McElhinney
2002 (56th) [43]
	Metamorphoses	Mary Zimmerman
	The Crucible	Richard Eyre
	Morning's at Seven	Daniel J. Sullivan
	Private Lives	Howard Davies
2003 (57th) [44]
	Take Me Out	Joe Mantello
	A Day in the Death of Joe Egg	Laurence Boswell
	Long Day's Journey Into Night	Robert Falls
	Medea	Deborah Warner
2004 (58th) [45]
	Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2	Jack O'Brien
	Frozen	Doug Hughes
	I Am My Own Wife	Moises Kaufman
	Jumpers	David Leveaux
2005 (59th) [46]
	Doubt	Doug Hughes
	Glengarry Glen Ross	Joe Mantello
	The Pillowman	John Crowley
	Twelve Angry Men	Scott Ellis
2006 (60th) [47]
	The History Boys	Nicholas Hytner
	Awake and Sing!	Bartlett Sher
	The Lieutenant of Inishmore	Wilson Milam
	Rabbit Hole	Daniel J. Sullivan
2007 (61st) [48]
	The Coast of Utopia	Jack O'Brien
	Coram Boy	Melly Still
	Frost/Nixon	Michael Grandage
	Journey's End	David Grindley
2008 (62nd) [49]
	August: Osage County	Anna D. Shapiro
	Boeing Boeing	Matthew Warchus
	The Seafarer	Conor McPherson
	The 39 Steps	Maria Aitken
2009 (63rd) [50]
	God of Carnage	Matthew Warchus
	Joe Turner's Come and Gone	Bartlett Sher
	Mary Stuart	Phyllida Lloyd
	The Norman Conquests	Matthew Warchus

2010s

Year	Production	Director
2010 (64th) [51]
	Red	Michael Grandage
	Fences	Kenny Leon
	Next Fall	Sheryl Kaller
	A View from the Bridge	Gregory Mosher
2011 (65th) [52]
	War Horse	Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris
	The Merchant of Venice	Daniel J. Sullivan
	The Motherfucker with the Hat	Anna D. Shapiro
	The Normal Heart	Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe
2012 (66th) [53]
	Death of a Salesman	Mike Nichols
	Clybourne Park	Pam MacKinnon
	One Man, Two Guvnors	Nicholas Hytner
	Peter and the Starcatcher	Roger Rees and Alex Timbers
2013 (67th) [54]
	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	Pam MacKinnon
	Golden Boy	Bartlett Sher
	Lucky Guy	George C. Wolfe
	Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike	Nicholas Martin
2014 (68th) [55]
	A Raisin in the Sun	Kenny Leon
	The Cripple of Inishmaan	Michael Grandage
	The Glass Menagerie	John Tiffany
	Twelfth Night	Tim Carroll
2015 (69th) [56]
	The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time	Marianne Elliott
	Hand to God	Moritz von Stuelpnagel
	Skylight	Stephen Daldry
	Wolf Hall Parts One & Two	Jeremy Herrin
	You Can't Take It with You	Scott Ellis
2016 (70th) [57]
	A View from the Bridge	Ivo van Hove
	Eclipsed	Liesl Tommy
	The Humans	Joe Mantello
	King Charles III	Rupert Goold
	Long Day's Journey into Night	Jonathan Kent
2017 (71st) [58]
	Indecent	Rebecca Taichman
	A Doll's House, Part 2	Sam Gold
	Jitney	Ruben Santiago-Hudson
	The Little Foxes	Daniel J. Sullivan
	Oslo	Bartlett Sher
2018 (72nd) [59]
	Harry Potter and the Cursed Child	John Tiffany
	Angels in America	Marianne Elliott
	The Iceman Cometh	George C. Wolfe
	Three Tall Women	Joe Mantello
	Travesties	Patrick Marber
2019 (73rd) [60]
	The Ferryman	Sam Mendes
	Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus	George C. Wolfe
	Ink	Rupert Goold
	Network	Ivo van Hove
	To Kill a Mockingbird	Bartlett Sher

2020s

Year	Production	Director
2020 (74th) [61]
	The Inheritance	Stephen Daldry
	Betrayal	Jamie Lloyd
	Slave Play	Robert O'Hara
	A Soldier's Play	Kenny Leon
	The Sound Inside	David Cromer
2022 (75th) [62]
	The Lehman Trilogy	Sam Mendes
	American Buffalo	Neil Pepe
	Dana H.	Les Waters
	for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf	Camille A. Brown
	The Skin of Our Teeth	Lileana Blain-Cruz
2023 (76th) [63]
	Leopoldstadt	Patrick Marber
	Ain't No Mo'	Stevie Walker-Webb
	Cost of Living	Jo Bonney
	A Doll's House	Jamie Lloyd
	Fat Ham	Saheem Ali
	Life of Pi	Max Webster
2024 (77th) [64]
	Stereophonic	Daniel Aukin
	Appropriate	Lila Neugebauer
	Jaja's African Hair Braiding	Whitney White
	Mary Jane	Anne Kauffman
	Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch	Kenny Leon
2025 (78th)
	Oh, Mary!	Sam Pinkleton
	English	Knud Adams
	The Hills of California	Sam Mendes
	John Proctor Is the Villain	Danya Taymor
	The Picture of Dorian Gray	Kip Williams

Multiple wins

6 Wins Mike Nichols 3 Wins Jerry Zaks

2 Wins Peter Brook Stephen Daldry John Dexter Marianne Elliott Gerald Gutierrez Peter Hall Sam Mendes Jack O'Brien Gene Saks

Multiple nominations

10 Nominations Mike Nichols 8 Nominations Peter Hall Daniel J. Sullivan 6 Nominations George C. Wolfe 5 Nominations Joe Mantello Marshall W. Mason Lloyd Richards Alan Schneider Bartlett Sher Matthew Warchus 4 Nominations Michael Blakemore Kenny Leon David Leveaux Gregory Mosher Jack O'Brien Gene Saks 3 Nominations Stephen Daldry Gordon Davidson Howard Davies John Dexter Marianne Elliott Michael Grandage Gerald Gutierrez Sam Mendes Trevor Nunn José Quintero Jerry Zaks

2 Nominations Joseph Anthony A. J. Antoon Melvin Bernhardt Peter Brook Arvin Brown John Caird Scott Ellis Richard Eyre Robert Falls Athol Fugard John Gielgud Rupert Goold Ulu Grosbard Tyrone Guthrie Joseph Hardy Ivo van Hove Doug Hughes Garry Hynes Nicholas Hytner Pam MacKinnon Jamie Lloyd Patrick Marber Robert Moore Arthur Penn Stephen Porter Ellis Rabb Anna D. Shapiro John Tiffany Clifford Williams Noel Willman

Female winners

Only 6 women have won this award:^[65]

• Garry Hynes – The Beauty Queen of Leenane (1998)^[66]
• Mary Zimmerman – Metamorphoses (2002)^[67]
• Anna D. Shapiro – August: Osage County (2008)^[68]
• Pam MacKinnon – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? revival (2013)^[69]
• Marianne Elliott – War Horse (2011) (shared with Tom Morris)^[70] and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2015),^[71] making her the only woman to win this award more than once
• Rebecca Taichman – Indecent (2017)^[72]

See also

• Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical
• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play
• Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director
• List of Tony Award-nominated productions