10th Tony Awards

The 10th Annual Tony Awards took place at the Plaza Hotel Grand Ballroom on April 1, 1956. The Master of Ceremonies was Jack Carter.

Ceremony
The presenter was Helen Hayes, who was President of the American Theatre Wing, and several of the nominees. Jack Carter was host for the first part of the ceremony, and Helen Hayes hosted the second part. More than 500 people attended the dinner dance.

For the first time, the ceremony was broadcast on television, on the DuMont Channel 5 in New York City, in an effort to create "wider public interest in Broadway's most important award-giving ceremony". Also for the first time, the nominees were announced ahead of the ceremony.

Music for the dinner dance was by Meyer Davis and his Orchestra.

Winners and nominees
Sources:Infoplease; BroadwayWorld

Special awards

 * City Center
 * Fourth Street Chekov Theatre
 * The Shakespearewrights
 * The Threepenny Opera, distinguished Off-Broadway production
 * The Theatre Collection of the New York Public Library on its twenty-fifth anniversary, for its distinguished service to the theatre.

Multiple nominations and awards
These productions had multiple nominations:


 * 9 nominations: Damn Yankees and Pipe Dream
 * 5 nominations: The Chalk Garden, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Lark and Middle of the Night
 * 4 nominations: Bus Stop, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Inherit the Wind and Tiger at the Gates
 * 3 nominations: Phoenix '55, The Ponder Heart and The Vamp
 * 2 nominations: The Great Sebastians, A Hatful of Rain, The Matchmaker, No Time for Sergeants, Tamburlaine the Great, The Threepenny Opera and A View from the Bridge

The following productions received multiple awards.

Note: The Threepenny Opera also received a Special Tony Award.
 * 7 wins: Damn Yankees
 * 3 wins: Inherit the Wind