College of Performing Arts Alumni and Faculty Earn 2024 Tony Nominations
Every year, a variety of new shows come to Broadway representing a range of genres, and featuring some of the industry’s most exciting performers, writers, and more. Recently, eligible shows were nominated for the 2024 Tony Awards, which includes two School of Drama alumni, and a current faculty member from Mannes School of Music.
Bekah Brunstetter, Drama ‘07, was nominated for Best Book of a Musical for The Notebook, which opened in March on Broadway, and features songs by Ingrid Michaelson. Her prior play, The Cake, has been produced 100 times worldwide, and she’s won a WGA award for her work on the Netflix show Maid.
In a 2017 story for New School News, Brunstetter shared what inspires her as a writer, explaining that “I love to juxtapose the past and the present, so that you get people who lived 100 years apart, who never would have met, to hang out.”
Illinoise had a celebrated run off-Broadway this year, which has translated into a celebrated run on Broadway, leading to a Tony nomination for Best Orchestrations for Mannes faculty member Timo Andres. The show, with music and lyrics by Sufjan Stevens, MFA Creative Writing ‘00, is a dance-musical hybrid based on the singer’s 2005 album, and was also nominated for Best New Musical.
The New York Times gave the show a Critic’s Pick, and noted that “The arrangements and orchestrations by Timo Andres are sublime.”
Stefania Bulbarella, Drama ‘19, earned a Tony nomination for Best Sound Design of a Play for Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, a workplace sitcom set in a Harlem braid shop. The show, Bulbarella’s Broadway debut, also earned a Tony nomination for Best New Play.
Speaking recently with New School News, Bulbarella shared that “I feel extremely proud of myself, being an artist is not easy at all, it takes time, tears, sweat, long hours, no sleep, dedication, plenty of sacrifices, oftentimes there is not a fair wage, but still my passion for theater was what drove me to this huge achievement. I feel super honored to have had the opportunity of being part of such an incredible production, written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Whitney White. The team of designers and the cast is also a dream.”