Last night, the 79th Tony Awards took place at Radio City Music Hall in NYC, hosted by the one and only P!nk. I watched it in real time on television and enjoyed my various snacks close by — and loved seeing the new season ad for the Broadway In Boise season during commercial breaks.

It was a joyful night, full of aspiration, accomplishment, tears, and a lot of laughs. Show business is a hard business, and there’s nothing like it.

“Being a Tony Voter is more than an honor — it’s an opportunity to bring the best of Broadway back to Idaho.”

The many millions of dollars it takes to bring one show to Broadway is the entire yearly revenue of the Morrison Center. The work is real, and most people only see a glimpse of it one night a year. They miss the 10+ years of development it takes to make a great story, with music and lyrics, cast, set, sound, costumes, and direction. It is breathtaking, and why I love this industry so much.

It’s also why I take my role as Idaho’s only Tony Voter seriously. I know the hard work it takes to bring a show to Broadway. I hear from the creative teams how they worked and reworked a song or a segment of their show for many years before anyone heard or saw it. Now that I have been a voter for five years, I wanted to share what I’ve learned, and why it is so important for the Morrison Center and Idaho.

When I first received the invitation to become a Tony Award Voter, I knew it was an incredible honor. But I didn’t quite realize how deeply it would change my perspective — not just as the Executive Director of the Morrison Center, but as a lifelong lover of the performing arts.

Being a Tony Voter is a rigorous, year-long commitment to the craft. To cast a ballot, you must see every single production in every category for which you are voting.

That means dozens of flights between Boise and NYC, hundreds of hours in theater seats, and a mountain of Playbills that my office shelves are barely containing. Whether it’s a minimalist three-person drama in a 500-seat house or a maximalist musical extravaganza with a cast of forty, each show demands your full presence and critical eye.

The last five years have been a transformative era for the American theater. I’ve witnessed:

• The Great Reopening: Seeing the lights flicker back on in 2021 was an emotional milestone I’ll never forget.
• Narrative Evolution: A shift toward bold, diverse, and unconventional storytelling that challenges what a “Broadway show” is supposed to look like.
• Technical Marvels: From immersive soundscapes to digital projections that blur the line between stage and cinema, the “magic” is getting more sophisticated every season.

When I’m sitting in the Richard Rodgers or the Majestic Theatre, I’m not just watching as a fan. I’m scouting. I’m thinking about our stage at the Morrison Center. I’m asking myself:

• Will our audience connect with this story?
• How soon can we get this tour to Idaho?

Being a voter allows me to build relationships with producers and creatives at the highest level. It ensures that the Broadway in Boise series remains a premier destination for national tours, often bringing shows to our community while they are still the talk of the town in Manhattan.

The best part of this journey has been coming back to the Morrison Center lobby and hearing your takes. Whether we’re debating the merits of a revival or gushing over a breakout star, the passion for theater in Boise is just as vibrant as it is on 42nd Street.

As I prepared my notes to vote this year, I am reminded that theater is a living, breathing conversation. Thank you for being part of that conversation with me for the last five years.