American Express to Host Free, Outdoor Tony Awards Simulcast

American Express will host an outdoor simulcast event for the Tony Awards on June 16. 

The “Broadway Fanfare” event will take place in Damrosch Park, an outdoor area on the Lincoln Center campus which has a stage and seating for about 1,900 people and sits behind the David H. Koch Theater, where the Tony Awards ceremony will take place. The event, which is free and open to the general public, will feature a pre-show with performances and appearances by Broadway talent, as well as a live stream of the ceremony. 

Damrosch Park has previously played host to concerts, events for the New York Film Festival and more. The American Express event will also feature onsite activations and photo ops. The company is the official payments partner of this year’s Tony Awards.  

While the general public has been invited to buy tickets to the ceremony itself in years past, tickets will not be sold to that group this year due to seating capacity restrictions in the theater. 

This is the first time the Tony Awards has been held at the David H. Koch Theater, after taking place at the United Palace theater in Washington Heights last year and at Radio City Music Hall in years past. The theater, which is typically home to the New York City Ballet, has a seating capacity of around 2,500 people, which also limits the number of industry attendees. This is compared to the United Palace’s capacity of close to 3,400 and Radio City’s capacity of close to 6,000. 

The American Express event begins with a 7:30 p.m. ET pre-show, which is separate from the The Tony Awards: Act One pre-show airing on Pluto TV that features some of the creative and honorary awards. The Tony Awards ceremony, hosted by Ariana DeBose, begins at 8 p.m. ET and will also air live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S. 

“We are thrilled to welcome American Express as the Official Payments Partner of the Tony Awards,” said Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing and Jason Laks, interim president of the Broadway League. “We anticipate a spectacular evening celebrating the magic and diversity of Broadway, bringing the excitement of the Tony Awards to theater fans everywhere.” 

“At American Express, we are dedicated to providing our Card Members with unforgettable experiences tied to their passion areas – including theater and the arts – which is what makes this partnership so special,” said Shiz Suzuki, vice president, global brand sponsorships & experiential marketing, American Express. “We have unlocked unparalleled access to live theater events for some of our Card Members’ favorite, award-winning shows for some time, and we can’t wait to bring them even closer to all the action on June 16.”