Watch Jake Bell, LORT and More Accept 2026 Special Tony Awards

The Tony Awards Administration Committee presented the 2026 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre to four outstanding contributors to the Broadway industry – 1/52 Project, Jake Bell, Kenn Lubin, and Loren Plotkin. Watch their acceptance speeches here!

The Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre were established in 1990 and are awarded annually to institutions, individuals, and/or organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in theatre, but are not eligible in any of the established Tony Award categories.   

Jake Bell began as a stage manager on Broadway shows in the New York theatre and for national touring companies, beginning with A Chorus Line. Later he began production management on many of the longest-running Broadway shows in American history.   He worked closely with directors such as Michael Bennett, Trevor Nunn, Joe Mantello, Christopher Wheeldon, and Hal Prince.  He worked with visionary designers such as John Napier, Robin Wagner, Bob Crowley, Maria Bjornson, Eugene Lee, Tharon Musser, Natasha Katz, David Hersey, Ken Posner, and Andrew Bridge.

In the 1980s after stage managing Cats, Chess and Dreamgirls, he was hired by producer Cameron Mackintosh to lead his technical production management team for his repertoire of Broadway and national tour successes led by The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, and Miss Saigon for the next 35 years.    

In addition to opening the first international production of Les Misérables in Shanghai, China in 2001, the first-ever Broadway show, in mainland China, he helped bring Broadway shows to Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Paris and Canada and consulted on theatre renovations all across the United States.   

In 1994 Forbes Magazine profiled the technical wizardry of Miss Saigon as it was moved around the United States and referred to Jake as the “George Patton” of the theater while he also oversaw 190 tractor trailers, as they criss-crossed the United States at the same time.  Multiple companies of Broadway show sets, electrical and lighting equipment, and costumes were destined for on-time openings in US cities, around the country.   Jake managed to keep shows opening on-time through snow storms, earthquakes, helicopter (set) crashes, and building construction mishaps.   Only Covid delayed any of Jake’s productions.

In 2002 Jake opened his own company, Jake Bell Production Services, while he continued to manage the Mackintosh shows which had grown to include Five Guys Names Moe, Swan Lake and the Oklahoma! revival. He then added Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Pippin, Rocky, A Streetcar Named Desire, We Will Rock You, If/Then, Putting it Together, and An American in Paris,

Wicked, though, became another signature show for Jake in 2003, opening it originally in San Francisco for an out of town try-out. Now, 23 years later, it is still going strong and Jake retired on December 31, 2025. 

Kenn Lubin

Kenn Lubin is a renowned designer, creative director, and collaborator whose work has shaped the visual landscape of Broadway, entertainment, and global media for over four decades. With a career spanning graphic design, motion graphics, large-scale fabrication, and installation, he is widely recognized for his ability to bring creative concepts to life at the highest level.

He began his career in film and advertising, producing title design and graphics for major television programs before launching his own design firm. There, he developed campaigns for leading brands including News, NBC, CBS, and ABKCO Records, positioning himself at the forefront of visual storytelling across broadcast and print.

Kenn’s career took a defining turn when he became deeply involved in Broadway advertising and production. As a key creative leader at Serino Coyne, he oversaw the design, fabrication, and installation of print and out-of-home campaigns for some of the most iconic productions in theatre history.  He then moved on from Serino Coyne, to work with other companies to produce front-of-house branding, for the likes of SIX: The Musical, Hadestown, The Phantom of the Opera, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Aladdin, Operation Mincemeat, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, and Bradley Cooper’s The Elephant Man, among many others. During this time, he played a central role in shaping theatre branding, managing projects from concept through execution.

Over the course of his career, Kenn has contributed to the visual identity of more than 2,000 Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, working closely with The Shubert Organization, The Nederlander Organization, Disney Theatrical Group, ATG, and leading creative agencies. His expertise extends beyond design into engineering, fabrication, and installation- collaborating with architects, structural engineers, and city agencies to execute complex, large-scale projects in highly regulated environments.

His work includes iconic marquee installations, illuminated signage, building wraps, and experiential branding across Times Square and beyond. From large-scale theatre signage and neon installations to innovative digital displays and landmark restorations, his projects have consistently pushed the boundaries of what front-of-house design can achieve.

Kenn has also brought his expertise to projects across film, television, and live entertainment, working with major productions, brands, and artists. His ability to bridge creativity and execution has made him a trusted partner for high-profile, time-sensitive, and technically demanding work.

Recognized for both his artistic vision and technical mastery, Kenn’s work extends the magic of performance beyond the stage- transforming public spaces into immersive visual experiences. His impact on Broadway and the entertainment industry is both expansive and enduring.

Loren Plotkin

Loren Plotkin was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and graduated law school in 1966 at the age of 23. In his first six or seven years out of law school, he had a stint in the Army, a judicial clerkship, and then, during the day, he practiced corporate/business law and occasional litigation (one of which became a book in 1976 and a Movie of the Week in 1978 and Richard Masur played Loren) and, at night, he went to NYU for courses in filmmaking (and other classes). During this time, he became unsure whether the practice of law was for him, and he considered alternative opportunities that might benefit from his law degree. That changed in 1973.

 

His friends, Barry Brown and Fritz Holt, had the rights to Gypsy in the UK (where it hadn’t previously been performed) starring Angela Lansbury, co‐produced with Edgar Lansbury (Angela’s brother) and Joe Beruh (long-time general manager for David Merrick). The producers were not happy with their then lawyer on the project and Barry and Fritz approached him with a proposition: he could take over as production counsel on one condition ‐‐‐ as he was a neophyte in this field, if there was something he didn’t know, he would learn what was necessary on his own time and expense. It worked. Marvin Krauss, who was the general manager of “Gypsy,” was very supportive and interested in his unorthodox approach and was a big supporter in his early days as a “theatre lawyer.” Edgar and Joe, who were initially dubious about his ability to do the job, went on to retain him as their lawyer for several of their films and theater productions and Marvin referred clients. And so it went, and the practice grew.

 

Loren’s first Broadway production, in 1974, was the transfer of Gypsy from the West End to Broadway starring Angela Lansbury again. From that time to the present, he has represented non-profit theaters and about 100 Broadway productions, as well as multiple U.S.tours and productions on the West End, including: Hamilton, Some Like it Hot, SIX: The Musical, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Sweeney Todd, Little Shop of Horrors, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, The Inheritance, Anastasia, The Last Ship, An American in Paris, In the Heights, Fiddler on the Roof, King Kong, Motown The Musical, The Addams Family, Grey Gardens, Bullets Over Broadway, Driving Miss Daisy, Million Dollar Quartet, Promises, Promises, Rocky, Avenue Q, The Drowsy Chaperone, Big Fish, It’s Only a Play, Something Rotten!, Cyrano, Ragtime, La Cage aux Folles, La Bohème, Tuck Everlasting, Amélie, A New Musical, [title of show], High Fidelity, The Play that Goes Wrong, The Pirate Queen, Romeo and Juliet, Platinum, Gypsy, You Can’t Take It With You, and Rent.

 

Rent was a turning point. The producers, the general manager and Manny Azenberg met most Thursdays for lunch at Loren’s office to discuss the development of the show ‐‐ and, for Loren, he got a deeper understanding of the development of a hit.

 

And, at 83, he’s reduced much of his work, but the law firm he helped create continues to be a vibrant presence in the entertainment world and particularly on Broadway. During that time, the theater department has increased from one lawyer practicing theater law to seven.

 

In addition to the theatre world, Loren has represented artists and celebrities. He is the trustee of the Alan Jay Lerner Testamentary Trust, and the lawyer for the Lerner family for over twenty-five years. During that time, he has worked with Encores! to present the Chris Wheeldon directed Brigadoon and the Lincoln Center Theater-produced My Fair Lady and Camelot, both directed by Bartlett Sher. Both shows ran longer than any of their previous revivals.

 

Along the way, he met his wife Carol Baxter who traveled the world as a modern dancer and then danced on Broadway; they live in Snedens Landing, a revolutionary war era hamlet in the Palisades NY overlooking the Hudson River. He has two daughters, Lily and Kate.

1/52 Project

The OBIE Award-winning 1/52 Project provides financial support to encourage early career designers from historically excluded groups with the aim of strengthening the theatre community by diversifying the stories we tell. The 1/52 Project considers all women of all ethnicities as part of a historically excluded group. Tony Award-winning scenic designer, Beowulf Boritt, had the idea that if every designer with a show running on Broadway was willing to donate one week’s additional weekly compensation (1/52 of their yearly AWC), what was a small sacrifice for each donor would add up to a significant amount of money to support early career designers. Since its founding by Boritt in January 2022, 401 individual donations (largely from designers, but also from producers, directors, managers, educators, and significant donations from many shops) have added up to over half a million dollars in grants provided to 35 early career scenic, costume, lighting, sound, projections, hair, and makeup designers.

 

The grant decisions are made by a volunteer committee of eighteen world-class designers from historically excluded groups. Twenty-six individual designers have served on the committee over the Project’s life. The administration is handled by Bethany Weinstein Stewert and Beowulf Boritt, with help from a volunteer advisory committee.

 

Among the 1/52 Project’s past recipients is the projection designer, Stefania Bulbarella, who made her Broadway debut with Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, was nominated for a 2024 Tony Award for her work, designed Jeff Ross: Take A Banana for the Ride this season, and will design Wanted on Broadway next season. Other recipients have included the lighting designer, Mextly Couzin, who made her Broadway debut with JOB in the summer of 2024 and designed the off-Broadway hit Mexodous; the Costume Designer, Wilberth Gonzalez, who made his Broadway co-design debut last season with Real Women Have Curves and will make his Metropolitan Opera co-design debut with Frida Y Diego; the set designer, Teresa L. Williams, who made her Broadway debut as co-designer on John Proctor is the Villain, and designed Proof this season; and the projection designer, Brittany Bland, who made her Broadway debut with Cats: The Jellicle Ball — and who we believe to be the first Black woman to design projections on Broadway.

LORT

With 75 Member Theatres in 30 states and the District of Columbia, LORT is the largest professional theatre association of its kind in the United States.