Tony Awards Could Be Canceled; Cannes Rules Out Physical Festival Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

The Tony Awards could be canceled while the Cannes Film Festival might come up with a new format due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 74th edition of the Tony Awards was set to happen on June 7, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. According to Variety, there is a real chance that the event will be canceled altogether this year.

Tourists are steering clear of Manhattan and Times Square has been deserted for a while now. Thus, the future of Broadway remains uncertain.

The Tonys is different from other awards shows because unlike the Oscars or the Emmys, its purpose is to encourage the audience to leave their homes and buy tickets to live theaters, which is impossible because mass gatherings are discouraged.

The publication noted that if the Tonys will be scrapped this year, the logical step is to combine the next two seasons for a single ceremony next year.

However, some members of the theater community still believe that it should be pushed through.

“The spirit of the Tonys will remind theatergoers of the love that comes from live performance, and will give hope to those affected by the crisis. The Tonys bring immense joy to theater people across the globe — so please, at least for one night, let us remember to sing, dance and celebrate,” producer Justin Mikita said.

Jeannette Bayardelle, who stars in “The Girl From the North Country,” also believes that the Tony Awards should not be canceled.

“During this time, I feel Broadway as a whole should be celebrated — every show and every performer. We managed to survive being in the epicenter of the pandemic,” Bayardelle said.

Meanwhile, the fate of Cannes Film Festival is also uncertain. In fact, the organizers are ruling out the possibility of having a physical festival.

Also, instead of unveiling the whole of what should have been the official selection this year, Cannes’ director Thierry Fremaux said he will only announce the list of movies that are part of the roster and are scheduled to be released in theaters between now and next spring.

Cannes will collaborate with several festivals including Venice. It will be organizing a “redeployment ‘outside the walls’ (of Cannes), in collaboration with fall festivals” instead of having a virtual festival.

The fate of the Venice Film Festival is also uncertain and will be decided at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, YouTube is launching a digital film festival called “We Are One: A Global Film Festival” in spring. The online video-sharing platform has partnered with the top 20 film festivals including Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival and Venice Film Festival for the project.