Seldes, Ayckbourn Will Receive Lifetime Achievement Tonys

David Hyde Pierce, A.R.T./New York, Tom Viola Also Will Be Honored

The Tony Awards® Administration Committee has announced this year’s recipients for the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Isabelle Stevenson Award and the Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre. These awards will be presented at the 2010 Tony Awards on Sunday, June 13. The 2010 Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and The American Theatre Wing.

The 2010 Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre will be presented to two outstanding individuals, playwright and director Sir Alan Ayckbourn, and Tony Award winning actress Marian Seldes.

Sir Alan has written over 74 full length plays, including the Norman Conquests, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2009; and has directed more than 300 plays. Between 1972 and 2009, he was the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, where the majority of his work has been and continues to be premiered.

Seldes is a five-time Tony Award nominee, winning for her first nomination in 1967 for Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance. Her career spans from her Broadway debut in Medea in 1947 to her most recent performance in Deuce and includes her record breaking run in Deathtrap. From 1967 to 1991, Ms. Seldes was a faculty member of the Juilliard School of Drama, and in 2002 she began teaching at Fordham University, Lincoln Center.

The recipient of the Isabelle Stevenson Award will be Tony Award winning actor David Hyde Pierce. The Isabelle Stevenson Award recognizes an individual from the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations, regardless of whether such organizations relate to the theatre.

Pierce is being honored for his work in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. He began his support for the Alzheimer’s Association in the early 1990s, and after serving a full term on the organization's board, now serves as an honorary national board member. Over the years he has regularly visited Washington, D.C. to meet with congressional leaders to advocate for increased investment in Alzheimer's research. He also participates regularly in local Alzheimer's Association chapter events, including Memory Walk. The Alzheimer Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research.

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 which are not eligible in any of the established Tony Award categories. This year’s Tony Honors will be presented to:

•The Alliance of Resident Theatres New York (A.R.T./New York) – Founded in 1972, A.R.T./New York assists its nearly 300 member theatres in managing their companies effectively so they may realize artistic visions and serve diverse audiences. Over the years, A.R.T./New York has earned a reputation as a leader in providing progressive service to its members, making the organization an expert in the needs of the Off and Off Off Broadway community.

•BH Barry – Barry, having been trained in his native England, pioneered the teaching of stage combat as part of the curriculum in US drama programs at the university and graduate level. His numerous Broadway credits range from the 1981 productions of Frankenstein and Macbeth to the 2008 production of Dividing the Estate.

•Tom Viola – Viola is the executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA), the nation's leading industry-based not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organization. He was the founding administrative director of Equity Fights AIDS in 1988, saw through its merger with Broadway Cares in 1992 and has been executive director of BC/EFA since 1997. Viola is being honored for his personal commitment to the fight against AIDS. BC/EFA was previously honored with a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre in 1993.

The Tony Award Nominations will be announced on Tuesday, May 4. The Tony Nominations can be viewed LIVE (8:30am ET) in their entirety at www.TonyAwards.com. Follow the Tony Awards on Twitter for real-time updates on the nominees as they are announced (Twitter.com/TheTonyAwards). The entire announcement will be viewable on TonyAwards.com after the event as well.

The Tony Awards will be broadcast in a live three-hour ceremony from Radio City Music Hall on the CBS television network on Sunday, June 13.