22 First-Time Tony Nominees on Director Notes, Post-Show Meals, and How They Came to Love the Theater

Reported by Vogue.

Broadway's Tony Awards have never been short on mythology — the nervous backstage rituals, the career-defining curtain calls, the unshakeable sense that live theater is the only thing that really matters. This year's first-time nominees bring fresh proof of that, and according to Vogue, the 24 actors earning their debut nominations in 2025 represent one of the most varied classes in recent memory: seasoned film and TV names making their Broadway entrance alongside conservatory-trained newcomers still early in their careers.

What unites them isn't résumé length — it's the specific, almost embarrassing depth of their devotion to the form. Luke Evans (The Rocky Horror Show) traces everything back to lying on the floor in Wales listening to Michael Crawford's Phantom of the Opera cast recording on LP: "cinematic, emotional, and dangerous all at once." Hannah Cruz (Chess) remembers exactly where she sat in the St. James mezzanine watching Patti LuPone in Gypsy as a high school senior — "I had no idea you could do what Patti was doing on that stage." Marla Mindelle (Titaníque) was belting "Tomorrow" at three years old. Brandon J. Dirden (Waiting for Godot) credits a grade-school production of Jack and the Beanstalk — specifically his crush on the goose that laid the golden egg.

Pre-Show Rituals and Post-Curtain Cravings

The pre-show routines are their own kind of theater. Evans treats performance days like athletic prep — quiet mornings, gym, a walk with his dog Lala, vocal steaming, a long nap. Ana Gasteyer (Schmigadoon!) builds hers around a sheet-pan dinner for the crew. Alden Ehrenreich (Becky Shaw) keeps it simple: "doing as little as possible." Nicholas Christopher (Chess) shared a full schedule that includes waking his kids, walking the dog, and, crucially, a family teeth-brushing session soundtracked by E-40. Dressing room talismans range from Stephanie Hsu's cloth printed with "DO ONE THING EVERY DAY THAT SCARES YOUR FAMILY" to Ben Levi Ross's 136.1 Hz tuning fork, which he holds to his cheekbones to vibrate away sinus headaches. No notes.

Post-show eating is equally telling. Lesley Manville (Oedipus) wants a martini and chips at Sheekey's. Aya Cash (Giant) ends up at home with salami and Goldfish crackers despite her best intentions. June Squibb (Marjorie Prime) goes straight to Joe Allen's for liver and onions. Ross is currently devoted to Momofuku tingly chili ramen with sliced cucumber and, he emphasizes, "no limits" on the sweet finish. Hsu just heads upstairs to co-star Harvey Guillen's dressing room to be fed, which is honestly the most sustainable system of all.

First Tony nominations are often framed as arrivals, but what this group actually reveals is something quieter: people who never stopped being the kid in the balcony, fully convinced the stage was the only place anything real was happening — and who, improbably, turned out to be right.

Read the original at Vogue.