Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play
Tony Awards · 280 nominations across 66 ceremonies · 66 wins
79th Tonys · 2026
- Winner Death of a Salesman · Joe Mantello
- Nominee Oedipus · Robert Icke
- Nominee Liberation · Whitney White
- Nominee Giant · Nicholas Hytner
- Nominee The Balusters · Kenny Leon
78th Tonys · 2025
- Winner Oh, Mary! · Sam Pinkleton
- Nominee The Picture of Dorian Gray · Kip Williams
- Nominee The Hills of California · Sam Mendes
- Nominee John Proctor Is the Villain · Danya Taymor
- Nominee English
77th Tonys · 2024
- Winner Stereophonic · Daniel Aukin
- Nominee Jaja's African Hair Braiding
- Nominee Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch · Kenny Leon
- Nominee Appropriate · Lila Neugebauer
- Nominee Mary Jane · Anne Kauffman
76th Tonys · 2023
- Winner Leopoldstadt · Patrick Marber
- Nominee Ain't No Mo'
- Nominee A Doll's House · Jamie Lloyd
- Nominee Life of Pi
- Nominee Cost of Living · Jo Bonney
- Nominee Fat Ham · Saheem Ali
75th Tonys · 2022
- Winner The Lehman Trilogy · Sam Mendes
- Nominee The Skin of Our Teeth
- Nominee Dana H. · Les Waters
- Nominee American Buffalo
- Nominee For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf · Camille A. Brown
74th Tonys · 2021
- Winner The Inheritance · Stephen Daldry
- Nominee The Sound Inside (play) · David Cromer
- Nominee A Soldier's Play · Kenny Leon
- Nominee Slave Play · Robert O'Hara
- Nominee Betrayal · Jamie Lloyd
73rd Tonys · 2019
- Winner The Ferryman · Sam Mendes
- Nominee Ink · Rupert Goold
- Nominee Network · Ivo van Hove
- Nominee Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus · George C. Wolfe
- Nominee To Kill a Mockingbird · Bartlett Sher
72nd Tonys · 2018
- Winner Harry Potter and the Cursed Child · John Tiffany
- Nominee The Iceman Cometh · George C. Wolfe
- Nominee Three Tall Women · Joe Mantello
- Nominee Travesties · Patrick Marber
- Nominee Angels in America: Millennium Approaches · Marianne Elliott
71st Tonys · 2017
- Winner Indecent · Rebecca Taichman
- Nominee Jitney · Ruben Santiago-Hudson
- Nominee Oslo · Bartlett Sher
- Nominee A Doll's House, Part 2 · Sam Gold
- Nominee The Little Foxes · Daniel Sullivan
70th Tonys · 2016
- Winner A View from the Bridge · Ivo van Hove
- Nominee Eclipsed · Liesl Tommy
- Nominee The Humans · Joe Mantello
- Nominee Long Day's Journey into Night · Jonathan Kent
- Nominee King Charles III · Rupert Goold
69th Tonys · 2015
- Winner The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time · Marianne Elliott
- Nominee Wolf Hall Parts One & Two · Jeremy Herrin
- Nominee Skylight · Stephen Daldry
- Nominee You Can't Take It with You · Scott Ellis
- Nominee Hand to God
68th Tonys · 2014
- Winner A Raisin in the Sun · Kenny Leon
- Nominee The Glass Menagerie · John Tiffany
- Nominee Twelfth Night
- Nominee The Cripple of Inishmaan · Michael Grandage
67th Tonys · 2013
- Winner Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? · Pam MacKinnon
- Nominee Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
- Nominee Lucky Guy · George C. Wolfe
- Nominee Golden Boy · Bartlett Sher
66th Tonys · 2012
- Winner Death of a Salesman · Mike Nichols
- Nominee One Man, Two Guvnors · Nicholas Hytner
- Nominee Peter and the Starcatcher · Roger Rees, Alex Timbers
- Nominee Clybourne Park · Pam MacKinnon
65th Tonys · 2011
- Winner War Horse · Marianne Elliott, Tom Morris
- Nominee The Normal Heart · Joel Grey, George C. Wolfe
- Nominee The Merchant of Venice · Daniel Sullivan
- Nominee The Motherfucker with the Hat · Anna D. Shapiro
64th Tonys · 2010
- Winner Red · Michael Grandage
- Nominee Next Fall · Sheryl Kaller
- Nominee Fences · Kenny Leon
- Nominee A View from the Bridge · Gregory Mosher
63rd Tonys · 2009
- Winner God of Carnage · Matthew Warchus
- Nominee Joe Turner's Come and Gone · Bartlett Sher
- Nominee Mary Stuart · Phyllida Lloyd
- Nominee The Norman Conquests · Matthew Warchus
62nd Tonys · 2008
- Winner August: Osage County
- Nominee Boeing-Boeing · Matthew Warchus
- Nominee The 39 Steps · Maria Aitken
- Nominee The Seafarer · Conor McPherson
61st Tonys · 2007
- Winner The Coast of Utopia · Jack O'Brien
- Nominee Journey's End
- Nominee Coram Boy · Melly Still
- Nominee Frost/Nixon · Michael Grandage
60th Tonys · 2006
- Winner The History Boys · Nicholas Hytner
- Nominee The Lieutenant of Inishmore · Wilson Milam
- Nominee Awake and Sing! · Bartlett Sher
- Nominee Rabbit Hole · Daniel Sullivan
59th Tonys · 2005
- Winner Doubt · Doug Hughes
- Nominee The Pillowman · John Crowley
- Nominee Twelve Angry Men · Scott Ellis
- Nominee Glengarry Glen Ross · Joe Mantello
58th Tonys · 2004
- Winner Part 1 · Jack O'Brien
- Nominee Frozen · Doug Hughes
- Nominee I Am My Own Wife · Moisés Kaufman
- Nominee Jumpers · David Leveaux
57th Tonys · 2003
- Winner Take Me Out · Joe Mantello
- Nominee Medea · Deborah Warner
- Nominee Long Day's Journey into Night · Robert Falls
- Nominee A Day in the Death of Joe Egg · Laurence Boswell
56th Tonys · 2002
- Winner Metamorphoses · Mary Zimmerman
- Nominee The Crucible · Richard Eyre
- Nominee Private Lives · Howard Davies
- Nominee Morning's at Seven · Daniel Sullivan
55th Tonys · 2001
- Winner Proof · Daniel Sullivan
- Nominee King Hedley II · Marion McClinton
- Nominee The Invention of Love · Jack O'Brien
- Nominee Stones in His Pockets · Ian McElhinney
54th Tonys · 2000
- Winner Copenhagen · Michael Blakemore
- Nominee True West · Matthew Warchus
- Nominee Dirty Blonde · James Lapine
- Nominee The Real Thing · David Leveaux
53rd Tonys · 1999
- Winner Death of a Salesman · Robert Falls
- Nominee Not About Nightingales · Trevor Nunn
- Nominee The Lonesome West · Garry Hynes
- Nominee The Iceman Cometh · Howard Davies
52nd Tonys · 1998
- Winner The Beauty Queen of Leenane · Garry Hynes
- Nominee The Chairs · Simon McBurney
- Nominee Art · Matthew Warchus
- Nominee A View from the Bridge · Michael Mayer
51st Tonys · 1997
- Winner A Doll's House · Anthony Page
- Nominee Stanley · John Caird
- Nominee The Gin Game · Charles Nelson Reilly
- Nominee Skylight · Richard Eyre
50th Tonys · 1996
- Winner A Delicate Balance · Gerald Gutierrez
- Nominee An Ideal Husband · Peter Hall
- Nominee Buried Child · Gary Sinise
- Nominee Seven Guitars · Lloyd Richards
49th Tonys · 1995
- Winner The Heiress · Gerald Gutierrez
- Nominee Indiscretions · Sean Mathias
- Nominee Love! Valour! Compassion! · Joe Mantello
- Nominee Having Our Say · Emily Mann
48th Tonys · 1994
- Winner An Inspector Calls · Stephen Daldry
- Nominee Abe Lincoln in Illinois · Gerald Gutierrez
- Nominee Angels in America: Millennium Approaches · George C. Wolfe
- Nominee Timon of Athens · Michael Langham
47th Tonys · 1993
- Winner Angels in America: Millennium Approaches · George C. Wolfe
- Nominee Anna Christie · David Leveaux
- Nominee The Song of Jacob Zulu · Eric Simonson
- Nominee The Sisters Rosensweig · Daniel Sullivan
46th Tonys · 1992
- Winner Dancing at Lughnasa · Patrick Mason
- Nominee Four Baboons Adoring the Sun · Peter Hall
- Nominee Two Shakespearean Actors · Jack O'Brien
- Nominee Conversations with My Father · Daniel Sullivan
45th Tonys · 1991
- Winner Six Degrees of Separation · Jerry Zaks
- Nominee La Bête · Richard Jones
- Nominee Our Country's Good · Mark Lamos
- Nominee Lost in Yonkers · Gene Saks
44th Tonys · 1990
- Winner The Grapes of Wrath · Frank Galati
- Nominee The Piano Lesson · Lloyd Richards
- Nominee The Merchant of Venice · Peter Hall
- Nominee Lettice and Lovage · Michael Blakemore
43rd Tonys · 1989
- Winner Lend Me a Tenor · Jerry Zaks
- Nominee The Heidi Chronicles · Daniel Sullivan
- Nominee Our Town · Gregory Mosher
- Nominee Largely New York · Bill Irwin
42nd Tonys · 1988
- Winner M. Butterfly · John Dexter
- Nominee Joe Turner's Come and Gone · Lloyd Richards
- Nominee Breaking the Code · Clifford Williams
- Nominee Speed-the-Plow · Gregory Mosher
41st Tonys · 1987
- Winner Fences · Lloyd Richards
- Nominee Les Liaisons Dangereuses · Howard Davies
- Nominee Asinamali! · Mbongeni Ngema
- Nominee Coastal Disturbances
40th Tonys · 1986
- Winner The House of Blue Leaves · Jerry Zaks
- Nominee Loot · John Tillinger
- Nominee The Iceman Cometh · José Quintero
- Nominee Long Day's Journey into Night · Jonathan Miller
39th Tonys · 1985
- Winner Biloxi Blues · Gene Saks
- Nominee As Is · Marshall W. Mason
- Nominee Much Ado About Nothing · Terry Hands
- Nominee Strange Interlude
38th Tonys · 1984
- Winner The Real Thing · Mike Nichols
- Nominee Glengarry Glen Ross · Gregory Mosher
- Nominee A Moon for the Misbegotten · David Leveaux
- Nominee Noises Off · Michael Blakemore
37th Tonys · 1983
- Winner Brighton Beach Memoirs · Gene Saks
- Nominee Angels Fall · Marshall W. Mason
- Nominee All's Well That Ends Well · Trevor Nunn
- Nominee 'night, Mother · Tom Moore
36th Tonys · 1982
- Winner The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby · Trevor Nunn, John Caird
- Nominee Mass Appeal · Geraldine Fitzgerald
- Nominee "Master Harold"...and the Boys · Athol Fugard
- Nominee Crimes of the Heart · Melvin Bernhardt
35th Tonys · 1981
- Winner Amadeus · Peter Hall
- Nominee Fifth of July · Marshall W. Mason
- Nominee The Little Foxes · Austin Pendleton
- Nominee A Life · Peter Coe
34th Tonys · 1980
- Winner Morning's at Seven · Vivian Matalon
- Nominee Children of a Lesser God · Gordon Davidson
- Nominee Talley's Folly · Marshall W. Mason
- Nominee Betrayal · Peter Hall
33rd Tonys · 1979
- Winner The Elephant Man · Jack Hofsiss
- Nominee The Crucifer of Blood · Paul Giovanni
- Nominee Whose Life Is It Anyway? · Michael Lindsay-Hogg
- Nominee Bedroom Farce · Alan Ayckbourn, Peter Hall
32nd Tonys · 1978
- Winner Da · Melvin Bernhardt
- Nominee The Gin Game · Mike Nichols
- Nominee Dracula
- Nominee Deathtrap · Robert Moore
31st Tonys · 1977
- Winner The Shadow Box · Gordon Davidson
- Nominee Streamers · Mike Nichols
- Nominee American Buffalo · Ulu Grosbard
- Nominee Comedians · Mike Nichols
30th Tonys · 1976
- Winner The Royal Family · Ellis Rabb
- Nominee Travesties · Peter Wood
- Nominee Knock Knock · Marshall W. Mason
- Nominee Ah, Wilderness! · Arvin Brown
29th Tonys · 1975
- Winner Equus · John Dexter
- Nominee Same Time, Next Year · Gene Saks
- Nominee The National Health · Arvin Brown
- Nominee London Assurance · Ronald Eyre
- Nominee Scapino · Frank Dunlop
- Nominee Sizwe Banzi Is Dead · Athol Fugard
28th Tonys · 1974
- Winner A Moon for the Misbegotten · José Quintero
- Nominee Chemin de Fer · Stephen Porter
- Nominee Ulysses in Nighttown · Burgess Meredith
- Nominee Uncle Vanya · Mike Nichols
- Nominee Find Your Way Home · Edwin Sherin
27th Tonys · 1973
- Winner That Championship Season · A. J. Antoon
- Nominee Much Ado About Nothing · A. J. Antoon
- Nominee The Sunshine Boys · Alan Arkin
- Nominee The Changing Room · Michael Rudman
26th Tonys · 1972
- Winner The Prisoner of Second Avenue · Mike Nichols
- Nominee Old Times · Peter Hall
- Nominee Sticks and Bones · Jeff Bleckner
- Nominee The Trial of the Catonsville Nine · Gordon Davidson
25th Tonys · 1971
- Winner A Midsummer Night's Dream · Peter Brook
- Nominee Sleuth · Clifford Williams
- Nominee Home · Lindsay Anderson
- Nominee The School for Wives · Stephen Porter
24th Tonys · 1970
- Winner Child's Play · Joseph Hardy
- Nominee Butterflies Are Free · Milton Katselas
- Nominee Last of the Red Hot Lovers · Robert Moore
- Nominee Borstal Boy · Tómas Mac Anna
23rd Tonys · 1969
- Winner Hadrian the Seventh · Peter Dews
- Nominee The Man in the Glass Booth · Harold Pinter
- Nominee Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? · Michael A. Schultz
- Nominee Play It Again Sam · Joseph Hardy
22nd Tonys · 1968
- Winner Plaza Suite · Mike Nichols
- Nominee You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running · Alan Schneider
- Nominee Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead · Derek Goldby
- Nominee A Day in the Death of Joe Egg · Michael Blakemore
21st Tonys · 1967
- Winner The Homecoming · Peter Hall
- Nominee A Delicate Balance · Alan Schneider
- Nominee Marat/Sade
- Nominee Black Comedy · John Dexter
20th Tonys · 1966
- Winner Marat/Sade · Peter Brook
- Nominee The Lion in Winter · Noel Willman
- Nominee You Can't Take It with You · Ellis Rabb
- Nominee Philadelphia, Here I Come! · Hilton Edwards
19th Tonys · 1965
- Winner Luv · Mike Nichols
- Nominee Tartuffe · William Ball
- Nominee The Subject Was Roses · Ulu Grosbard
- Nominee Tiny Alice · Alan Schneider
18th Tonys · 1964
- Winner Barefoot in the Park · Mike Nichols
- Nominee Marathon '33 · June Havoc
- Nominee The Ballad of the Sad Café · Alan Schneider
- Nominee The Deputy · Herman Shumlin
17th Tonys · 1963
- Winner Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? · Alan Schneider
- Nominee Never Too Late · George Abbott
- Nominee Tchin-Tchin · Peter Glenville
- Nominee The School for Scandal · John Gielgud
16th Tonys · 1962
- Winner A Man for All Seasons · Noel Willman
- Nominee The Caretaker · Donald McWhinie
- Nominee Great Day in the Morning · José Quintero
- Nominee Gideon · Tyrone Guthrie
15th Tonys · 1961
- Winner Big Fish, Little Fish · John Gielgud
- Nominee All the Way Home · Arthur Penn
- Nominee The Hostage · Joan Littlewood
- Nominee Rhinoceros · Joseph Anthony
14th Tonys · 1960
- Winner The Miracle Worker · Arthur Penn
- Nominee A Raisin in the Sun · Lloyd Richards
- Nominee The Tenth Man · Tyrone Guthrie
- Nominee The Best Man · Joseph Anthony
- Nominee Sweet Bird of Youth · Elia Kazan