So something kind of wonderful happened on last night’s Tony Award telecast. Amidst the wonderful opening number and raucous atmosphere, history was made: two women (Pam MacKinnon and Dianne Paulus) won the directing prizes, Cyndi Lauper became the first woman to win for Best Original Score without a writing partner, and four out of the eight acting winners were African American. Wait, what? Yes, the Tonys became the anti-Oscars, with women and minorities just winning every damn where. It was a wonder to behold not only for the sheer weight of the occasion, but because it didn’t feel out of place or momentous, just felt like the right people won. After doing the latest Awards Circuit podcast where in the subject of race came up and spurned on by a colleague’s great analysis of sexism within the Academy, I wanted to share my thoughts on why I think Hollywood is severely behind in terms of equality.

So something kind of wonderful happened on last night’s Tony Award telecast. Amidst the wonderful opening number and raucous atmosphere, history was made: two women (Pam MacKinnon and Dianne Paulus) won the directing prizes, Cyndi Lauper became the first woman to win for Best Original Score without a writing partner, and four out of the eight acting winners were African American. Wait, what? Yes, the Tonys became the anti-Oscars, with women and minorities just winning every damn where. It was a wonder to behold not only for the sheer weight of the occasion, but because it didn’t feel out of place or momentous, just felt like the right people won. After doing the latest Awards Circuit podcast where in the subject of race came up and spurned on by a colleague’s great analysis of sexism within the Academy, I wanted to share my thoughts on why I think Hollywood is severely behind in terms of equality.