Harwood alum and Waitsfield native Shaina Taub won two Tony awards on Sunday night, June16, taking home the award for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score Written for the Theater for “Suffs,” a musical about the women’s suffrage movement. The show opened this spring to rave reviews.
“Suffs” was nominated for four other awards, including Best Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical and for Best Costume Design of a Musical.
The 77th annual Tony Awards were presented at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday night, June16.
In accepting the award for Best Book Playbill reports that Taub said, "I grew up in Vermont watching the Tonys every year with my mom on TV and dreaming of being a part of this magical community. Thank you for letting me be part of it."
Taub wrote the book, music, and lyrics for “Suffs” and she also stars in the musical. This was her Broadway debut.
“Suffs” marks Taub's Broadway debut -- a quadruple debut as she wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the show in which she also stars. Taub plays Alice Paul, cofounder of the National Woman's Party, which pushed for a Constitutional amendment as opposed to winning suffrage state by state. The party injected marches and demonstrations into the movement.
Dressed in a purple satin jumpsuit with gold buttons, two of the National Woman's Party's signature colors, Taub accepted the award for Best Score.
"My mentor, Elizabeth Swados, used to say I could run auctions because I talk so fast," Taub said and thanked Swados, the late composer, writer and director who was one of her college teachers, and composer Jeanine Tesori, another mentor.
"And to all of the theater kids out there watching, especially the loud little girls: Go for it," Taub said. "You can do it! You are powerful. You are valuable. You are strong. If you doubt yourself, it's OK. I doubt myself all the time, but you can do it. I am rooting for you."
