Another Tony for alumnus William Ivey Long '69
A sixth Tony Award William Ivey Long '69, received an honorary degree from W&M President Tim Sullivan in 2004. To Long's right is former W&M Rector Susan Aheron Magill '72. Long captured his sixth Tony Award Sunday night. Photo by Stephen Salpukas
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It is the sixth Tony Award of Long’s distinguished career. His others were for “Grey Gardens,” “The Producers,” “Hairspray,” “Crazy for You” and “Nine.” He has been nominated 12 times.
In 1990, Long was presented with the Cheek Medal, a national award William & Mary’s Muscarelle Museum of Art bestows to a person who has substantially contributed to the field of museum, performing or visual arts.
In 2004, Long was presented with a honorary degree from the university. He also has honorary degrees from the University of North Carolina and UNC-Ashville.
A history major at William & Mary, Long later spent three years as a fellow in art history at UNC-Chapel Hill. From there he pursued his Masters of Fine Arts in stage design at Yale University Drama School, where he studied with, among others, Meryl Streep and Sigourney Weaver.
Among his other Broadway credits are “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” “Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Pal Joey,” “Young Frankenstein,” “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “La Cage Aux Folles,” “The Music Man,” “Annie Get Your Gun” and “Lend Me a Tenor.”
In addition, he has designed for such artists as Mick Jagger, Siegfried and Roy, the Pointer Sisters and Joan Rivers and for choreographers Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Peter Martins, David Parsons and Susan Stroman.
He was the recipient of the National Theatre Conference “Person of the Year” award in 2000, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine a year later, the Distinguished Career award from the Southeastern Theatre Conference in 2002, the Raleigh Medal of Arts in 2010 and the 2004 North Carolina award.
