I never realized that the Tony Awards have such a complicated eligibility process. Some people have questioned it. But regardless of it’s fairness, it’s the most important award for theater in the U.S. So everyone in the industry is certainly pining to be recognized.

Rules are new every year. The decisions for eligibility are complicated.

This year, for example, they just announced that “The Little Mermaid” would be eligible for nomination in the Best Score category. This was in question, given that many of the songs were originally written for the movie. But since more than 50 percent was written for the play, the decision makers deemed it eligible.

The biggest criterion to consider is the required opening dates for eligibility. The management established that for the 2006-2007 year, the cut off date was May 9th, 2007.

Another criteria to consider is the actual theater. A Broadway theater is defined as one having more than 500 seats. Although the definition of Broadway theater does not take into account the location of the theater, the committee determines the list of eligible theaters, which only consists of theaters in New York City.

This Administration Committee has 24 members and determines eligibility. The Nominating Committee makes the actual nominations for the categories.

To see this year’s competitors, get your tickets for Broadway plays online and enjoy.