Watching the Tony Awards each year can feel like a right of passage for theater kids across the globe. In fact, for many thespians the yearly award ceremony is more like a celebration. The multi-hour procession of parades, performances, and speeches serves as rare opportunity for fans to witness their favorite artists and theater-makers on stage. Over the last few decades, the Tony Awards have striven to become more inclusive and self-aware of the audiences they influence. Below are 10 ideas from recent Tony Awards that continue to encourage young audiences to this day!

1. Theater is a necessary and valid form of
self-expression

2. Teamwork is invaluable, and theater would
not be possible without it

3. Every moment we spend in the theater is
one to be thankful for

4. From one thespian to another: your dreams
are within reach

5. Everyone deserves the freedom to be unapologetically themselves

6. Theater is a tool for building and representing
a better future

7. Theater comes from a long tradition of storytelling and history keeping, which we must continue to do

8. We as a community must stand to recognize the beauty of our shared individuality

9. “Love is Love” and all love deserves to be
valued and accepted

10. Hate has no place in the our theatrical
communities or in our world