#InternationalWomensDay

In honor of it being #InternationalWomensDay I figured why not do one celebrating all the women who have set records or milestones in the theatre world! (Specifically the Tony Awards and Olivier Awards) Now I also don't have every single record or milestone, but I will try to have most of them. Their are A LOT of woman in theatre I repeat A LOT of woman in theatre. I will also list the ceremony of when the record or milestone was set. ****SIDE NOTE: The Olivier's are very confusing they have had so many award changes and retirements to bringing them back to changing the name. So I may have a few facts wrong their, but I'll do my best.****

Agnes de Mille- First woman to win Best Choreography for Brigadoon [1^st Tony Awards]

Anna Sharkey- First woman to win Best Actress in a Musical for Maggie as Maggie Wylie [1977 Olivier Awards]

Anne Devlin- First woman to solely be nominated for Best New Play for Ourselves Alone [1986 Olivier Awards]

Ashley Martin-Davis- First woman to be nominated for Best Set Design for The Miser and The Recruiting Officer [1992 Olivier Awards]

Audra McDonald

Audra McDonald- First (and Only) African-American woman to be nominated and win in all 4 acting categories [69^th Tony Awards]
Angela Lansbury- First woman to be nominated in all 4 acting categories [64^th Tony Awards]
Lena Hall- Second woman to win for playing a character of the opposite sex in Hedwig and the Angry Inch as Yitzhak [68^th Tony Awards]
Patina Miller- Won for The Leading Player in Pippin making this the first time the same role has been won by both a male and a female in a Broadway production [67^th Tony Awards]

Bertha Egnos and Gail Lakier- First female team to be nominated for Best New Musical for Ipi Tombi [1976 Oliver Awards]

Betty Comden- First woman to win (co-win with Adolph Green and Jule Styne) for Best Original Score for Hallelujah, Baby! [22^nd Tony Awards]

Bunny Christie- First woman to win Best Set Design for The White Guard [2011 Olivier Awards]

Carolyn Downing- First woman to win Best Sound Design for Chimerica [2014 Olivier Awards]

Carolyn Leigh- First woman to be nominated (co-nominated with Cy Coleman) for Best Original Score for Little Me [17^th Tony Awards]

Caryl Churchill- First woman to solely win Best New Play for Serious Money [1987 Olivier Awards]

Chita Rivera- Has the most performance nominations with 10 [69^th Tony Awards]

Claire Luckham- First woman to be nominated for Best New Comedy for Trafford Tanzi [1982 Olivier Awards]

Cyndi Lauper- First female to solely win Best Original Score for Kinky Boots [67^th Tony Awards]

Deborah Warner- First woman to win Best Director for Titus Andronicus [1988 Olivier Awards]

Deirdre Clancy- First woman to win Best Costume Design for Love Labour’s Lost and A Month in the Country [1995 Olivier Awards]

Denise Deegan- First woman to win Best New Comedy for Daisy Pulls It Off [1983 Olivier Awards]

Diahann Carroll- First African-American woman to win Best Featured Actress in a Musical for No Strings as Barbara Woodruff [16^th Tony Awards]

Eleanor Worthington Cox, Cleo Demetriou, Kerry Ingram and Sophia Kiely- First group of women to share the award for Best Actress in a Musical for Matilda as Matilda [2012 Olivier Awards]

Lea Salonga

Francis Goodrich- First woman to win (co-won with her husband Albert Hackett) Best Play for The Diary of Anne Frank [10^th Tony Awards]

Franne Lee- First woman to win (co-win with Eugene Lee) Best Scenic Design for Candide [28^th Tony Awards]

Garry Hynes- First woman to win Best Direction of a Play for The Beauty Queen of Leenane [52^nd Tony Awards]

Grace Hartman- First woman to win Best Actress in a Musical for Angels in the Wings as Nettie/ Mrs. Blodgett/ Ruth/ Mrs. Hutchinson [2^nd Tony Awards]

Heidi Landesman- First woman to solely win Best Scenic Design for Big River [39^th Tony Awards]

Helen Hayes- First woman to win Best Actress in a Play for Happy Birthday as Addie Bemis [1^st Tony Awards]

Imelda Staunton- First woman to win Best Performance in a Supporting role for A Chorus of Disapproval as Hannah Llewllyn and The Corn is Green as Bessie Watty [1985 Olivier Awards]/Most nominations for Best Actress in a Musical [2016 Olivier Awards]

Ingrid Bergman- First woman to win Best Actress in a Play for Joanne of Lorraine as Mary Grey/Joan of Arc [1^st Tony Awards]

Jan Maxwell- Second woman to be nominated in all 4 acting categories [66^th Tony Awards]

Judi Dench- Won both a dramatic and musical Olivier in the same year [1996 Oliver Awards]/ Most competitive wins with 7 [2016 Oliver Awards]

Julia Harris- Has the most performance nominations with 10 [51^st Tony Awards]
Tharon Musser- First woman to win Best Lighting Design for A Chorus Line [31^st Tony Awards

Julie Taymor- First woman to win Best Direction of a Musical for The Lion King [52^nd Tony Awards]

Karla Burns- First woman to win Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Show Boat as Queenie [1991 Olivier Awards]

Lea Salonga- First Asian-American to win Best Actress in a Musical for Miss Saigon  as Kim [1989 Oliver Awards]/First Asian-American to win Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a musical for Miss Saigon as Kim [45^th Tony Awards]

Linda Woolverton- First woman to win (co-win with Howard Ashman, Alan Menken and Tim Rice) Best New Musical for Beauty and the Beast [1998 Olivier Awards]

Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori- First female team to win Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical for Fun Home [69^th Tony Awards]

Lena Hall

Lucinda Ballard- First woman to win Best Costume Design for Happy Birthday, Another Part of the Forest, Street Scene, John Loves Mary, The Chocolate Soldier [1^st Tony Awards]

Maria Friedman- Most nominations for Best Actress in a Musical [2005 Oliver Awards]

Marsha Noman- First woman to solely win Best Book of a Musical for The Secret Garden [45^th Tony Awards]

Mary Martin- First woman (and person) to win for playing a character of the opposite sex in Peter Pan as Peter Pan [9^th Tony Awards]

Micki Grant- First woman to be solely nominated for Best Original Score for Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope [27^th Tony Awards]/ First Woman to be solely nominated for Best Book of a Musical for Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope [27^th Tony Awards]

Natasha Chivers- First woman to win (co-win with Mike Robertson) for Best Lighting Design for Sunday in the Park with George [2007 Olivier Awards]

Pat Collins- First woman to be nominated for Best Lighting Design for The Illusion [1991 Olivier Awards]

Patricia Neal- First woman to win Best Featured Actress in a Play for Another Part of the Forest as Regina Hubbard [1^st Tony Awards]

Peggy Ashcroft- First woman to win Best Actress for Old World as Lidya Vasilyevna [1976 Olivier Awards]

Phylicia Rashad- First African-American to win Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for A Raisin in the Sun as Lena Younger [58^th Tony Awards]

Ruthie Ann Miles- First Asian-American to win Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for The King and I as Lady Thiang [69^th Tony Awards]

Sally Jacobs- First woman to be nominated for Best Scenic Design for A Midsummer Night's Dream [25^th Tony Awards]

Sarah Travis- First woman to win Best Orchestrations for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street [60^th Tony Awards]

Sue Blane- First woman to be nominated for Best Costume Design for Into the Woods [1991 Olivier Awards]

Susan Stroman- First woman to win Best Theatre Choreographer for Crazy For You [1993 Olivier Awards]

Mary Martin

Victoria Wood- First woman to solely be nominated for Best New Musical for Acorn Antiques [2006 Olivier Awards]

Vivian Cox- First woman to win (co-win with Bernard Miles and Henry de Montherlant) Best New Play for The Fire that Consumes [1977 Olivier Awards]

Wendy Wasserstein- First woman to solely win Best Play for The Heidi Chronicles [43^rd Tony Awards]