The first standing ovation of the night went to Gary Edwin Robinson, winner of the Excellence in Theatre Education Award, for his work on the Theatre Arts Program at Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn. “I told you I was going to the Tony Awards one day!” Robinson exclaimed to his family as he wielded his award.

Ingenuity and reinvention won big at the Tony Awards, where host Cynthia Erivo heralded the big headline of the night: “Broadway is officially back!” This season’s high-flying box-office numbers were juiced by an influx of Hollywood star vehicles, but the biggest artistic honors went to outside-the-box shows that gambled on big risks.