Tony Awards to hold digital ceremony during Autumn

Despite being interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, the shortened Broadway season has nonetheless announced it will have a Tony Awards.

The Tony awards, the annual honours celebrating the best in Broadway theater, will be announced during a digital ceremony this fall, organisers said in a statement on Friday.

READ MORE: With doors closed and stages empty, Broadway fears an uncertain future

The Tonys had been scheduled for June but were postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Broadway theaters went dark in March and are scheduled to remain closed through the rest of the year.

The closing of the theatres on March 12 knocked out all shows, including 16 that were still scheduled to open. 

Producers, citing health and city authorities, have three times extended the Broadway shutdown, currently until at least early January.

"Though unprecedented events cut the Broadway season short, it was a year full of extraordinary work that deserves to be recognised," said Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin and Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing.

READ MORE: Broadway extends coronavirus shutdown through to June 7

“We are thrilled not only to have found a way to properly celebrate our artists’ incredible achievements this season, but also to be able to uplift the entire theater community and show the world what makes our Broadway family so special at this difficult time," the statement continues.

The Tony Awards for plays, musicals, directors and performers are regarded as the highest honours in the American theater world. 

Organisers did not announce an exact date for the fall ceremony.