Playwright Jeremy O. Harris still has a hard time registering all of his success—even though his Slave Play was nominated for best play at Sunday night’s Tony Awards. “I wrote this play to be performed in a basement for my friends,” says Harris. “My aspiration for this play was for it to live in small experimental theatres. To see this play grow to the level that I get emails from people in Tokyo about it is just mind boggling.”
He just so happened to capture all of the excitement at the Tonys for Vogue via artful polaroids, from the getting-ready process to the awards ceremony and the ensuing after-party. However, the event was about more than just cute photo ops. It was an opportunity to celebrate and reconnect with his peers in theatre. “In the year since our industry has been down, I've stayed up at night worrying over the people that I know have lives that depend on it,” says Harris. “They chose to be a part of an industry that doesn’t pay well, but fuels every person who works within it. Theatre coming back and coming back healthy means that those people can go back to being both fueled and fed, because they are going to be working now.”
For the affair, Harris knew he had to wear a stellar look—the Tonys are all about glamour, after all. To do so, Harris wore a custom couture ensemble by Schiaparelli, designed by Daniel Roseberry. The duo actually started talking about the design back in early 2020. “I was in Paris last year, the day before the Tony nominees were announced, and Daniel asked me then if he could design my outfit,” says Harris. “Who could say no to that?” Roseberry, Harris, and stylist Mel Ottenberg ended up designing the sleek, tailored black suit together, which they accessorized with a golden opera mask. “We always knew we wanted to experiment with my silhouette, but almost imperceptibly,” says Harris. “I’m quite tall and thin, and this outfit makes me look like I am 6-foot-9 with a 24-inch waist. The outfit looks like you're dreaming it—much like how I feel I'm experiencing my life right now as a dream.”
Around his neck, Harris sported an ear-shaped pendant necklace—a special nod to his own play. “The last line of my play is, ‘thank you, baby. Thank you for listening,’’ says Harris. “It's the most important sentiment in the work, and this interpretation of that idea is both subtle and also loud. Which is how I hope my work lands.” Up next, Harris is currently adapting The Vanishing Half for HBO, writing a new play (about his friendship with Adrienne Kennedy), and working on a movie inspired by Frank Wedekind’s Spring Awakening.
Below, see all of Harris’s polaroids from his Tonys night.
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris1/17Hi Vogue... welcome to one of the biggest nights of life told through polaroids. (My niece Kyra Dones was my photo assistant and took this photo, she's quite good.)
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris2/17My invite, custom Schiaparelli bijoux, and mask. If this was going to be a masked-up ceremony, I knew I had to mask up like only Daniel could.
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris3/17People were everywhere. Upon every inch of my skin for the full day. I wondered if this was what princes must feel like?
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris4/17Besides my mother, one of my favorite people to do my hair is the ever inventive and always loving Latisha Chong. She did my hair for the Slave Play premiere, so it felt right for her to be here for this night.
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris5/17Kim Kardashian told me at the Met Gala that when one decides to wear a certain level of couture to an event, they make a decision that they won't be going to the bathroom. I wish I had remembered that in this moment.
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris6/17This double exposure cutie is as surreal as the entire outfit I wore. Probably my favorite image of the night. Feels like a dream.
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris7/17I kicked everyone out for a private moment to meditate, smoke a bit, and write my speech.
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris8/17Then I burned it... I had a feeling.
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris9/17Then it was time to put on our masks and go!
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris10/17My dates and I. My niece Kyra, my high school drama/dance/english teacher Mrs. Candace Owen-Williams, and my mother Veronica. It was my mom's birthday, and Candace is the reason I do theatre. I was going to heavily feature them if I had given a speech.
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris11/17I was sat directly behind David Byrne and directly across from Jamie Lloyd. Whoever was in charge of seating very much said, "Weird cool kids are going aisle house left," and I support that.
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris12/17Got words of wisdom halfway through the show from our country's most decorated playwright, Lynn Nottage (who I interviewed for Vogue).
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris13/17Before sneaking up front to say hi to Tom Hiddleston, Jamie Lloyd, and Zawe Ashton, then to ask them if they'd be interested in some sort of Betrayal-like swap later. I'm still waiting for the texts back.
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris14/17On the brink of finding out that Slave Play would not be winning an award for best play, Sienna Miller ran over to give me a snog and some encouraging words about "allowing myself to feel excited and hopeful as they said my name." (That's what made me cry so...thanks Sienna!)
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris15/17Then it was after party #1: Neuehouse, where we announced Slave Play, despite the snubs, would be returning to Broadway this fall!
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris16/17Then it was after party #2: Socialista, where I began drinking so much tequila all I remember are the hangover and the fact that I came home with a thousand new polaroids.
Photo: Courtesy of Jeremy O. Harris17/17I do remember this good bye that I sent outside of Socialista, because I realized that I might be the first playwright to write a play nominated for 12 Tonys and to lose them all—but I'm also the first I know to be on a Cos billboard in the middle of SoHo, and that's hilarious to me.
