The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced today that Tony Award winning actress Chita Rivera and Tony Award winning composer and producer Andrew Lloyd Webber will be the 2018 recipients of the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.

‍"The cultural impact that Chita and Andrew have had on the international theatre community and on theatre education, has been immeasurable," said Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League and Heather Hitchens, President & CEO of the American Theatre Wing. "They are groundbreakers, they are inspirations and we are truly honored to recognize these two incredible legends with the Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement."

‍Andrew's awards, both as composer and producer, include seven Tonys, seven Oliviers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, the Praemium Imperiale, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, a BASCA Fellowship, the Kennedy Center Honor and a Grammy Award. He owns seven London theatres including the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the London Palladium. He was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen in 1992.  He is passionate about the importance of music in education and the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has become one of Britain’s leading charities supporting the arts and music. In 2016 the Foundation funded a major new national initiative with endowed the American Theatre Wing with a $1.3 million, three-year grant to support theatre education opportunities for underserved young people and public schools across the United States.

The American Theatre Wing’s 72nd Annual Tony Awards will air on the CBS Television Network on Sunday, June 10, 2018 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/delayed PT) live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City.