The Tony Awards Administration Committee has announced the recipients of the 2020 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre and Fred Gallo, President of PRG Scenic is among the four honorees. The Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre are awarded annually to institutions, individuals and/or organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in theatre but are not eligible in any of the established Tony Award categories.
“I am deeply honored to be recognized by the committee – my peers in the industry – with this award,” said Fred Gallo. “Literally my whole life has been centered in theatre and the experience has been everything and more that I could imagine.”
Gallo grew up in a family of Broadway stagehands and began building scenery at the age of 10. After completing a degree in Architectural Engineering, Gallo worked as a Local One stagehand and production carpenter on many Broadway shows. Later, Gallo co-founded Scenic Technologies leading to the formation of PRG, which has become one of the world’s leading suppliers of scenery and automation for theatrical productions.
Gallo has supervised the build and engineering design for countless scenic projects as well as helped to develop Stage Command®, the company’s patented scenic automation system. Under Gallo’s direction, Stage Command quickly revolutionized the way scenic effects are delivered in live performances, automating the scenic elements in such ground-breaking productions as The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, Beauty and the Beast and King Kong.
Over the past nearly 40 years, Gallo has been associated with such productions as Beatlemania, Frankenstein, Marilyn, Big Deal, Pygmalion, Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, The Who’s Tommy, Beauty and The Beast, An Inspector Calls, Victor Victoria, Titanic, Fosse, The Producers, Wicked, Little Shop of Horrors, Sweet Charity, Passion, Les Misérables, Pal Joey, Shrek, Promises, Promises, Lysistrata Jones, Follies, Beautiful, the Carole King Musical, Come from Away, King Kong (Australian and U.S. productions), Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark – of which Gallo was also Technical Director – Harry Potter, the Cursed Child, and world tour of Phantom of the Opera, Frozen, Wicked, Dear Evan Hansen and Moulin Rouge.
Fred holds patents for theatrical equipment he designed and frequently serves as a consultant on the engineering of theatrical rigging systems for theatres worldwide. Over the last decade, he has designed the renovation of over 135 theatres to enable them to present large and technically sophisticated productions.
“I am beyond thrilled that Fred’s immense impact on the theatre industry is being recognized by the Tony Awards. There are few people who possess Fred’s talents, knowledge, and vast experience. I am fortunate to have been his business partner for the last 40 years and I am blessed to call him a friend,” said Jere Harris, Chairman and CEO of PRG.
PRG Scenic is the longest continuously running theatrical scenic shop in the U.S. and has supported more than 100,000 Broadway performances. Productions that PRG has worked on have earned top industry honors including 30 Tony Nominations for Best Scenic Design and 15 Tony Awards for Best Scenic Design.
The Tony Awards, presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, will host a multi-platform celebration on Sunday, September 26th, starting with the presentation of the American Theatre Wing’s 74th Annual Tony Awards LIVE at 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT exclusively on Paramount+, followed by “The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!” on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+ and the CBS app.
