Which directors won the 2026 Tony Award for Direction of a Musical for Cats: The Jellicle Ball?
Answer
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch won the 2026 Tony Award for Direction of a Musical for Cats: The Jellicle Ball.
Their direction was honored for the radically reimagined production of Cats, which brought the Jellicle cats into a ballroom-inspired theatrical world. The directing team prevailed over nominees from The Lost Boys, Ragtime, Schmigadoon!, and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).
Cats: The Jellicle Ball also won Tonys for Choreography and Costume Design of a Musical. Those awards reflected the production’s movement language and visual concept, while the directing award recognized the overall shaping of the stage event.
Levingston and Rauch shared the prize as a directing team. The result is distinct from the choreography award, which went to Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons. It is also separate from Direction of a Play, won by Joe Mantello for Death of a Salesman.