The Ferryman, a drama set in Northern Ireland during the sectarian strife of the 1980s, won the Tony Award for Best Play. Written by Jez Butterworth and directed by Sam Mendes, the play won a number of British theater awards before it moved to Broadway. It beat out Ink, What the Constitution Means to Me, Choir Boy, and Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus in the category. In accepting the award, Mendes said he wanted to dedicate it to “the families of the disappeared and to all those who lost loved ones in the Troubles.” Then he handed the award to actress Laura Donnelly, whose uncle was killed during the Troubles—the incident that inspired the play.
