June 15, 2008 - New York – PASSING STRANGE and Stew, tonight received the 2008 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. Sundance's latest project to land on Broadway, PASSING STRANGE was cultivated at the 2004 and 2005 Sundance Institute Theatre Labs.

The Tony Awards were announced in a three-hour CBS telecast from Radio City Music Hall. Whoopi Goldberg served as host.

"We congratulate Stew and Heidi and the entire cast on PASSING STRANGE. We're so happy they are part of the Sundance family and for all of their recent successes," said Philip Himberg. "PASSING STRANGE is unlike other Broadway musicals,; it is significant that the show is enjoying critical success. And it is exciting that audiences are hungry for work that's completely unique. "

Stew, who wrote the book of PASSING STRANGE with Heidi Rodewald, accepted the award at a pre-broadcast ceremony. "I don't know what to say, because I didn't know we were going to do this right now," he said. "I thought this was going to happen in an hour or something. I was looking for some M & M's in my pocket." Later in the awards program Stew appeared sporting a fake nose and moustache.

PASSING STRANGE is currently on Broadway at The Belasco Theatre,
111 West 44th Street, New York City.

The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American theatre and are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League. The complete list of Tony Award winners can be found here: http://www.tonyawards.com