This Sunday, June 1, marked the 69th Annual Drama Desk Awards, celebrating the greatest shows, actors, and creative teams across Broadway, off-Broadway, and off-off-Broadway this season.
Taking the stage at NYU Skirball, in downtown Manhattan, were the ceremony’s hosts, Debra Messing and Tituss Burgess (the latter, due to return to Broadway for a six-week encore engagement in Cole Escole and Sam Pinkleton’s Oh, Mary! this summer), as well as a heavy-hitting lineup of presenters, including Escola, Victoria Clark, Darren Criss, Brandon Victor Dixon, Andrew Durand, Tom Francis, Jonathan Groff, Sarah Hyland, Jeremy Jordan, Jinkx Monsoon, Bebe Neuwirth, Lily Rabe, Nicole Scherzinger, and Jennifer Simard. (Adding to the evening’s star power? Performances by Joshua Henry—set to star in a Broadway revival of Ragtime this fall—Norm Lewis, Lesli Margherita, and the cast of Dead Outlaw.)
So, who walked away with trophies? (And will we see any repeat winners at next weekend’s Tony Awards?) See all the victors at this year’s Drama Desk Awards—benefitting the Entertainment Community Fund—right here.
Outstanding Play
WINNER: Purpose, by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Blood of the Lamb, by Arlene Hutton
Deep Blue Sound, by Abe Koogler
Grangeville, by Samuel D. Hunter
John Proctor is the Villain, by Kimberly Belflower
Liberation, by Bess Wohl
Outstanding Musical
WINNER: Maybe Happy Ending
BOOP! The Musical
Death Becomes Her
Just in Time
Music City
Outstanding Revival of a Play
WINNER: Eureka Day
Garside’s Career
Home
Wine in the Wilderness
Yellow Face
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
WINNER: Gypsy
Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Floyd Collins
Once Upon a Mattress
See What I Wanna See
Sunset Blvd.
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play
WINNER: Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California
WINNER: Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Betsy Aidem, The Ask
Patsy Ferran, A Streetcar Named Desire
Danny J. Gomez, All of Me
Doug Harris, Redeemed
Patrick Keleher, Fatherland
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Lily Rabe, Ghosts
Jay O. Sanders, Henry IV (Theatre for a New Audience)
Paul Sparks, Grangeville
Olivia Washington, Wine in the Wilderness
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical
WINNER: Audra McDonald, Gypsy
WINNER: Jasmine Amy Rogers, BOOP! The Musical
Tatianna Córdoba, Real Women Have Curves
Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Sutton Foster, Once Upon a Mattress
Tom Francis, Sunset Blvd.
Jonathan Groff, Just in Time
Grey Henson, Elf
Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd.
Helen J. Shen, Maybe Happy Ending
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play
WINNER: Amalia Yoo, John Proctor is the Villain
WINNER: Kara Young, Purpose
Greg Keller, Pre-Existing Condition
Julia Lester, All Nighter
Adrienne C. Moore, The Blood Quilt
Deirdre O’Connell, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
Maria-Christina Oliveras, Cymbeline
Maryann Plunkett, Deep Blue Sound
Michael Rishawn, Table 17
Jude Tibeau, Bad Kreyòl
Anjana Vasan, A Streetcar Named Desire
Frank Wood, Hold On to Me Darling
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical
WINNER: Brooks Ashmanskas, Smash
WINNER: Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat
WINNER: Michael Urie, Once Upon a Mattress
Nicholas Barasch, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
André De Shields, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
John El-Jor, We Live in Cairo
Jason Gotay, Floyd Collins
Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time
Lesli Margherita, Gypsy
Zachary Noah Piser, See What I Wanna See
Jenny Lee Stern, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song
Natalie Walker, The Big Gay Jamboree
Outstanding Solo Performance
WINNER: Andrew Scott, Vanya
David Greenspan, I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan
Ryan J. Haddad, Hold Me in the Water
Sam Kissajukian, 300 Paintings
Mark Povinelli, The Return of Benjamin Lay
Outstanding Direction of a Play
WINNER: Danya Taymor, John Proctor is the Villain
David Cromer and Caitlin Sullivan, The Antiquities
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Tyne Rafaeli, Becoming Eve
Jack Serio, Grangeville
Whitney White, Liberation
Kip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
WINNER: Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Blvd.
Jerry Mitchell, BOOP! The Musical
Alex Timbers, Just in Time
George C. Wolfe, Gypsy
Outstanding Choreography
WINNER: Jerry Mitchell, BOOP! The Musical
Camille A. Brown, Gypsy
Warren Carlyle, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Jakob Karr, Ain’t Done Bad
Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Sergio Trujillo, Real Women Have Curves
Outstanding Music
WINNER: Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
David Foster, BOOP! The Musical
Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, Real Women Have Curves
Zoe Sarnak, The Lonely Few
The Lazours, We Live in Cairo
Outstanding Lyrics
WINNER: Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
Gerard Alessandrini, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
Adam Gwon, All the World’s a Stage
Marla Mindelle and Philip Drennen, The Big Gay Jamboree
Luis Quintero, Medea: Re-Versed
Outstanding Book of a Musical
WINNER: Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver, Just in Time
Bob Martin, BOOP! The Musical
Marla Mindelle and Jonathan Parks-Ramage, The Big Gay Jamboree
Marco Pennette, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding Orchestrations
WINNER: Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, Just in Time
Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending
Doug Besterman, BOOP! The Musical
Joseph Joubert and Daryl Waters, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Michael Starobin, All the World’s a Stage
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play
WINNER: Miriam Buether, and Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher (illusions and visual effects), Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Miriam Buether, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Johan Kølkjær, Dark Noon
Grace Laubacher and Gabriel Hainer Evansohn, Life and Trust
Matt Saunders, Walden
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical
WINNER: Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, Maybe Happy Ending (includes video design)
Clifton Chadick, Music City
Rachel Hauck, Swept Away
Derek McLane, Just in Time
David Rockwell and Finn Ross (projections), BOOP! The Musical
Outstanding Costume Design of a Play
WINNER: Dede Ayite, Our Town
Brenda Abbandandolo, The Antiquities
Christopher Ford, The Beastiary
Camilla Lind, Dark Noon
Karl Ruckdeschel, Twelfth Night
Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical
WINNER: Gregg Barnes, BOOP! The Musical
Sarah Cubbage, The Big Gay Jamboree
Toni-Leslie James, Gypsy
Qween Jean, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her
Catherine Zuber, Just in Time
Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play
WINNER: Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Isabella Byrd, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
Natasha Katz, John Proctor is the Villain
Tyler Micoleau, The Antiquities
Paul Whitaker, SUMO
Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical
WINNER: Jack Knowles, Sunset Blvd.
Kevin Adams, Swept Away
Adam Honoré, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Philip S. Rosenberg, BOOP! The Musical
Scott Zielinski and Ruey-Horng Sun (projections), Floyd Collins
Outstanding Sound Design of a Play
WINNER: Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Johnny Gasper, Two Sisters Find a Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods
Matt Otto, All of Me
Bray Poor, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
Clemence Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Fan Zhang, Good Bones
Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical
WINNER: Peter Hylenski, Just in Time
Adam Fisher, Sunset Blvd.
Scott Lehrer, Gypsy
Mick Potter, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
Dan Moses Schreier, Floyd Collins
Outstanding Projection and Video Design
WINNER: David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom, Sunset Blvd.
Jake Barton, McNeal
Jesse Garrison, The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [redux]
Hana S. Kim, Redwood
Outstanding Wig and Hair
WINNER: Charles LaPointe, Death Becomes Her
Alberto “Albee” Alvarado, SUMO
Sabana Majeed, BOOP! The Musical
Nikiya Mathis, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Nikiya Mathis, Liberation
Outstanding Puppetry
WINNER: Amanda Villalobos, Becoming Eve
Dorothy James, Bill’s 44th
Tom Lee, See What I Wanna See
Simple Mischief Studio, Small Acts of Daring Invention
Kirjan Waage, Dead as a Dodo
Outstanding Fight Choreography
WINNER: Rick Sordelet and Christian Kelly-Sordelet, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Drew Leary, Romeo + Juliet
Chelsea Pace and James Yaegashi, SUMO
Bret Yount, King Lear
Outstanding Adaptation
WINNER: Pirates! The Penzance Musical, by Rupert Holmes
Becoming Eve, by Emil Weinstein
Cymbeline, by Andrea Thome
Medea: Re-Versed, by Luis Quintero
The Devil’s Disciple, by David Staller
Outstanding Revue
WINNER: Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song
Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now!
The Jonathan Larson Project
The World According to Micki Grant
Unique Theatrical Experience
WINNER: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Odd Man Out
The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [redux]
The Voices in Your Head
The Wind and the Rain: A story about Sunny’s Bar
Harold S. Prince Award for Lifetime Achievement
- Gavin Creel (posthumously)
William Wolf Award
- Brian Stokes Mitchell
Ensemble Award
- The ensemble of Roundabout Theatre Company’s Liberation: Betsy Aidem, Audrey Corsa, Kayla Davion, Susannah Flood, Kristolyn Lloyd, Irene Sofia Lucio, Charlie Thurston, and Adina Verson
Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award
- Stephen Michael Spencer, Medea: Re-Versed and Music City
Additional special awards
- Pregones / Puerto Rican Traveling Theater
- Lighting designer Stacey Derosier
- Playwright Ken Urban; director Jack Serio; and ensemble Ryan Spahn, Julia Chan, and Juan Castano, Danger and Opportunity
