In an event held at 10:00 this morning (Monday, April 22) at Lincoln Center’s New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and livestreamed by BroadwayWorld, two-time Tony winner (Cabaret; Chicago) and two-time Emmy recipient (Cheers; Frasier) Bebe Neuwirth joined Grammy, Emmy, and Tony nominee Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty; Into the Woods) as co-host for the announcement of the 2024 Drama League Awards nominations. First presented in 1922 and formalized in 1935, the Drama League Awards, the oldest theatrical awards in America, are a core service of The Drama League, founded in 1916, with a mission of providing the nation’s only full-time lifelong creative home for stage directors and the audiences around the world that enjoy their work.
For the past two years, the awards – chosen by a cross-section of the theater community (the industry professionals, producers, artists, audiences, and critics who are Drama League members nationwide) – have been presented in seven competitive categories, including two new awards for direction introduced in 2022, along with the traditional categories that have been presented since 1935. To be considered for this year’s 90th annual Drama League Awards honoring Broadway and Off-Broadway artists and productions of the 2023-24 season, eligible shows had to begin previews between April 24, 2023-April 20, 2024.
And the nominees, selected from more than 200 eligible productions, are:
Distinguished Performance Award:
Betsy Aidem, Prayer for the French Republic; Shoshana Bean, Hell’s Kitchen; Gabby Beans, Jonah; Joshua Boone, The Outsiders; Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Who’s Tommy; Steve Carell, Uncle Vanya; Jenn Colella, Suffs; Danny DeVito, I Need That; Caleb Eberhardt, The Comeuppance and An Enemy of the People; Alex Edelman, Just for Us
Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!; Eden Espinosa, The Gardens of Anuncia and Lempicka; Paapa Essiedu, The Effect; Melissa Etheridge, Melissa Etheridge: My Window; Laurence Fishburne, Like They Do in the Movies; Josh Gad, Gutenberg! The Musical!; Eli Gelb, Stereophonic; Brody Grant, The Outsiders; Jonathan Groff, Merrily We Roll Along; Dorian Harewood, The Notebook; Willam Jackson Harper, Primary Trust and Uncle Vanya; Amber Iman, Lempicka; Eddie Izzard, Hamlet; Nikki M. James, Suffs; Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Spamalot; Jessica Lange, Mother Play; Kecia Lewis, Hell’s Kitchen; Nichelle Lewis, The Wiz; Maribel Martinez, Bees and Honey; Rachel McAdams, Mary Jane; Lindsay Mendez, Merrily We Roll Along; Tobias Menzies, The Hunt; Cynthia Nixon, The Seven Year Disappear; Eva Noblezada, The Great Gatsby; Kelli O’Hara, Days of Wine and Roses; Leslie Odom, Jr., Purlie Victorious, A Non-Confederate Romp Through The Cotton Patch; Patrick Page, All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented The Villain; Nicole Ari Parker, The Refuge Plays; Jim Parsons, Mother Play; Sarah Paulson, Appropriate; Sarah Pidgeon, Stereophonic; Aubrey Plaza, Danny and The Deep Blue Sea; Maryann Plunkett, The Notebook; Daniel Radcliffe, Merrily We Roll Along; Gayle Rankin, Cabaret; Andrew Rannells, Gutenberg! The Musical!; Eddie Redmayne, Cabaret; Conrad Ricamora, Here Lies Love and Oh, Mary!; Corey Stoll, Appropriate; Michael Stuhlbarg, Patriots; Jeremy Strong, An Enemy of the People; Zenzi Williams, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding; Kara Young, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through The Cotton Patch; Jehan O. Young, The Cotillion.
The Drama League also acknowledged the previous recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award who appeared in eligible Broadway or Off-Broadway productions this season. As the Award can only be won once in a performer’s lifetime, they are ineligible to be nominated; however, their exemplary work is recognized and applauded:
Alfred Molina, Uncle Vanya; Bebe Neuwirth, Cabaret; Liev Schreiber, Doubt: A Parable.
Outstanding Production of a Play:
THE COMEUPPANCE, Signature Theatre, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; FLEX, Lincoln Center Theater, written by Candrice Jones; GRIEF HOTEL, Clubbed Thumb, written by Liza Birkenmeier; THE HUNT, St. Ann’s Warehouse, written by Thomas Vinterberg & Tobias Lindholm, adapted by David Farr; JAJA’S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING, Manhattan Theatre Club, written by Jocelyn Bioh; MOTHER PLAY, Second Stage Theater, written by Paula Vogel; OH, MARY!, Lucille Lortel Theatre, written by Cole Escola; PATRIOTS, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, written by Peter Morgan; PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC, Manhattan Theatre Club, written by Joshua Harmon; STEREOPHONIC, John Golden Theatre/Playwrights Horizons, written by David Adjmi; WET BRAIN, Playwrights Horizons/MCC Theater, written by John J. Caswell, Jr.
Outstanding Production of a Musical:
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB, Atlantic Theater Company, book by Marco Ramirez, music by the Grammy Award-winning Buena Vista Social Club; DEAD OUTLAW, Minetta Lane Theatre, book by Itamar Moses, music and lyrics by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, conceived by David Yazbek; HARMONY, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, book and lyrics by Bruce Sussman, music by Barry Manilow; THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL, James Earl Jones Theatre, book by Jonathan A. Abrams, story by Tyler Mitchell and Jonathan A. Abrams, music by Huey Lewis and The News; HELL’S KITCHEN, The Public Theater/Shubert Theatre, book by Kristoffer Diaz, music and lyrics by Alicia Keys; ILLINOISE, Park Avenue Armory/St. James Theatre, music and lyrics by Sufjan Stevens, story by Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury, based on the album “Illinoise” by Sufjan Stevens; LEMPICKA, Longacre Theatre, book by Carson Kreitzer and Matt Gould, music by Matt Gould, lyrics and original concept by Carson Kreitzer; THE NOTEBOOK, The Schoenfeld Theatre, book by Bekah Brunstetter, music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson; THE OUTSIDERS, Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, book by Adam Rapp with Justin Levine, music and lyrics by Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justin Levine; SUFFS, Music Box Theatre, music, book, and lyrics by Shaina Taub; TEETH, Playwrights Horizons, book and music by Anna K. Jacobs, book and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson, based on the screenplay “TEETH” by Mitchell Lichtenstein; WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, Imperial Theatre, book by Rick Elice, music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co.
Outstanding Revival of a Play:
AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE, Circle in the Square Theatre, written by Henrik Ibsen, a new version by Amy Herzog; APPROPRIATE, Second Stage Theater/Belasco Theatre, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, Lucille Lortel Theatre, written by John Patrick Shanley; DOUBT: A PARABLE, Roundabout Theatre Company, written by John Patrick Shanley; THE EFFECT, The Shed, written by Lucy Prebble; MARY JANE, Manhattan Theatre Club, written by Amy Herzog; OUR CLASS, Brooklyn Academy of Music, written by Tadeusz Słobodzianek, adapted by Norman Allen; PURLIE VICTORIOUS: A NON-CONFEDERATE ROMP THROUGH THE COTTON PATCH, Music Box Theatre, written by Ossie Davis; UNCLE VANYA, Lincoln Center Theater, written by Anton Chekhov, a new version by Heidi Schreck; THE WHITE CHIP, Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space, written by Sean Daniels.
Outstanding Revival of a Musical:
CABARET, August Wilson Theatre, book by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Fred Ebb, music by John Kander; GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!, James Earl Jones Theatre, book, music, and lyrics by Scott Brown and Anthony King; HERE LIES LOVE, Broadway Theatre, lyrics and concept by David Byrne, music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, additional music by Tom Gandey and José Luis Pardo; I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE, Classic Stage Company, book by Jerome Weidman, music and lyrics by Harold Rome, book revisions by John Weidman; MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, Hudson Theatre, book by George Furth, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; SPAMALOT, St. James Theatre, book and lyrics by Eric Idle, music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle; THE WHO’S TOMMY, Nederlander Theatre, book by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff, music and lyrics by Pete Townshend; THE WIZ, Marquis Theatre, book by William F. Brown, music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls, additional material by Amber Ruffin.
Outstanding Direction of a Play:
Tara Ahmadinejad, Grief Hotel, Clubbed Thumb/New Georges; Daniel Aukin, Stereophonic, Playwrights Horizons/John Golden Theatre; Sam Gold, An Enemy of The People, Circle in the Square; Rupert Goold, The Hunt, St. Ann’s Warehouse/National Theatre Company; Rupert Goold, Patriots, Ethel Barrymore Theatre; Jamie Lloyd, The Effect, The Shed, The National Theatre; Lila Neugebauer, Appropriate, Second Stage Theatre Company; Lila Neugebauer, Uncle Vanya, Lincoln Center Theater; Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary!, Lucille Lortel Theatre; Eric Ting, The Comeuppance, Signature Theatre Company; Whitney White, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Manhattan Theatre Company.
Outstanding Direction of a Musical:
Saheem Ali, Buena Vista Social Club, Atlantic Theater Company; Sarah Benson, Teeth, Playwrights Horizons; David Cromer, Dead Outlaw, Minetta Lane Theatre; Rebecca Frecknall, Cabaret, August Wilson Theatre; Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along, Hudson Theatre; Des McAnuff, The Who’s Tommy, Nederlander Theater; Leigh Silverman, Suffs, Music Box Theatre; Alex Timbers, Gutenberg! The Musical!, James Earl Jones Theatre; Alex Timbers, Here Lies Love, The Broadway Theatre.
As was previously announced, along with the nominees recognized in the above awards categories, four theater artists have been named as this year’s Special Recognition Honorees: Jonathan Groff, Jessica Lange, Schele Williams, and Kandi Burruss. A two-time Tony Award and Emmy Award nominee, Groff – currently starring on Broadway in Merrily We Roll Along – will receive the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award for his outstanding work on stage as part of the musical theater community. Tony Award and two-time Academy Award winner Lange – who has returned to Broadway this spring in Mother Play – will be honored with the Contribution to the Theater Award for her unwavering commitment to furthering the art of the American theater. Williams will be presented with the Founders Award for Excellence in Directing for her contributions to the field, which includes this season’s The Wiz and The Notebook. And Burruss will receive the annual Gratitude Award, in recognition of her leadership and commitment to the theater industry as a producer and performer.
Congratulations to all the nominees and honorees for the recognition of their outstanding work. The 90th Annual Drama League Awards, hosted by Frank DiLella, will be presented at the organization’s annual luncheon ceremony on Friday, May 17, beginning at noon, at The Ziegfeld Ballroom, 141 West 54th Street, NYC. For more information about the event and how to attend, go online.
