The Drama League Announces 2020 Drama League Awards Nominations

The Drama League (Artistic Director, Gabriel Stelian-Shanks / Executive Director, Bevin Ross) has announced the 2020 Drama League Awards Nominees for Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding Revival of a Play, Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Revival of a Musical, and the much- coveted Distinguished Performance Award. The nominations were announced this evening during The Gratitude Awards by Beetlejuice’s Alex Brightman and Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer. Voting is open for Drama League members from May 1 – May 22. Award winners will be announced via livestream in June

The broadcast included special cameos from previous Distinguished Performance Award recipients Bernadette Peters, Bryan Cranston, and Patti LuPone, and the 86th Annual Drama League Artistic Awards Nominations presented by Beetlejuice’s Alex Brightman and Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer. 

Other recognitions include Marianne Elliott as the recipient of the Founders Award for Excellence in Directing and James Lapine as the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award.  

The Drama League honored the five-time Tony Award® winning McNally with the organization’s lifetime achievement award – “The Unique Contribution to Theater Award”   at this year’s Drama League Awards. However, because of McNally’s  unfortunate passing on March 24, 2020 due to complications from COVID-19 and New York City’s guidelines against large gatherings, The Drama League has had to make changes to their annual awards nomination ceremony this year.   Tom Kirdahy accepted on behalf of Mr. McNally and a special tribute film was presented by Jeff Kaufman and Marcia Ross (producers of the documentary film Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life).

The Drama League announced that the spirit of The Gratitude Awards will live on via a new honorary category for the 87th Annual Drama League Awards starting in 2021 with The Gratitude Award, for a person or organization who has shown fearless support and kindness to the theater community.

Missed the broadcast? Watch the archive  HERE

Here are the nominees for 86th Annual The Drama League’s five competitive categories for this year:

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A PLAY 
Cambodian Rock Band
Directed by Chay Yew
Written by Lauren Yee
Signature Theatre Company

Dana H.
Directed by Les Waters
Written by Lucas Hnath
Vineyard Theatre
 
Grand Horizons
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Written by Bess Wohl
Second Stage/Helen Hayes Theater
 
The Hot Wing King
Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III
Written by Katori Hall
Signature Theatre Company
 
The Inheritance
Directed by Stephen Daldry
Written by Matthew Lopez
Barrymore Theatre
 
The Michaels
Written and Directed by Richard Nelson
Public Theater
 
Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow
Directed by Trip Cullman
Written by Halley Feiffer
MCC Theater
 
One in Two
Directed by Stevie Walker-Webb
Written by Donja R. Love
The New Group
 
Sea Wall/A Life
Directed by Carrie Cracknell
Written by Simon Stephens/Nick Payne
Hudson Theater
 
Seared
Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel
Written by Theresa Rebeck
MCC Theater
 
Slave Play
Directed by Robert O'Hara
Written by Jeremy O. Harris
New York Theatre Workshop/John Golden Theatre
 
Stew
Directed by Colette Robert
Written by Zora Howard
Page 73
 
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Girl from the North Country
Directed by Conor McPherson
Book by Conor McPherson,  Music and Lyrics by Bob Dylan
Belasco Theatre

Jagged Little Pill
Directed by Diane Paulus
Music by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard,  Lyrics by Alanis Morissette, Book by  Diablo Cody
Broadhurst Theatre
 
Moulin Rouge!
Directed by Alex Timbers
Book by John Logan,  Music and Lyrics by Various Artists
Al Hirschfeld Theatre
 
Octet
Directed by Annie Tippe
Written by Dave Malloy
Signature Theatre Company
 
The Secret Life of Bees
Directed by Sam Gold
Book by Lynn Nottage,  Music by Duncan Sheik, Lyrics by  Susan Birkenhead
Atlantic Theater Company
 
Sing Street
Directed by Rebecca Taichman
Book by Enda Walsh,  Music and Lyrics by Gary Clark and John Carney
New York Theatre Workshop
 
Six
Directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage
Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss
Brooks Atkinson Theatre
 
Soft Power
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Book and Lyrics by David Henry Hwang,  Music and Additional Lyrics by Jeanine Tesori
Public Theater
 
A Strange Loop
Directed by Stephen Brackett
Book, Music and Lyrics by Michael R. Jackson
Playwrights Horizons
 
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd
Book by Katori Hall, Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins,  Music by Various Artists
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
 
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Betrayal
Directed by Jamie Lloyd
Written by Harold Pinter
Jacobs Theatre
 
for colored girls who have considered suicide
/when the rainbow is enuf
Directed by Leah C. Gardiner
Written by Ntozake Shange
Public Theater
 
Fires in the Mirror
Directed by Saheem Ali
Written by Anna Deavere Smith
Signature Theatre Company
 
Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune
Directed by Arin Arbus
Written by Terrence McNally
Broadhurst Theatre
 
Judgment Day
Directed by Richard Jones
Written by Ödön von Horváth,  Adapted by Christopher Shinn
Park Avenue Armory
 
Medea
Directed by Simon Stone
Written by Simon Stone after Euripides
Brooklyn Academy of Music
 
Native Son
Directed by Seret Scott
Written by Nambi E. Kelley, based on the novel by Richard Wright
The Acting Company
 
The Rose Tattoo
Directed by Trip Cullman
Written by Tennessee Williams
Roundabout Theatre Company
 
A Soldier's Play
Directed by Kenny Leon
Written by Charles Fuller
Roundabout Theatre Company
 
The Woman in Black
Directed by Robin Herford
Written by Stephen Mallatratt, based on the novel by Susan Hill
The McKittrick Hotel
 
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Enter Laughing
Directed by Stuart Ross
Book by Joseph Stein,  Music and Lyrics by Stan Daniels
York Theatre Company
 
Little Shop of Horrors
Directed by Michael Mayer
Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman,  Music by Alan Menken
Westside Theatre
 
Rock of Ages
Directed by Kristin Hanggi
Book by Chris D'Arienzo,  Music and Lyrics by Various Artists
New World Stages
 
The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Directed by Kathleen Marshall
Book and New Lyrics by Dick Scanlan,  Music and Lyrics by Meredith Willson
The Transport Group
 
West Side Story
Directed by Ivo van Hove
Book by Arthur Laurents,  Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by  Stephen Sondheim
Broadway Theatre
 
DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD
David Acton, The Woman in Black
Jeffrey Bean, Dublin Carol
Ato Blankson-Wood, The Rolling Stone and Slave Play
Christian Borle, Little Shop of Horrors
Danielle Brooks, Much Ado About Nothing
Danny Burstein, Moulin Rouge!
Rose Byrne, Medea
Len Cariou, Harry Townsend's Last Stand
Patrice Johnson Chevannes, runboyrun & In Old Age
Liza Colón-Zayas, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Kate del Castillo, the way she spoke
Edmund Donovan, Greater Clements
Raúl Esparza, Seared
Francesca Faridany, The Half-Life of Marie Curie
Halley Feiffer, The Pain of My Belligerence
Danyel Fulton, Broadbend, Arkansas
Annie Golden, Broadway Bounty Hunter
Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Where We Stand
David Alan Grier, A Soldier's Play
Jonathan Groff, Little Shop of Horrors
Jake Gyllenhaal, Sea Wall/A Life
Tom Hiddleston, Betrayal
Paul Hilton, The Inheritance
Kathryn Hunter, Timon of Athens
Galen Ryan Kane, Native Son
Brittney Mack, Six
April Matthis, Toni Stone
Susannah Millonzi, The Crucible
Kate Mulgrew, The Half-Life of Marie Curie
Joe Ngo, Cambodian Rock Band
Deirdre O'Connell, Dana H.
Brenock O'Connor, Sing Street
Okwui Okpokwasili, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Karen Olivo, Moulin Rouge!
Larry Owens, A Strange Loop
Lauren Patten, Jagged Little Pill
Chris Perfetti, Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow
Ben Porter, The Woman in Black
Isaac Powell, West Side Story
Jonathan Pryce, The Height of the Storm
Elizabeth Rodriguez, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Michael Shannon, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
Tom Sturridge, Sea Wall/A Life
Marisa Tomei, The Rose Tattoo
Blair Underwood, A Soldier's Play
Michael Urie, Grand Horizons
Adrienne Warren, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Michael Benjamin Washington, Fires in the Mirror
Portia, Stew
The Drama League also wishes to acknowledge the previous recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award who appeared in 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.
Harvey Fierstein, Bella Bella
Mary-Louise Parker, The Sound Inside
Audra McDonald, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune

The Drama League Awards, which recognize outstanding achievements on and off Broadway, is a tradition we have been honored to provide since 1935.  All proceeds raised during the program will go towards  The Ghost Light Campaign, which supports our 2020-2021 cohort of Directing Fellows & Residents, New Visions / New Voices after-school directing mentorship program for NYC high school students, as well as a portion allocated directly to our micro re-grant program, the  Directors Emergency Relief Fund. In the meantime you can donate here.  

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