| Drama Desk Awards | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded for | Excellence inBroadway,Off-Broadway, andOff-Off BroadwayNew York theatre |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | The Drama Desk |
| First award | 1955; 70 years ago (1955) |
| Website | dramadesk |
 Drama Desk Awards logo | |
TheDrama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors inNew York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements acrossBroadway,Off-Broadway, andOff-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories.[1] The awards are considered a significantAmerican theater honor[2] and are often referred to as "theGolden Globes of Theatre."[3][4][5]
Established in 1955, the awards are presented annually by the Drama Desk organization, a collective of New York City-based theatre critics, journalists, editors, and publishers dedicated to celebrating excellence in the performing arts.[6] The awards are represented by long-time Broadway press agency,Keith Sherman & Associates.[7]
The Drama Desk organization was founded in 1949 by a group of theater critics and journalists aiming to spotlight significant issues in the theatrical industry and to support the development of New York theater. In 1955, the organization began presenting awards known as theVernon Rice Awards, named after theNew York Post critic who championedoff-Broadway productions. The awards were renamed theDrama Desk Awards in the 1963–1964 season,[8] and by the 1968–69 season, they expanded to includeBroadway productions.[9] In 1974, the Drama Desk was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization, and in 1975 its announcement of winners was expanded to include the nominees. Today, the awards are voted on by over 130 New York theater critics, reporters, writers, and arts editors, all of whom serve voluntarily and without vested interests in the results.[6][10][11][12]
The Drama Desk Awards are distinctive in their comprehensive approach, evaluating productions from Broadway, off-Broadway, andoff-off-Broadway on an equal footing. This inclusivity is intended to acknowledge both established and emerging talents. In 2023, the awards adopted gender-neutral performance categories. Each performance category now features twice as many nominees and two winners to recognize excellence.[13]
In 2017, the Outstanding Adaptation and Outstanding Fight Choreography categories were added.[citation needed]
The Drama Desk plans to expand the awards in 2027 to honor regional theater across the United States, along with Broadway, off-Broadway, and off-off Broadway, to become the only major theatrical award to honorprofessional theater nationally.[14]
The Drama Desk Awards have brought attention to such artists asMorgan Freeman,Patti LuPone,Bernadette Peters,James Lapine,Nathan Lane,Ellen Burstyn,Audra McDonald, andAnthony Hopkins before they entered the theatrical mainstream.[citation needed] Works such asHamilton,A Chorus Line,Driving Miss Daisy,Steel Magnolias,Sunday in the Park with George, andThe Boys in the Band gained early recognition at the Drama Desk Awards.[citation needed]
Other notable winners of Drama Desk Awards includeElton John,Al Pacino,Julie Andrews,Helen Mirren,Dustin Hoffman,Whoopi Goldberg,Bette Midler,Ian McKellen,James Earl Jones,Kevin Spacey,Liza Minnelli,Hugh Jackman,Mel Brooks,Sarah Paulson,Tina Fey,Reba McEntire,Angela Lansbury,Jessica Lange,Lily Tomlin,Patrick Stewart,Viola Davis,Antonio Banderas,Lin-Manuel Miranda,Glenn Close,Catherine Zeta-Jones,Andrew Garfield,Neil Patrick Harris,James Corden,Anna Kendrick,Stephen Sondheim,Billy Crystal,Bob Fosse,Mike Nichols,Christine Baranski,Jessica Chastain,Sean Hayes,Chita Rivera,Edie Falco,Laura Linney,Kristin Chenoweth,Cynthia Nixon,Allison Janney,Cynthia Erivo,Elaine Stritch,Frank Langella,Phylicia Rashad,Jessica Tandy,Stockard Channing,Billy Porter,Harvey Fierstein,Sutton Foster,Stephanie J. Block,Jane Krakowski,Mike Birbiglia,Jesse Tyler Ferguson,Jason Alexander,Lena Horne,Lauren Bacall,Estelle Parsons,Ethel Merman,Glynis Johns, andHelen Hayes.[15]
| Season | Nominations announced date | Nomination announcement host(s) | Awards ceremony | Awards ceremony venue | Awards ceremony host(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | April 20, 2025 | Norm Lewis | June 1, 2025 | Skirball Center for the Performing Arts | Debra Messing &Tituss Burgess | [16] |
| 2023–24 | April 29, 2024 | Kathleen Turner | June 10, 2024 | Sutton Foster &Aaron Tveit | [17] | |
| 2022–23 | April 27, 2023 | Donna McKechnie | June 6, 2023 | Sardi's | Mandy Patinkin &Kathryn Grody | [18] |
| 2021–22 | May 16, 2022 | George Takei | June 14, 2022 | Renée Elise Goldsberry | [19] | |
| 2020-21 | No awards: New York theatres shuttered, March 2020 to September 2021, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in New York City | |||||
| 2019–20 | April 21, 2020 | Seth Rudetsky | June 13, 2020 | Virtual ceremony | Frank DiLella | [20] |
| 2018–19 | April 25, 2019 | Roma Torre | June 2, 2019 | The Town Hall | Michael Urie | [21] |
| 2017–18 | April 26, 2018 | Jane Krakowski &Tituss Burgess | June 3, 2018 | [22] | ||
| 2016–17 | April 27, 2017 | Laura Benanti &Javier Muñoz | June 4, 2017 | [23] | ||
| 2015–16 | April 28, 2016 | Matthew Morrison &Vanessa Williams | June 5, 2016 | [24] | ||
| 2014–15 | April 23, 2015 | Judith Light &Jessie Mueller | May 31, 2015 | Laura Benanti | [25] | |
| 2013–14 | April 25, 2014 | Robert Lopez,Kristen Anderson-Lopez &Fran Drescher | June 1, 2014 | [26] | ||
| 2012–13 | April 29, 2013 | Linda Lavin &John Lloyd Young | May 19, 2013 | Jan Maxwell &John Lloyd Young | [27] | |
| 2011–12 | April 27, 2012 | Donna Murphy &Brian d'Arcy James | June 3, 2012 | Brooke Shields &Brian d'Arcy James | [28] | |
| 2010–11 | April 29, 2011 | Audra McDonald &Liev Schreiber | May 23, 2011 | Hammerstein Ballroom | Harvey Fierstein | [29] |
| 2009–10 | May 3, 2010 | Brian Stokes Mitchell &Cady Huffman | May 23, 2010 | LaGuardia Concert Hall | Patti LuPone | [30] |
| 2008–09 | April 27, 2009 | Jim Dale &Faith Prince | May 17, 2009 | Harvey Fierstein | [31] | |
| 2007–08 | April 28, 2008 | Bebe Neuwirth &Len Cariou | May 18, 2008 | Jeff Bowen,Hunter Bell,Susan Blackwell, &Heidi Blickenstaff | [32] | |
| 2006–07 | April 26, 2007 | James Naughton &Beth Leavel | May 20, 2007 | Kristin Chenoweth | [33] | |
| 2005-06 | April 27, 2006 | Marvin Hamlisch &Donna McKechnie | May 21, 2006 | Harvey Fierstein | [34] | |
| 2004-05 | April 28, 2005 | Robert Goulet &Lynn Redgrave | May 22, 2005 | [35][36] | ||
| 2003-04 | April 29, 2004 | Mary-Louise Parker &Tony Roberts | May 16, 2004 | [37][38] | ||
| 2002-03 | May 1, 2003 | Judy Kaye &Martin Richards | May 18, 2003 | Chita Rivera | [39] | |
| 2001-02 | April 30, 2002 | John Stamos &Polly Bergen | May 19, 2002 | Rue McClanahan | [40] | |
| 2000-01 | May 1, 2001 | Michele Lee &Dick Cavett | May 25, 2001 | Lily Tomlin | [41] | |
| 1999-00 | April 25, 2000 | Susan Lucci &Tom Wopat | May 14, 2000 | Bebe Neuwirth | [42][43] | |
| 1998-99 | April 19, 1999 | Bebe Neuwirth &Joel Grey | May 9, 1999 | Bernadette Peters | [44] | |
| 1997-98 | April 27, 1998 | Freddie Roman,Lillias White, &Robert Cuccioli | May 17, 1998 | The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College | No Host | [45] |
| 1996-97 | April 28, 1997 | Julie Harris &Michael Nouri | May 18, 1997 | Booth Theatre | No Host | [46] |
| 1995-96 | May 2, 1996 | May 19, 1996 | New Victory Theater | Tony Randall | [47] | |
Other theatre awards in New York:
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