The 60th Annual Drama Desk Awards nominations

Nominations for the 60th Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced yesterday at 54 Below by Tony Award winners Judith Light and Jessie Mueller.

The winners of the 60th Annual Drama Desk Awards will be announced on 31 May 2015 at a ceremony held at The Town Hall in Manhattan, hosted for a second consecutive year by Tony Award winner Laura Benanti.

The annual awards honor excellence in theater for Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway during the season. Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton leads the slate with thirteen nominations, followed by the Broadway musicals An American in Paris with twelve nods and Something Rotten! with nine nods.

The following awards were voted by the nominating committee and will be presented by the Drama Desk at its awards ceremony: Special Awards:
Each year, the Drama Desk votes special awards to recognize excellence and significant contributions to the theater. For 2014/2015, these awards are presented to:

To The ensemble of The Wayside Motor Inn: Kelly AuCoin, Jon DeVries, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Rebecca Henderson, Marc Kudisch, Jenn Lyon, Lizbeth Mackay, David McElwee, Ismenia Mendes and Will Pullen.
To Bess Wohl who receives the Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award for "establishing herself as an important voice in New York theater, and having a breakthrough year with the eclectic American Hero, Pretty Filthy, and Small Mouth Sounds. Her writing expresses sensitivity, compassion, and humor with a sure hand."
To John Douglas Thompson for "invigorating theater in New York through his commanding presence, classical expertise, and vocal prowess. This season he demonstrated exceptional versatility in Tamburlaine the Great, and The Iceman Cometh."
To Ensemble Studio Theatre for "its unwavering commitment to producing new works by American playwrights since 1968, and enriching this season with productions of When January Feels Like Summer, Winners, and Five Times in One Night. EST's Youngblood program fostered and nurtured Hand to God, setting Tyrone off on his devilish path to Broadway."
To Andy Blankenbuehler for "his inspired and heart-stopping choreography in Hamilton, which is indispensible to the musical's storytelling. His body of work is versatile, yet a dynamic and fluid style is consistently evident. When it's time to 'take his shot,' Blankenbuehler hits the bull's-eye."

Outstanding Play:

• Clare Barron, You Got Older
• Lisa D'Amour, Airline Highway
• Anthony Giardina, The City of Conversation
• Stephen Adly Guirgis, Between Riverside and Crazy
• Elizabeth Irwin, My Manãna Comes
• Simon Stephens, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Jack Thorne, Let the Right One In

Outstanding Musical:

• An American in Paris
• Hamilton
• Fly By Night
• Pretty Filthy
• Something Rotten!
• The Visit

Outstanding Revival of a Play:

• The Elephant Man
• Fashions for Men
• Ghosts
• The Iceman Cometh
• Tamburlaine the Great
• The Wayside Motor Inn

Outstanding Revival of a Musical:

• Into the Woods
• The King and I
• On the Town
• On the Twentieth Century
• Pageant
• Side Show

Outstanding Actor in a Play:

• Reed Birney: I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard
• Bradley Cooper: The Elephant Man
• Stephen McKinley Henderson: Between Riverside and Crazy
• Ben Miles: Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2
• Bill Pullman: Sticks and Bones
• Alexander Sharp: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Outstanding Actress in a Play:

• Brooke Bloom: You Got Older
• Kathleen Chalfant: A Walk in the Woods
• Kristin Griffith: The Fatal Weakness
• Jan Maxwell: The City of Conversation
• Helen Mirren: The Audience
• Carey Mulligan: Skylight
• Tonya Pinkins: Rasheeda Speaking

Outstanding Actor in a Musical:

• Brian d'Arcy James: Something Rotten!
• Robert Fairchild: An American in Paris
• Jeremy Kushnier: Atomic
• Lin-Manuel Miranda: Hamilton
• Matthew Morrison: Finding Neverland
• Ryan Silverman: Side Show

Outstanding Actress in a Musical:

• Kate Baldwin: John & Jen
• Kristin Chenoweth: On the Twentieth Century
• Leanne Cope: An American in Paris
• Erin Davie: Side Show
• Lisa Howard: It Shoulda Been You
• Chita Rivera: The Visit

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play:

• F. Murray Abraham: It's Only a Play
• Reed Birney: You Got Older
• K. Todd Freeman: Airline Highway
• Jonathan Hadary: Rocket to the Moon
• Jason Butler Harner: The Village Bike
• Jonathan Hogan: Pocatello
• José Joaquin Perez: My Mañana Comes

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play:

• Annaleigh Ashford: You Can't Take It with You
• Beth Dixon: The City of Conversation
• Julie Halston: You Can't Take It with You
• Paola Lázaro-Muñoz: To the Bone
• Lydia Leonard: Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2
• Julie White: Airline Highway

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical:

• Christian Borle: Something Rotten!
• Peter Friedman: Fly By Night
• Josh Grisetti: It Shoulda Been You
• Andy Karl: On the Twentieth Century
• Leslie Odom Jr.: Hamilton
• Brad Oscar: Something Rotten!
• Max von Essen: An American in Paris

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical:

• Carolee Carmello: Finding Neverland
• Tyne Daly: It Shoulda Been You
• Elizabeth A. Davis: Allegro
• Renee Elise Goldsberry: Hamilton
• Luba Mason: Pretty Filthy
• Nancy Opel: Honeymoon in Vegas
• Elizabeth Stanley: On the Town

Outstanding Director of a Play:

• Marianne Elliott: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Jeremy Herrin: Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2
• Anne Kauffman: You Got Older
• Lila Neugebauer: The Wayside Motor Inn
• Austin Pendleton: Between Riverside and Crazy
• Joe Tantalo: Deliverance
• John Tiffany: Let the Right One In

Outstanding Director of a Musical:

• Carolyn Cantor: Fly By Night
• Bill Condon: Side Show
• John Doyle: The Visit
• Thomas Kail: Hamilton
• Casey Nicholaw: Something Rotten!
• Christopher Wheeldon: An American in Paris

Outstanding Choreography:

• Joshua Bergasse: On the Town
• Warren Carlyle: On the Twentieth Century
• Steven Hoggett: The Last Ship
• Austin McCormick: Rococo Rouge
• Casey Nicholaw: Something Rotten!
• Christopher Wheeldon: An American in Paris

Outstanding Music:

• Jason Robert Brown: Honeymoon in Vegas
• Michael Friedman: The Fortress of Solitude
• John Kander: The Visit
• Dave Malloy: Ghost Quartet
• Lin-Manuel Miranda: Hamilton
• Sting: The Last Ship

Outstanding Lyrics:

• Jason Robert Brown: Honeymoon in Vegas
• Fred Ebb: The Visit
• Michael Friedman: The Fortress of Solitude
• Karey Kirkpatrick & Wayne Kirkpatrick: Something Rotten!
• Lin-Manuel Miranda: Hamilton
• Benjamin Scheuer: The Lion

Outstanding Book of a Musical:

• Hunter Bell & Lee Overtree: Found
• Karey Kirkpatrick & John O'Farrell: Something Rotten!
• Craig Lucas: An American in Paris
• Terence McNally: The Visit
• Lin-Manuel Miranda: Hamilton
• Kim Rosenstock, Will Connolly, & Michael Mitnick: Fly By Night

Outstanding Orchestrations:

• Christopher Austin: An American in Paris
• Mary-Mitchell Campbell: Allegro
• Larry Hochman: Something Rotten!
• Alex Lacamoire: Hamilton
• Rob Mathes: The Last Ship
• Don Sebesky, Larry Blank, Jason Robert Brown, & Charlie Rosen: Honeymoon in Vegas

Outstanding Music in a Play

• Cesar Alvarez: An Octoroon
• Danny Blackburn & Bryce Hodgson: Deliverance
• Sean Cronin: Kill Me Like You Mean It
• Bongi Duma: Generations
• Freddi Price: The Pigeoning
• Arthur Solari & Jane Shaw: Tamburlaine the Great

Outstanding Revue

• Forbidden Broadway Comes Out Swinging!
• Just Jim Dale
• Lennon: Through a Glass Onion
• Lonesome Traveler

Outstanding Set Design:

• Bob Crowley: An American in Paris
• Christine Jones: Let The Right One In
• David Korins: Hamilton
• Mimi Lien: An Octoroon
• Scott Pask: The Visit
• Daniel Zimmerman: Fashions for Men

Outstanding Costume Design:

• Bob Crowley: An American in Paris
• Bob Crowley: The Audience
• Christopher Oram: Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2
• Paul Tazewell: Hamilton
• Andrea Varga: The Fatal Weakness
• Catherine Zuber: Gigi

Outstanding Lighting Design:

• Howell Binkley: Hamilton
• Paule Constable: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Paule Constable & David Plater: Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2
• Maruti Evans: Deliverance
• Natasha Katz: The Iceman Cometh
• Ben Stanton: Our Lady of Kibeho

Outstanding Projection Design:

• 59 Productions: An American in Paris
• Roger Hanna & Price Johnston: Donogoo
• Darrel Maloney: Found
• Peter Nigrini: Our Lady of Kibeho
• Finn Ross: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Austin Switser: Big Love

Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical:

• Peter Hylenski: Side Show
• Scott Lehrer: The King and I
• Scott Lehrer & Drew Levy: Honeymoon in Vegas
• Brian Ronan: The Last Ship
• Nevin Steinberg: Hamilton
• Jon Weston: An American in Paris

Outstanding Sound Design in a Play:

• Nathan Davis: The Other Mozart
• Ien Denio: Deliverance
• Ian Dickinson (for Autograph): The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Gareth Fry: Let the Right One In
• John Gromada: Lives of the Saints
• Matt Tierney: Our Lady of Kibeho

Outstanding Solo Performnce:

• Christina Bianco: Application Pending
• Jonny Donahoe: Every Brilliant Thing
• Tom Dugan: Wiesenthal
• Mona Golabek: The Pianist of Willesden Lane
• Joely Richardson: The Belle of Amherst
• Benjamin Scheuer: The Lion

Unique Theatrical Experience:

• Catch Me!
• Everybody Gets Cake
• The Human Symphony
• Queen of the Night
• A Rap Guide to Religion

Drama Desk was founded in 1949 to explore key issues in the theater and to bring together critics and writers in an organization to support the ongoing development of theater in New York. The organization began presenting its awards in 1955, and it is the only critics' organization to honor achievement in the theater with competition among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions in the same categories.

The 2014-2015 Board of Directors of the Drama Desk is composed of: David Barbour, Leslie (Hoban) Blake, Arlene Epstein, Elysa Gardner, Isa Goldberg, John Istel, Edward Karam, David Kaufman, Richard Ridge, William Wolf, Charles Wright, and Lauren Yarger.

- by Tom Millward