Benanti & Muñoz to announce Drama Desk nominations

Gretchen Shugart and Charles Wright have announced that Tony winner Laura Benanti and Hamilton star Javier Muñoz will announce the nominations for the 62st Annual Drama Desk Awards on Thursday, April 27, 2017, at 10am at Feinstein's/54 Below.

Shugart released the following statement:

"It is an honor to have Laura Benanti and Javier Muñoz announce this year's Drama Desk Nominations," said Gretchen Shugart. "Unique, gifted, and gracious... these creative individuals are excellent representatives of the New York theater community."

Laura Benanti was last seen on the Great White Way in the 2016 Roundabout Theatre Company revival of 'She Loves Me,' for which she earned a Tony nomination. She also eanred Tony nominations for 'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,' 'Into the Woods,' and 'Swing!' and won a Tony Award in 2008 for her performance in 'Gypsy.' Other Broadway credits include 'In the Next Room,' 'The Wedding Singer,' 'Nine,' and 'The Sound of Music.'

Javier Muñoz made his Broadway debut in Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical 'In the Heights' and went on to assume the title role from Miranda in his smash hit musical 'Hamilton.'

As previously announced, Drama Desk Award winner Michael Urie will return this year to host the 62st Annual Drama Desk Awards on Sunday, 4 June 2017 at 8pm at The Town Hall.

The Drama Desk nominating committee is composed of: David Barbour, Chairperson (Lighting & Sound America); Linda Buchwald (freelance, American Theatre, Playbill, TDF Stages, Theatre is Easy, JTA); Peter Filichia (Broadway Select, author); David Finkle (Blogger, Huffington Post, Clyde Fitch Report); Sandy MacDonald (Time Out New York); Andy Propst (author); Douglas Strassler (Garden State Journal); Zachary Stewart (TheaterMania); and Charles Wright (President, Drama Desk), ex officio.

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.