Drama Desk nominations: Mitchell & Huffman to announce

Drama Desk and Tony winners Brian Stokes Mitchell and Cady Huffman will announce the nominations for the 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards at a news conference on 3 May 2010 at the New York Friars Club.

Mitchell, a member of the Friars Club, is serving his fourth term as President of the Actors Fund. He won the Drama Desk and Tony Awards for his starring role in the 'Kiss me Kate' revival; and was Drama Desk and Tony nominated for 'Ragtime,' 'King Hedly II' and the 'Man of La Mancha' revival.

Huffman won Drama Desk and Tony Awards for her role as 'Ulla' in 'The Producers,' and was Tony nominated for her role as 'Ziegfeld's favorite' in 'The Will Rogers Follies."

The winners will be announced at the 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony which will take place at 9pm on 23 May 2010 at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. The event will be hosted by Patti LuPone, the winner of three Drama Desk Awards as Outstanding Actress in A Musical for her performances in 'Evita' (1980), 'Anything Goes' 1988) and 'Gypsy' (2008).

Organized in 1949, the Drama Desk presented its first awards in 1955. The Drama Desk Awards are unique in that Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway shows and creative personnel compete in the same categories.

The Board of Directors of the Drama Desk is composed of William Wolf, President; Leslie (Hoban) Blake, Vice President; Charles Wright, Treasurer and 2nd Vice President; Richard Ridge, Secretary, Randy Gener, Isa Goldberg, Susan Haskins, John Istel, David Kaufman, Ellis Nassour and Sam Norkin.