Drama League 2006 Awards

The Drama League announced the winners of the 2005-06 Drama League Awards at their gala luncheon held today at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square, which was hosted by Alan Cumming.

The Distinguished Production of a Musical went to Jersey Boys and the Distinguised Production of a Play went to Alan Bennett's The History Boys.

Sweeney Todd was named the as the Distinguised Revival of a Musical and Clifford Odets' Awake and Sing', produced by the Lincoln Center, was named as the Distinguised Revival of a Play.

Christine Ebersole was named as the winner of the Distinguised Performance Award for her two roles in Playwrights Horizons production of the musical Grey Gardens. This award had a total of 70 nominations.

In addition, The Drama League presented three annual specialty awards.

• Theater composer Stephen Sondheim will be on-hand to present the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre Award to Patti LuPone. Ms. LuPone is currently appearing as Mrs. Lovett in the Broadway revival of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.
• Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Aaron Sorkin will present the Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing to Des McAnuff. McAnuff is currently represented on Broadway with the musical Jersey Boys.
• Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally will present the Unique Contribution to the Theatre Award to Marian Seldes. Ms. Seldes appeared in McNally's Dedication, or the Stuff of Dreams at Primary Stages earlier this season.

The nominations for the Drama League's four major production award categories are:

Winner highlighted in bold font.

Distinguished Production of a Musical:

• The Color Purple
• The Drowsy Chaperone
• Grey Gardens
• Jersey Boys
• [title of show]
• See What I Wanna See
• The Wedding Singer

Distinguished Production of a Play

• Dedication, or the Stuff of Dreams by Terrence McNally
• History Boys by Alan Bennett
• The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh
• Stuff Happens by David Hare
• Measure for Pleasure by David Grimm
• Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire
• The Ruby Sunrise by Rinne Groff
• Spirit by Improbable Theatre Group

Distinguished Revival of a Musical:

• Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
• The Pajama Game
• Sweeney Todd
• The Threepenny Opera
• Two Gentleman of Verona

Distinguished Revival of a Play

• All's Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare
• Awake and Sing! by Clifford Odets
• The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial by Herman Wouk
• Celebration and the Room by Harold Pinter
• Faith Healer by Brian Friel
• Landscape of the Body by John Guare
• A Soldier's Play by Charles Fuller
• Three Days of Rain by Richard Greenberg
• The Trip to Bountiful by Horton Foote