Drama League Awards 2018 - And the Winners are...
The 84th Annual Drama League Awards ceremony was co-hosted by Mean Girls stars Ashley Park, Taylor Louderman & Kate Rockwell.
Today the New York Theatre Guide was invited to attend the red carpet celebration for The 84th Annual Drama League Awards ceremony on Friday, May 18, 2018 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square. A whole host of Broadway and off-Broadway stars gathered together to find out who would take home the trophies for "Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play," "Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical," "Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play," ""Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical," and, perhaps the most coveted prize, the "Distinguished Performance Award," which this year had a grand total of 55 nominees! They were also on hand to congratulate this year's Special Recognition Award recipients - Tony Award winner Idina Menzel, who received The Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award and is about to star in Skintight off-Broadway, the National Endowment for the Arts, which received the Unique Contribution to the Theater Award, accepted by Jane Chu, Chairman of the NEA, on the organisation's behalf, and finally Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw, who was honored with The Founders Award for Excellence in Directing and is currently represented on Broadway by Disney's Aladdin, The Book of Mormon, and Mean Girls.
Speaking of Mean Girls, the ceremony was co-hosted today by "The Plastics" themselves Taylor Louderman, Ashley Park and Kate Rockwell. We spoke to Ms. Louderman directly before the event and this is what she had to say about the trio's hosting duties: "I don't know what the Drama League was thinking! They're letting us host! It's gonna be a riot! We're taking over!!! No, we're really excited. The Broadway community is so amazing and so supportive. We're grateful just to be here, let alone to be hosting!"
But without any further ado, we can now reveal the winners of the five competitive categories... Congratulations to Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, The Band's Visit, Angels in America, My Fair Lady, and especially to five-time Tony Award nominee and two-time Academy Award winner Glenda Jackson, whose stirring performance in Edward Albee's Three Tall Women deservedly earned her this year's "Distinguished Performance Award".
Here is a reminder of all of this season's nominees...
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Animal
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child: Parts One and Two - WINNER!!!
Is God Is
School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play
Until the Flood
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
The Band's Visit - WINNER!!!
Bella: An American Tall Tale
KPOP
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Angels in America - WINNER!!!
Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo
Hamlet
Yerma
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
My Fair Lady - WINNER!!!
Pacific Overtures
DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD
(One winner is selected from this category. The recipient can only receive the award once during his or her career)
Jelani Alladin, Frozen
Lauren Ambrose, My Fair Lady
Annaleigh Ashford, A Midsummer Night's Dream
Laura Benanti, Meteor Shower
MaameYaa Boafo, School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play
Anthony Boyle, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two
Juan Castano, Oedipus El Rey
Billy Crudup, Harry Clarke
Eisa Davis, Kings
Ariana DeBose, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Noma Dumenzweni, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two
Deanna Dunagan, The Treasurer
Eve Ensler, In The Body of the World
Chris Evans, Lobby Hero
Johnny Flynn, Hangmen
Alfie Fuller, Is God Is
Andrew Garfield, Angels in America
Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady
Rebecca Hall, Animal
Harriet Harris, The Low Road
Brian-Tyree Henry, Lobby Hero
Joshua Henry, Carousel
Tom Hollander, Travesties
Oscar Isaac, Hamlet
Chukwudi Iwuji, The Low Road
Glenda Jackson, Three Tall Women - WINNER!!!
Joshua Jackson, Children of a Lesser God
Hailey Kilgore, Once On This Island
LaChanze, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Katrina Lenk, The Band's Visit
Robert Sean Leonard, Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo
Taylor Louderman, Mean Girls
Elizabeth Marvel, Julius Caesar
James McArdle, Angels in America
Laurie Metcalf, Three Tall Women
Jessie Mueller, Carousel
Patti Murin, Frozen
Alex Newell, Once On This Island
Sahr Ngaujah, Mlima's Tale
Seth Numrich, Travesties
Deirdre O'Connell, Fulfillment Center
Ashley Park, Mean Girls and KPOP
Billie Piper, Yerma
Karen Pittman, Pipeline
Condola Rashad, Saint Joan
Lauren Ridloff, Children of a Lesser God
Roslynn Ruff, X: Or, Betty Shabazz v. The Nation
Amy Schumer, Meteor Shower
Tony Shalhoub, The Band's Visit
Paul Sparks, Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo
Katy Sullivan, Cost of Living
John Douglas Thompson, Julius Caesar
Michael Urie, Torch Song and The Government Inspector
Denzel Washington, The Iceman Cometh
Dianne Wiest, Happy Days
NOTE: The Drama League also wishes to acknowledge the previous recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award who appeared in New York productions this season. As the Award can only be won once in a performer's lifetime, they are ineligible this season. Their exemplary work, however, is recognized and applauded:
Norbert Leo Butz, My Fair Lady and The Whirligig
Kathleen Chalfant, For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday
Nathan Lane, Angels in America
John Lithgow, John Lithgow: Stories By Heart
Bernadette Peters, Hello, Dolly!
Mark Rylance, Farinelli and the King
The Drama League Awards were first awarded back in 1922 and were formalised as such in 1935, becoming the oldest theatrical honors in the United States. They remain the only major theatergoer awards chosen together by both industry professionals and audience members — specifically, by the thousands of Drama League members nationwide who attend Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.
Recipients of the coveted "Distinguished Performance Award" over the years has included a roster of theatre legends such as Audra McDonald, Liam Neeson, Hugh Jackman, Patti LuPone, Glenn Close, Liev Schreiber, Sir John Gielgud, Harvey Fierstein, Cherry Jones, Alec Guinness, James Earl Jones, Julie Harris, Helen Hayes, Jeremy Irons, Mary-Louise Parker, Sir Ian McKellen, Bernadette Peters, Nathan Lane, Chita Rivera, Neil Patrick Harris, Christopher Plummer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Ben Platt.
Check out our selection of photos from the arrival of today's nominees...
(Photos by Tom Millward)
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