Drama League Awards co-hosts Ashley Park, Taylor Louderman & Kate Rockwell

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.

Tom Millward
Tom Millward

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 ChildThe Band's VisitAngels in AmericaMy 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

Hangmen

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child: Parts One and Two - WINNER!!!

In the Body of the World

Is God Is

Meteor Shower

Oedipus El Rey

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

Frozen

Hundred Days

KPOP

Mean Girls

SpongeBob SquarePants

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!!!

Children of a Lesser God

Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo

Hamlet

The Iceman Cometh

Lobby Hero

Saint Joan

Three Tall Women

Torch Song

Travesties

Yerma


OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL

Carousel

My Fair Lady - WINNER!!!

Once on This Island

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 AmbroseMy Fair Lady

Annaleigh Ashford, A Midsummer Night's Dream

Laura BenantiMeteor 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 EvansLobby Hero

Johnny Flynn, Hangmen

Alfie Fuller, Is God Is

Andrew GarfieldAngels in America

Harry Hadden-PatonMy Fair Lady

Rebecca Hall, Animal

Harriet Harris, The Low Road

Brian-Tyree Henry, Lobby Hero

Joshua HenryCarousel

Tom HollanderTravesties

Oscar Isaac, Hamlet

Chukwudi Iwuji, The Low Road

Glenda JacksonThree Tall Women - WINNER!!!

Joshua JacksonChildren 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 MetcalfThree Tall Women

Jessie MuellerCarousel

Patti Murin, Frozen

Alex NewellOnce 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 RashadSaint Joan

Lauren Ridloff, Children of a Lesser God

Roslynn Ruff, X: Or, Betty Shabazz v. The Nation

Amy SchumerMeteor Shower

Tony ShalhoubThe 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 WashingtonThe 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 ButzMy Fair Lady and The Whirligig

Kathleen ChalfantFor Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday

Nathan LaneAngels in America

John LithgowJohn Lithgow: Stories By Heart

Bernadette PetersHello, Dolly!

Mark RylanceFarinelli 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)

 

Originally published on

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