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| BOOP! received the most DD noms. Credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman |
Star-heavy vehicles such as Good Night and Good Luck (George Clooney), Othello (Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal), and Glengarry Glen Ross (Kieran Culkin, Bob Odernkirk, Bill Burr) were ignored and received no DD love. Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends was snubbed in the Outstanding Revue category and only received a nomination for Sound Design of a Musical.
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| Why isn't Sarah Snook of The Picture of Dorian Gray in the DD Solo Performance category? Credit: Marc Brenner |
The Drama Desk also has a separate category for Video and Projection Design, but video and projection artists for BOOP!, Maybe Happy Ending and Floyd Collins have been nominated along with set or lighting designers as the Tonys do. Why have a separate category then? In addition, visual effects and illusion designers for Stranger Things are nominated along with the set designer.
I was disappointed Smash only received one nomination, for Brooks Ashmanskas's featured performance, but that's a matter of individual taste.
The Drama Desks have always been the awards with the broadest scope in New York theater, often nominating lesser-known short-run plays alongside big Broadway productions. This year such off-beat shows as Music City, Blood of the Lamb, The Ask, Redeemed, Fatherland, and Garside's Career are on the DD list.
Buena Vista Social Club, Dead Outlaw, English, Job, and Oh, Mary! were nominated for their Off-Broadway runs and were considered ineligible this year. Dead Outlaw won the DD Outstanding Musical Award in 2024.
Productions deemed not eligible either because they were considered in their entirety in prior seasons or because they did not invite awards consideration included A Child’s Christmas in Wales, All In: Comedy About Love, Bringer of Doom, Dead Outlaw, English, Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha, Invasive Species, Oh, Mary!, On Beckett, and The Dead, 1904. Due to rescheduling factors, Grief Camp and Rheology will be considered in the 2025-2026 season.
The awards will be voted on by members of the Drama Desk, about 100 theatre critics, editors, and reporters. The nominations are determined by the Nominating Committee which consists of Martha Wade Steketee, UrbanExcavations.com, chair; Linda Armstrong (Amsterdam News), Daniel Dinero (TheaterIsEasy), Peter Filichia (Broadway Radio), Kenji Fujishima (freelance: Theatermania), Raven Snook (TDF Stages) and Charles Wright (ex officio). Wright and David Barbour are co-presidents of the Drama Desk.
A complete list of nominees follows:
Outstanding Play
Blood of the Lamb, by Arlene Hutton
Deep Blue Sound, by Abe Koogler
Grangeville, by Samuel D. Hunter
John Proctor Is the Villain, by Kimberly Belflower
Liberation, by Bess Wohl
Purpose, by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Outstanding Musical
Boop! The Musical
Death Becomes Her
Just in Time
Maybe Happy Ending
Music City
Outstanding Revival of a Play
Eureka Day
Garside’s Career
Home
Wine in the Wilderness
Yellow Face
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Floyd Collins
Gypsy
Once Upon a Mattress
See What I Wanna See
Sunset Boulevard
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play
Betsy Aidem, The Ask
Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California
Patsy Ferran, A Streetcar Named Desire
Danny J. Gomez, All of Me
Doug Harris, Redeemed
Patrick Keleher, Fatherland
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Lily Rabe, Ghosts
Jay O. Sanders, Henry IV (Theatre for a New Audience)
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Paul Sparks, Grangeville
Olivia Washington, Wine in the Wilderness
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical
Tatianna Córdoba, Real Women Have Curves
Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Sutton Foster, Once Upon a Mattress
Tom Francis, Sunset Boulevard
Jonathan Groff, Just in Time
Grey Henson, Elf
Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins
Audra McDonald, Gypsy
Jasmine Amy Rogers, Boop! The Musical
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard
Helen J. Shen, Maybe Happy Ending
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play
Greg Keller, Pre-Existing Condition
Julia Lester, All Nighter
Adrienne C. Moore, The Blood Quilt
Deirdre O’Connell, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
Maria-Christina Oliveras, Cymbeline
Maryann Plunkett, Deep Blue Sound
Michael Rishawn, Table 17
Jude Tibeau, Bad Kreyòl
Anjana Vasan, A Streetcar Named Desire
Frank Wood, Hold On to Me Darling
Amalia Yoo, John Proctor Is the Villain
Kara Young, Purpose
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, Smash
Nicholas Barasch, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
André De Shields, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
John El-Jor, We Live in Cairo
Jason Gotay, Floyd Collins
Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat
Lesli Margherita, Gypsy
Zachary Noah Piser, See What I Wanna See
Jenny Lee Stern, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song
Michael Urie, Once Upon a Mattress
Natalie Walker, The Big Gay Jamboree
Outstanding Solo Performance
David Greenspan, I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan
Ryan J. Haddad, Hold Me in the Water
Sam Kissajukian, 300 Paintings
Mark Povinelli, The Return of Benjamin Lay
Andrew Scott, Vanya
Outstanding Direction of a Play
David Cromer and Caitlin Sullivan, The Antiquities
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Tyne Rafaeli, Becoming Eve
Jack Serio, Grangeville
Danya Taymor, John Proctor Is the Villain
Whitney White, Liberation
Kip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Boulevard
Jerry Mitchell, Boop! The Musical
Alex Timbers, Just in Time
George C. Wolfe, Gypsy
Outstanding Choreography
Camille A. Brown, Gypsy
Warren Carlyle, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Jakob Karr, Ain’t Done Bad
Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Jerry Mitchell, Boop! The Musical
Sergio Trujillo, Real Women Have Curves
Outstanding Music
Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
David Foster, Boop! The Musical
Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, Real Women Have Curves
Zoe Sarnak, The Lonely Few
The Lazours, We Live in Cairo
Outstanding Lyrics
Gerard Alessandrini, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song
Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
Adam Gwon, All the World’s a Stage
Marla Mindelle and Philip Drennen, The Big Gay Jamboree
Luis Quintero, Medea: Re-Versed
Outstanding Book of a Musical
Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver, Just in Time
Bob Martin, Boop! The Musical
Marla Mindelle and Jonathan Parks-Ramage, The Big Gay Jamboree
Marco Pennette, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding Orchestrations
Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending
Doug Besterman, Boop! The Musical
Joseph Joubert and Daryl Waters, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, Just in Time
Michael Starobin, All the World’s a Stage
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
Miriam Buether, and Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher (illusions and visual effects), Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Johan Kølkjær, Dark Noon
Gabriel Hainer Evansohn and Grace Laubacher, Life and Trust
Matt Saunders, Walden
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical
Clifton Chadick, Music City
Rachel Hauck, Swept Away
Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, Maybe Happy Ending (includes video design)
Derek McLane, Just in Time
David Rockwell and Finn Ross (projections), Boop! The Musical
Outstanding Costume Design of a Play
Brenda Abbandandolo, The Antiquities
Dede Ayite, Our Town
Christopher Ford, The Beastiary
Camilla Lind, Dark Noon
Karl Ruckdeschel, Twelfth Night
Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Boop! The Musical
Sarah Cubbage, The Big Gay Jamboree
Toni-Leslie James, Gypsy
Qween Jean, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her
Catherine Zuber, Just in Time
Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play
Isabella Byrd, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Natasha Katz, John Proctor Is the Villain
Tyler Micoleau, The Antiquities
Paul Whitaker, Sumo
Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, Swept Away
Adam Honoré, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Jack Knowles, Sunset Boulevard
Philip S. Rosenberg, Boop! The Musical
Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun (projections), Floyd Collins
Outstanding Sound Design of a Play
Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Johnny Gasper, Two Sisters Find a Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods
Matt Otto, All of Me
Bray Poor, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
Clemence Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Fan Zhang, Good Bones
Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical
Adam Fisher, Sunset Boulevard
Peter Hylenski, Just in Time
Scott Lehrer, Gypsy
Mick Potter, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
Dan Moses Schreier, Floyd Collins
Outstanding Projection and Video Design
Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom, Sunset Boulevard
Jake Barton, McNeal
David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Jesse Garrison, The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [redux]
Hana S. Kim, Redwood
Outstanding Wig and Hair
Alberto “Albee” Alvarado, Sumo
Charles G. LaPointe, Death Becomes Her
Sabana Majeed, Boop! The Musical
Nikiya Mathis, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
Nikiya Mathis, Liberation
Outstanding Puppetry
Dorothy James, Bill’s 44th
Tom Lee, See What I Wanna See
Simple Mischief Studio, Small Acts of Daring Invention
Amanda Villalobos, Becoming Eve
Kirjan Waage, Dead as a Dodo
Outstanding Fight Choreography
Drew Leary, Romeo + Juliet
Chelsea Pace and James Yaegashi, Sumo
Rick Sordelet and Christian Kelly-Sordelet, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Bret Yount, King Lear
Outstanding Adaptation
Becoming Eve, by Emil Weinstein
Cymbeline, by Andrea Thome
Medea: Re-Versed, by Luis Quintero
Pirates! The Penzance Musical, by Rupert Holmes
The Devil’s Disciple, by David Staller
Outstanding Revue
Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song
Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now!
The Jonathan Larson Project
The World According to Micki Grant
Unique Theatrical Experience
Odd Man Out
The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [redux]
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Voices in Your Head
The Wind and the Rain: A story about Sunny’s Bar
Ensemble Award
The ensemble of Roundabout Theatre Company's Liberation (Betsy Aidem, Audrey Corsa, Kayla Davion, Susannah Flood, Kristolyn Lloyd, Irene Sofia Lucio, Charlie Thurston, and Adina Verson) for bringing to vibrant life the specific and universal stories of women staring across the social battle lines of the 1970s from their perch "somewhere in Ohio" in Bess Wohl's beautiful new play.
Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award
The incredibly versatile Stephen Michael Spencer for his electric and empathetic performances in two of this season’s strongest new off-Broadway musicals. In "Medea: Re-Versed," Spencer’s funny yet revelatory take on a character we all thought we knew allowed us the rare opportunity to actually understand Jason’s motivations. And then in "Music City," Spencer was almost unrecognizable as TJ, a charismatic singer-songwriter who we couldn’t help but root for.
Additional Special Awards
Pregones/PRTT: Pregones – founded in 1979 – and the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater – founded in 1967 – merged in 2014 to become a powerhouse producer of Latinx shows on two NYC stages: one in Manhattan's Theater District and the other in the South Bronx, both evoking an atmosphere of warmth and inclusivity. This season brought the blazing world premiere of "The Beautiful Land I Seek (la linda tierra que busco yo)," a history-inspired fantasia about two Puerto Rican freedom fighters that deftly explores colonialism while riffing on Waiting for Godot, plus dozens of one-offs showcasing Latinx artists and culture.
Lighting designer Stacey Derosier for her deeply intimate and consistently gorgeous work across this season’s off-Broadway stages. Whether lighting the minimalist theatricality of The Welkin and Grangeville, or the rich naturalism of The Counter and Danger and Opportunity, Derosier shows us not only that less is often so much more, but also that just a single light can have such a profound impact in the darkness.
The team behind "Danger and Opportunity" – playwright Ken Urban, director Jack Serio and ensemble Ryan Spahn, Julia Chan, and Juan Castano – for bringing a genuinely serious, deeply moving consideration of the messy implications of a three-way relationship in an imaginatively immersive way that made such a small-scale story feel like a meaningful event.
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