Drama League Awards to Josh Henry, Mexodus, Liberation

Joshua Henry of Ragtime won
the Drama League Award for 
Outstanding Performance.

The 92nd Drama League Awards were presented on May 15 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom to Joshua Henry (Outstanding Performance) of Ragtime (which was named Outstanding Revival of a Musical), Mexodus (Outstanding Production of a Musical), and Liberation (Outstanding Production of a Play). Additional winners included Death of a Salesman (Revival of a Play) and its director Joe Mantello (Director of a Play). Lear de Besonnet was voted Outstanding Director of a Musical for Ragtime. Frank DiLella of NY-1 hosted the ceremony. Presenters included Bryan Cranston, Bebe Neuwirth, Nathan Lane, Brian Stokes Mitchell, John Lithgow, Christopher Ashley and Whitney White. Even though Liberation was presented Off-Broadway last season, Drama League rules permit for transfers from Off-Broadway to on to be considered in both years. Joshua Henry has already won the Outer Critics Circle Award and is nominated for the Drama Desk and Tony.

The previously announced Special Honorees were presented as follows: Tony Award-winning producer David Stone presented the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater award to the Olivier and Grammy-nominated actress Caissie Levy; Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning actor and playwright Tracy Letts presented the Founders Award for Excellence in Directing to Tony Award-winning director David Cromer; Tony Award winning actor and director Ruben Santiago-Hudson presented the Contribution to the Theater Award to Executive Producer of the Apollo Theater Kamilah Forbes; and Tony Award-winning scenic designer David Rockwell presented the Gratitude Award to Tony nominee and Olivier Award winner Scott Ellis.

A complete list of winners follows:

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A PLAY
 
****LIBERATION****
James Earl Jones Theatre
Written by Bess Wohl
Directed by Whitney White
Associate Director: Annabel Heacock
Produced by Daryl Roth, Eva Price, Rachel Sussman and Jenny Gersten; Co-Produced by Betsy Dollinger, FineWomen Productions, Craig Balsam / Broadway Women's Fund, Jessica Goldman Foung / Rachel Styne, Michelle Noh / Todd B. Rubin, Gold Sky Productions, MHSSP Productions, Creative Partners Productions, Sheri Henriksen, Hopkins Haffner Wright, Pam Hurst-Della Pietra, Ellie Hurwitz, Willette Klausner, Hilary Ley Jager, Los Angeles Media Fund, Jonathan Littman, Isabelle Mann, Practical Mayhem, Jenna Segal, Tracy Chutorian Semler, Marcy Syms and The Weisbrots; Presenting the production by the Roundabout Theatre Company (Scott Ellis, Interim Artistic Director; Sydney Beers, Executive Producer; Christopher Nave CFRE, Chief Advancement Director)
 
THE BALUSTERS
CAROLINE
COLD WAR CHOIR PRACTICE 
DOG DAY AFTERNOON
GIANT
KYOTO 
MARCEL ON THE TRAIN
THE MONSTERS
PRINCE FAGGOT
RHEOLOGY 
SPREAD 
 
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
 
****DEATH OF A SALESMAN****
Winter Garden Theatre
Written by Arthur Miller
Directed by Joe Mantello
Associate Director: Lily Dyble
Produced by Scott Rudin, Barry Diller, Roy Furman, Composite Capital Partners, Cue to Cue Productions, Thomas Tuft, John Gore Organization, Peter May, The Shubert Organization, Jane Bergère, Corey Brunish & Spencer Dress, Lynee & Marvin Garelick, Bruce Robert Harris & Sean Nyberg, Alex Levy & Shari Redstone, Lloyd Tichio Productions, William C. Martin, Scott H. Mauro, Jeffrey Schoenberg, Emerald Drive, Al Nocciolino
 
ANNA CHRISTIE
BECKY SHAW
THE BROTHERS SIZE
BUG
EVERY BRILLIANT THING
FALLEN ANGELS
GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES
JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE
PROOF
TWELFTH NIGHT
YOU GOT OLDER
 
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
 
****MEXODUS****
Minetta Lane Theatre, Daryl Roth Theatre
Written and performed by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson
Directed by David Mendizábal
Associate Director: Irvin Mason Jr.
Produced by Audible Theater (Kate Navin, Artistic Producer) and P3 Productions (Ben Holtzman, Sammy Lopez, and Fiona Howe Rudin) in association with Gabrielle Palitz, Gina Maria Leonetti, Todd B. Rubin, Willette and Manny Klausner, Adam Zell & Co, MTTM Theatrics, Thompson Creative Group/Balsam Levitan, QM Productions / The Movement Theatre Company, Bright & Shiny Productions/DKIM Caldwell, Barzach Productions/Brian Guy, Erica Berger/Studebaker Theater, Drama Club/Rick Feldman.
 
BEACHES, A NEW MUSICAL
BEAU THE MUSICAL
BIGFOOT
THE LOST BOYS
MY JOY IS HEAVY
NIGHT SIDE SONGS
SATURDAY CHURCH
SCHMIGADOON!
THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS
TITANÍQUE
TWO STRANGERS (CARRY A CAKE ACROSS NEW YORK) 
 
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
 
****RAGTIME****
Vivian Beaumont Theater
Book by Terrence McNally; Music by Stephen Flaherty; Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; Based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow
Directed by Lear deBessonet
Associate Director: Victoria Davidjohn
Assistant Director: Nathaniel P. Claridad
Produced by Lincoln Center Theater (Lear deBessonet, Kewsong Lee Artistic Director; Mike Schleifer, Managing Director); Produced in association with Tom Kirdahy, Kevin Ryan, Robert Greenblatt, Lamar Richardson, Thomas M. Neff, Roy and Jill Furman, Stephanie P. McClelland, Michael Page, Acton Rothschild Productions / Willette and Manny Klausner, Alexander-Taylor Deignan / Jay and Mary Sullivan, D'Angora Padgett Productions / Janet and Marvin Rosen, Maggio Lane / Rubin Bolosh, and Peter May / Coluzzi Cohen
 
THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL
CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL
CHESS
THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS
HEATHERS THE MUSICAL
MASQUERADE 
ORATORIO FOR LIVING THINGS
RICHARD O’BRIEN’S THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
THE WILD PARTY
 
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY
 
****Joe Mantello****
DEATH OF A SALESMAN
 
Knud Adams, COLD WAR CHOIR PRACTICE
Debbie Allen, JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE
Tatyana-Marie Carlo, SPREAD
Shayok Misha Chowdhury, PRINCE FAGGOT
David Cromer, CAROLINE
Trip Cullman, BECKY SHAW
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, KYOTO
Joe Mantello, LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD
Marshall Pailet, MARCEL ON THE TRAIN
 
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

****Lear deBessonet****
RAGTIME
 
Michael Arden, THE LOST BOYS
Lili-Anne Brown, THE WILD PARTY
Rachel Chavkin, MY JOY IS HEAVY
Lee Sunday Evans, ORATORIO FOR LIVING THINGS
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL
Danny Mefford, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE & BIGFOOT
David Mendizábal, MEXODUS
Sam Pinkleton, RICHARD O’BRIEN’S THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
Leigh Silverman, THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS
Alex Timbers, BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL
 
DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE

****Joshua Henry, Ragtime****
 
Caroline Aaron, The Reservoir
Christopher Abbott, Death of a Salesman
Shoshana Bean, The Lost Boys
Jon Bernthal, Dog Day Afternoon
Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Lost Boys
Marylouise Burke, The Balusters
Kerry Butler, Bat Boy: The Musical
Rose Byrne, Fallen Angels
Sara Chase, Schmigadoon!
Patrice Johnson Chevannes, The Waterfall
Nicholas Christopher, Chess
Justin Cooley, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Carrie Coon, Bug
André De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Brandon J. Dirden, Waiting For Godot
Ayo Edebiri, Proof
Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw
Luke Evans, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Tru
Susannah Flood, Liberation
Ishmael Gonzalez, Spread
Sean Hayes, The Unknown
Grey Henson, Bigfoot
André Holland, The Brothers Size
Stephanie Hsu, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Alani iLongwe, The Brothers Size
Stephen Kunken, Kyoto
Caissie Levy, Ragtime
Lesley Manville, Oedipus
John McCrea, Prince Faggot
Laurie Metcalf, Death of a Salesman and Little Bear Ridge Road
Lea Michele, Chess
Marla Mindelle, Titaníque
Lizan Mitchell, Cold War Choir Practice
Aigner Mizzelle, The Monsters
Chloë Grace Moretz, Caroline
Lupita Nyong’o, Twelfth Night
Kelli O’Hara, Fallen Angels
Christiani Pitts, Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York)
Brian Quijada, Mexodus
Daniel Radcliffe, Every Brilliant Thing
Nygel D. Robinson, Mexodus
Jasmine Amy Rogers, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and The Wild Party
Constantine Rousouli, Titaníque
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Ethan Slater, Marcel on the Train
Ari'el Stachel, Other
B Noel Thomas, Saturday Church
Taylor Trensch, Bat Boy: The Musical
Brandon Uranowitz, Ragtime
Jessica Vosk, Beaches, A New Musical
Adrienne Warren, The Wild Party
Kara Young, Gruesome Playground Injuries and Proof
 
The Drama League also wishes to acknowledge the previous recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award who appeared in Broadway or Off-Broadway productions this season. As the Award can only be won once in a performer’s lifetime, they are ineligible to be nominated; however, their exemplary work is recognized and applauded. 
 
Danny Burstein, Marjorie Prime
Neil Patrick Harris, Art
Hugh Jackman, Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes
Nathan Lane, Death of a Salesman
John Lithgow, Giant
 
SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS
(previously announced)
Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater – Caissie Levy
Founders Award for Excellence in Directing – David Cromer
Contribution to the Theater – Kamilah Forbes
Gratitude Award – Scott Ellis
 
IMPORTANT NOTES
In a longstanding tradition of The Drama League Awards, productions that have transferred or moved from Off-Broadway to Broadway in successive seasons have been permitted to be considered, under eligibility rules, in both iterations. This decision was made to highlight the best performances within a given season, and to not penalize shows that develop in certain processes. The transferring productions of Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Liberation and Titaníque were deemed materially and significantly similar in their creative teams and production aspects to their Off-Broadway productions from previous seasons, and thus eligible in the Outstanding Production categories. This included the original director, cast, and most or all of the design team.