A Strange Loop and The Inheritance lead Drama Desk Award winners

The ceremony, which celebrates achievements on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway, was streamed online and aired on NY1.

The 65th Annual Drama Desk Award winners were announced Saturday, June 13 in a broadcast and online event hosted by NY1. A Strange Loop and The Inheritance led with five awards each, while Moulin Rouge received four awards and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Little Shop of Horrors, Jagged Little Pill, and A Soldier's Play all received two awards each.

The ceremony celebrating this season's outstanding achievements on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway was originally scheduled to take place at Town Hall in New York City, but was forced to move to a televised and streamed format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was hosted by Frank DiLella of "On Stage" on Spectrum News NY1, and featured appearances by stars of the screen and stage including Tituss Burgess, James Corden, Kristin Chenoweth, AlanCumming, Patti Lupone, Andrew Rannels, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jane Krakowski and more. 

The Drama Desk Award winners are highlighted below in bold, along with the nominees in each category.  

Outstanding Play
Cambodian Rock Band, by Lauren Yee, Signature Theatre
Greater Clements,  by Samuel D. Hunter, Lincoln Center Theater
Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven, by Stephen Adly Guirgis, Atlantic Theater Company/LAByrinth Theater Company
Heroes of the Fourth Turning, by Will Arbery, Playwrights Horizons
***The Inheritance, by Matthew Lopez***

Outstanding Musical
Octet, Signature Theatre
The Secret Life of Bees, Atlantic Theater Company
Soft Power, The Public Theater
***A Strange Loop, Playwrights Horizons/Page 73 Productions***
The Wrong Man, MCC Theater

Outstanding Revival of a Play
Fefu and Her Friends, Theatre for a New Audience
for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, The Public Theater
Mac Beth, Red Bull Theater/Hunter Theater Project
Much Ado About Nothing, The Public Theater
***A Soldier's Play, Roundabout Theatre Company***

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
***Little Shop of Horrors***
The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Transport Group
West Side Story

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Charles Busch, The Confession of Lily Dare
***Edmund Donovan, Greater Clements***
Raúl Esparza, Seared
Francis Jue, Cambodian Rock Band
Triney Sandoval, 72 Miles to Go...
Kyle Soller, The Inheritance

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Rose Byrne, Medea
***Liza Colón-Zayas , Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven***
Emily Davis, Is This A Room
April Matthis, Toni Stone
Ruth Negga, Hamlet

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
David Aron Damane, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Chris Dwan, Enter Laughing
Joshua Henry, The Wrong Man
Francis Jue, Soft Power
***Larry Owens, A Strange Loop***

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Tammy Blanchard, Little Shop of Horrors
Beth Malone, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Saycon Sengbloh, The Secret Life of Bees
Elizabeth Stanley, Jagged Little Pill
***Adrienne Warren, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical***

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Victor Almanzar, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Esteban Andres Cruz, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
David Alan Grier, A Soldier's Play
***Paul Hilton, The Inheritance***
Chris Perfetti, Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Patrice Johnson Chevannes, runboyrun & In Old Age
Kristina Poe, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Belange Rodríguez, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Elizabeth Rodriguez, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
***Lois Smith, The Inheritance***

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
George Abud, Emojiland
***Christian Borle, Little Shop of Horrors***
Jay Armstrong Johnson, Scotland, PA
Conrad Ricamora, Soft Power
Ryan Vasquez, The Wrong Man

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Yesenia Ayala, West Side Story
Paula Leggett Chase, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
LaChanze, The Secret Life of Bees
Alyse Alan Louis, Soft Power
***Lauren Patten, Jagged Little Pill***

Outstanding Director of a Play
Jessica Blank, Coal Country
***Stephen Daldry, The Inheritance***
John Ortiz, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Tina Satter, Is This A Room
Erica Schmidt, Mac Beth

Outstanding Director of a Musical
***Stephen Brackett, A Strange Loop***
Thomas Kail, The Wrong Man
Kathleen Marshall, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Leigh Silverman, Soft Power
Annie Tippe, Octet

Outstanding Choreography 
Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, West Side Story
Keone Madrid and Mari Madrid, Beyond Babel
Kathleen Marshall, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
***Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge!***
Travis Wall, The Wrong Man

Outstanding Music 
Ross Golan, The Wrong Man
Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop
***Dave Malloy, Octet***
Joshua Rosenblum, Einstein's Dreams
Duncan Sheik, The Secret Life of Bees
Jeanine Tesori, Soft Power

Outstanding Lyrics 
Susan Birkenhead, The Secret Life of Bees
Adam Gwon, Scotland, PA
***Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop***
Joanne Sydney Lessner and Joshua Rosenblum, Einstein's Dreams
Dave Malloy, Octet
Mark Saltzman, Romeo & Bernadette

Outstanding Book of a Musical 
David Henry Hwang, Soft Power
***Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop***
Dave Malloy, Octet
Lynn Nottage, The Secret Life of Bees
Mark Saltzman, Romeo & Bernadette
Dick Scanlan, The Unsinkable Molly Brown

Outstanding Orchestrations
***Tom Kitt, Jagged Little Pill***
Alex Lacamoire, The Wrong Man
Or Matias and Dave Malloy, Octet
Danny Troob, John Clancy, and Larry Hochman, Soft Power
Jonathan Tunick, West Side Story

Outstanding Music in a Play
Steve Earle, Coal Country
Frightened Rabbit, Square Go
Jim Harbourne, Feral
***Martha Redbone, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf***
Adam Seidel, Jane Bruce, and Daniel Ocanto, Original Sound

Outstanding Scenic Design for a Play
Catherine Cornell, Mac Beth
***Clint Ramos, Grand Horizons***
Adam Rigg, Fefu and Her Friends
Paul Steinberg, Judgment Day
B.T. Whitehill, The Confession of Lily Dare

Outstanding Scenic Design for a Musical 
Julian Crouch, Little Shop of Horrors
Anna Louizos, Scotland, PA
***Derek McLane, Moulin Rouge!***
Clint Ramos, Soft Power
Amy Rubin and Brittany Vasta, Octet

Outstanding Costume Design for a Play
Asa Benally, Blues for an Alabama Sky
Montana Levi Blanco,Fefu and Her Friends
Toni-Leslie James, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Antony McDonald, Judgment Day
***Rachel Townsend and Jessica Jahn, The Confession of Lily Dare***
Kaye Voyce, Coriolanus

Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical
Vanessa Leuck, Emojiland 
Jeff Mahshie,Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Mark Thompson, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Anita Yavich, Soft Power
***Catherine Zuber, Moulin Rouge!***

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play
Isabella Byrd, Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Oona Curley, Dr. Ride's American Beach House
***Heather Gilbert, The Sound Inside***
Mimi Jordan Sherin, Judgment Day
Yi Zhao, Greater Clements

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical 
Betsy Adams, The Wrong Man
Jane Cox, The Secret Life of Bees
Herrick Goldman, Einstein's Dreams
Bruno Poet, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
***Justin Townsend, Moulin Rouge!***

Outstanding Projection Design
David Bengali, Einstein's Dreams
Julia Frey, Medea
***Luke Halls, West Side Story*** 
Lisa Renkel and POSSIBLE, Emojiland
Hannah Wasileski, Fires in the Mirror

Outstanding Sound Design for a Play
***Paul Arditti and Christopher Reid, The Inheritance***
Justin Ellington, Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Mikhail Fiksel, Dana H.
Palmer Hefferan, Fefu and Her Friends
Lee Kinney and Sanae Yamada, Is This A Room

Outstanding Sound Design for a Musical
Tom Gibbons, West Side Story
Kai Harada, Soft Power
***Peter Hylenski, Moulin Rouge!***
Hidenori Nakajo, Octet
Nevin Steinberg, The Wrong Man

Outstanding Wig and Hair Design
***Campbell Young Associates, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical***
Cookie Jordan, Fefu and Her Friends
Nikiya Mathis, STEW
Tom Watson, The Great Society
Bobbie Zlotnik, Emojiland

Outstanding Solo Performance
David Cale, We're Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time
Kate del Castillo, the way she spoke
***Laura Linney, My Name is Lucy Barton***
Jacqueline Novak, Get on Your Knees
Deirdre O'Connell, Dana H.

Unique Theatrical Experience
Beyond Babel, Hideaway Circus 
Feral, Tortoise in a Nutshell/Cumbernauld Theatre/59E59 
***Is This A Room, Vineyard Theatre***
Midsummer: A Banquet, Food of Love Productions/Third Rail Projects

Outstanding Fight Choreography
Vicki Manderson, Square Go
***Thomas Schall, A Soldier's Play***
UnkleDave's Fight House, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven

Outstanding Adaptation 
***A Christmas Carol, by Jack Thorne***

^{Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade}