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 forΒ The 84th Annual Drama League AwardsΒ 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,"Β "Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical,"Β "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 -Β Tony Award winnerΒ Idina Menzel, who receivedΒ TheΒ Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater AwardΒ and is about to star in SkintightΒ off-Broadway,Β theΒ National Endowment for the Arts,Β which received theΒ Unique Contribution to the Theater Award, accepted byΒ Jane Chu, Chairman of the NEA, on the organisation'sΒ behalf, and finally Tony Award winnerΒ Casey Nicholaw, whoΒ was honored withΒ The Founders Award for Excellence in DirectingΒ and is currently represented on Broadway by Disney's Aladdin, The Book of Mormon, and Mean Girls.
Speaking ofΒ Mean Girls, the ceremony was co-hosted today by "The Plastics" themselves Taylor Louderman, Ashley Park andΒ 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:Β "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 toΒ Harry Potter and The Cursed Child,Β The Band's Visit,Β Angels in America,Β My Fair Lady, and especially to five-time Tony Award nominee and two-time Academy Award winnerΒ Glenda Jackson, whose stirring performance in Edward Albee'sΒ Three Tall WomenΒ deservedly earned her this year's "Distinguished Performance Award".
Here is a reminder of all of this season's nominees...Β
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Animal
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child: Parts One and TwoΒ - 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 VisitΒ - 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 AmericaΒ - WINNER!!!
Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo
Hamlet
Yerma
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
My Fair LadyΒ - 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,Β Frozen
Lauren Ambrose,Β My Fair Lady
Annaleigh Ashford,Β A Midsummer Night's Dream
Laura Benanti,Β Meteor Shower
MaameYaa Boafo,Β School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play
Anthony Boyle,Β Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two
Juan Castano,Β Oedipus El Rey
Billy Crudup,Β Harry Clarke
Eisa Davis,Β Kings
Ariana DeBose,Β Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Noma Dumenzweni,Β Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two
Deanna Dunagan,Β The Treasurer
Eve Ensler,Β In The Body of the World
Chris Evans,Β Lobby Hero
Johnny Flynn,Β Hangmen
Alfie Fuller,Β Is God Is
Andrew Garfield,Β Angels in America
Harry Hadden-Paton,Β My Fair Lady
Rebecca Hall,Β Animal
Harriet Harris,Β The Low Road
Brian-Tyree Henry,Β Lobby Hero
Joshua Henry,Β Carousel
Tom Hollander,Β Travesties
Oscar Isaac,Β Hamlet
Chukwudi Iwuji,Β The Low Road
Glenda Jackson,Β Three Tall WomenΒ - WINNER!!!
Joshua Jackson,Β Children of a Lesser God
Hailey Kilgore,Β Once On This Island
LaChanze,Β Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Katrina Lenk,Β The Band's Visit
Robert Sean Leonard,Β Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo
Taylor Louderman,Β Mean Girls
Elizabeth Marvel,Β Julius Caesar
James McArdle,Β Angels in America
Laurie Metcalf,Β Three Tall Women
Jessie Mueller,Β Carousel
Patti Murin,Β Frozen
Alex Newell,Β Once On This Island
Sahr Ngaujah,Β Mlima's Tale
Seth Numrich,Β Travesties
Deirdre O'Connell,Β Fulfillment Center
Ashley Park,Β Mean GirlsΒ andΒ KPOP
Billie Piper,Β Yerma
Karen Pittman,Β Pipeline
Condola Rashad,Β Saint Joan
Lauren Ridloff,Β Children of a Lesser God
Roslynn Ruff,Β X: Or, Betty Shabazz v. The Nation
Amy Schumer,Β Meteor Shower
Tony Shalhoub,Β The Band's Visit
Paul Sparks,Β Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo
Katy Sullivan,Β Cost of Living
John Douglas Thompson,Β Julius Caesar
Michael Urie,Β Torch SongΒ andΒ The Government Inspector
Denzel Washington,Β The Iceman Cometh
Dianne Wiest,Β 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,Β My Fair LadyΒ andΒ The Whirligig
Kathleen Chalfant,Β For Peter Pan on Her 70thΒ Birthday
Nathan Lane,Β Angels in America
John Lithgow,Β John Lithgow: Stories By Heart
Bernadette Peters,Β Hello, Dolly!
Mark Rylance,Β Farinelli and the King
The Drama League AwardsΒ 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 Γ’β¬β 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 asΒ 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,Β Lin-Manuel Miranda,Β andΒ Ben Platt.
Check out our selectionΒ of photos from the arrival of today's nominees...
(Photos by Tom Millward)
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