Drama Legue 2009 nominations

The Drama League have announced the nominations for the 2008-09 Drama League Awards, to be awarded at the 75th Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon on the 15 May at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square. The event will be co-hosted by Jeremy Irons and Cynthia Nixon.

The nominations for the Drama League's four major production award categories are:

Distinguished Production of a Musical:

• 9 to 5: The Musical
• Billy Elliot: The Musical
• Fela!
• Liza's at the Palace...
• The Marvelous Wonderettes
• Road Show
• Rock of Ages
• Shrek The Musical
• The Toxic Avenger
• This Beautiful City

Distinguished Production of a Play

• 33 Variations by Moises Kaufman
• Black Watchby Gregory Burke
• Chair by Edward Bond
• God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza
• If You See Something, Say Something by Mike Daisey
• Lady by Craig Wright
• reasons to be pretty by Neil LaBute
• Ruined by Lynn Nottage
• Shipwrecked! An Entertainment: ... by David Margulies
• Why Torture Is Wrong, ... by Christopher Durang
• Wig Out! by Tarell Alvin McCraney

Distinguished Revival of a Musical:

• Enter Laughing
• Garden of Earthly Delights
• Guys and Dolls
• Hair
• Pal Joey
• West Side Story

Distinguished Revival of a Play

• Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward
• The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh
• Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O'Neill
• Mabou Mines Dollhouse adapted from Henrik Ibsen
• Exit the King by Eugene Ionesco
• Joe Turner's Come and Gone by August Wilson
• The Norman Conquests by Alan Ayckbourn
• Our Town by Thornton Wilder
• The Seagull by Anton Chekhov
• Speed-the-Plow by David Mamet
• Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov

The Drama League also pays tribute to the season's best performers by including the nominees of The Distinguished Performance Award on a dais. This season's dais includes the following performers, one of whom will be honored with the Distinguished Performance Award at the awards ceremony on 15 May 2009.

The list of nominees:

The Distinguished Performance Award

• Jane Alexander Chasing Manet
• David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, Kiril Kulish Billy Elliot
• Kahlil Ashanti Basic Training
• James Barbour A Tale of Two Cities
• David Wilson Barnes Becky Shaw
• Simon Russell Beale The Cherry Orchard
• Annika Boras An Oresteia
• Christian Camargo Hamlet
• Bobby Cannavale The Gingerbread House
• Matt Cavenaugh West Side Story
• Julia Coffey The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd
• Lynn Cohen Chasing Manet
• Chad Coleman Joe Turner's Come and Gone
• Gavin Creel Hair
• David Cromer Our Town
• Joshua Cruz Wig Out!
• Mike Daisey If You See Something, Say Something
• Saidah Arrika Ekulona Ruined
• *Ensemble Black Watch
• Ra�l Esparza Speed-the-Plow
• Rupert Everett Blithe Spirit
• Tovah Feldshuh Irena's Vow
• Jane Fonda 33 Variations
• Sutton Foster Shrek The Musical
• James Gandolfini God of Carnage
• Alexander Gemignani Road Show
• John Glover Waiting for Godot
• Lauren Graham Guys and Dolls
• Nathan Lee Graham Wig Out!
• Josh Grisetti Enter Laughing
• Carla Gugino Desire Under the Elms
• Marcia Gay Harden God of Carnage
• Megan Hilty 9 to 5: The Musical
• Danny Hoch Taking Over
• Marin Ireland reasons to be pretty
• Bill Irwin Waiting for Godot
• Dana Ivey The Savannah Disputation
• Allison Janney 9 to 5: The Musical
• Angela Lansbury Blithe Spirit
• Constantine Maroulis Rock of Ages
• Elizabeth Marvel Fifty Words
• Janet McTeer Mary Stuart
• Ben Miles The Norman Conquests
• Liza Minnelli Liza's at the Palace...
• Maude Mitchell Mabou Mines Dollhouse
• Bruce Myers The Grand Inquisitor
• Sahr Ngaujah Fela!
• Kristine Nielsen Why Torture Is Wrong...
• Cynthia Nixon Distracted
• Denis O'Hare Uncle Vanya
• Karen Olivo West Side Story
• Nancy Opel The Toxic Avenger
• David Pearse The Cripple of Inishmaan
• David Hyde Pierce Accent on Youth
• Martha Plimpton Pal Joey
• Daniel Radcliffe Equus
• Heather Raffo Palace of the End
• Roger Robinson Joe Turner's Come and Gone
• Geoffrey Rush Exit the King
• Thomas Sadoski reasons to be pretty
• Susan Sarandon Exit the King
• Campbell Scott The Atheist
• Christopher Sieber Shrek The Musical
• Michael Stuhlbarg Hamlet
• Will Swenson Hair
• Kristin Scott Thomas The Seagull
• John Douglas Thompson Othello
• Harriet Walter Mary Stuart
• Patrick Wilson All My Sons

* The producers of Black Watch may, at their discretion, designate one or two cast members to appear on the dais on behalf of the full acting ensemble.

In addition, nine past recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award will be honored on this dais for their work this season. However, because an individual can only receive the Distinguished Performance Award once in his/her lifetime, they are ineligible for award consideration this year. Those past honorees include:

• Norbert Leo Butz Fifty Words
• Stockard Channing Pal Joey
• Christine Ebersole Blithe Spirit
• Rosemary Harris Oscar and the Pink Lady
• Frank Langella A Man for All Seasons
• John Lithgow All My Sons
• Mary-Louise Parker Hedda Gabler
• Stephen Rea Kicking a Dead Horse
• Sam Waterston Hamletr

In addition, The Drama League will present the following specialty awards.

• The Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing will be presented to Arthur Laurents
• The Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre Award will be presented to Elton John
• The Unique Contribution to the Theatre Award will go to Angela Lansbury
• The Drama League's 75th Anniversary Leadership Award wll go to Herb Blodgett

The Drama League was founded in 1916 as an association of theatre professionals and patrons dedicated to encouraging the finest in professional theatre and has since then developed into the theatre's premiere service organization.