The 2017 Drama Desk Award Nominations

This year’s 2017 Drama Desk Award Nominations are:

Outstanding Play
If I Forget, by Steven Levenson (Roundabout Theatre Company)
Indecent, by Paula Vogel (Vineyard Theatre)
A Life, by Adam Bock (Playwrights Horizons)
Oslo, by J. T. Rogers (Lincoln Center Theater)
Sweat, by Lynn Nottage (The Public Theater)

Outstanding Musical
Anastasia
The Band’s Visit (Atlantic Theater Company)
Come From Away
Hadestown (New York Theatre Workshop)
The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical

Outstanding Revival of a Play
The Front Page
The Hairy Ape (Park Avenue Armory)
Jitney (Manhattan Theatre Club)
The Little Foxes (Manhattan Theatre Club)
Master Harold”… and the Boys (Signature Theatre Company)
Picnic (Transport Group Theatre Company)

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Falsettos (Lincoln Center Theater)
Hello, Dolly!
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sweet Charity (The New Group)
Tick, Tick…BOOM! (Keen Company)

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Bobby Cannavale, The Hairy Ape (Park Avenue Armory)
Daniel Craig, Othello (New York Theatre Workshop)
Kevin Kline, Present Laughter
David Hyde Pierce, A Life (Playwrights Horizons)
John Douglas Thompson, Jitney (Manhattan Theatre Club)

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Cate Blanchett, The Present
Laura Linney, The Little Foxes (Manhattan Theatre Club)
Laurie Metcalf, A Doll’s House, Part 2
Amy Ryan, Love, Love, Love (Roundabout Theatre Company)
Harriet Walter, The Tempest (St. Ann’s Warehouse)

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Nick Blaemire, Tick, Tick…BOOM! (Keen Company)
Jon Jon Briones, Miss Saigon
Nick Cordero, A Bronx Tale
Andy Karl, Groundhog Day
Jeremy Secomb, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Christy Altomare, Anastasia
Christine Ebersole, War Paint
Sutton Foster, Sweet Charity (The New Group)
Patti LuPone, War Paint
Bette Midler, Hello, Dolly!
Laura Osnes, Bandstand

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Michael Aronov, Oslo (Lincoln Center Theater)
Danny DeVito, The Price (Roundabout Theatre Company)
Nathan Lane, The Front Page
Jeremy Shamos, If I Forget (Roundabout Theatre Company)
Justice Smith, Yen (MCC Theater)

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Jayne Houdyshell, A Doll’s House, Part 2
Randy Graff, The Babylon Line (Lincoln Center Theater)
Marie Mullen, The Beauty Queen of Leenane (BAM)
Cynthia Nixon, The Little Foxes (Manhattan Theatre Club)
Emily Skinner, Picnic
Kate Walsh, If I Forget (Roundabout Theatre Company)

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Gavin Creel, Hello, Dolly!
Jeffry Denman, Kid Victory (Vineyard Theatre)
George Salazar, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical
Ari’el Stachel, The Band’s Visit (Atlantic Theater Company)
Brandon Uranowitz, Falsettos (Lincoln Center Theater)

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Kate Baldwin, Hello, Dolly!
Stephanie J. Block, Falsettos (Lincoln Center Theater)
Jenn Colella, Come From Away
Mary Beth Peil, Anastasia
Nora Schell, Spamilton

Outstanding Director of a Play
Richard Jones, The Hairy Ape (Park Avenue Armory)
Anne Kauffman, A Life (Playwrights Horizons)
Richard Nelson, What Did You Expect?/Women of a Certain Age (The Public Theater)
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Jitney (Manhattan Theatre Club)
Daniel Sullivan, The Little Foxes (Manhattan Theatre Club)
Daniel Sullivan, If I Forget (Roundabout Theatre Company)

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Christopher Ashley, Come From Away
Bill Buckhurst, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Rachel Chavkin, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
David Cromer, The Band’s Visit (Atlantic Theater Company)
Jerry Zaks, Hello, Dolly!

Outstanding Choreography
Andy Blankenbuehler, Bandstand
Warren Carlyle, Hello, Dolly!
Aletta Collins, The Hairy Ape (Park Avenue Armory)
Kelly Devine, Come From Away
Denis Jones, Holiday Inn (Roundabout Theatre Company)

Outstanding Music
Stephen Flaherty, Anastasia
Dave Malloy, Beardo (Pipeline Theatre Company)
Richard Oberacker, Bandstand
Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Come From Away
David Yazbek, The Band’s Visit (Atlantic Theater Company)

Outstanding Lyrics
Gerard Alessandrini, Spamilton
GQ and JQ, Othello: The Remix
Michael Korie, War Paint
Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Come From Away
David Yazbek, The Band’s Visit (Atlantic Theater Company)

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Terrence McNally, Anastasia
Itamar Moses, The Band’s Visit (Atlantic Theater Company)
Richard Oberacker and Rob Taylor, Bandstand
Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Come From Away
Joe Tracz, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical

Outstanding Orchestrations
Doug Besterman, Anastasia
Bruce Coughlin, War Paint
Benjamin Cox, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Bill Elliott and Greg Anthony Rassen, Bandstand
August Eriksmoen, Come From Away
Jamshied Sharifi, The Band’s Visit (Atlantic Theater Company)

Outstanding Music in a Play
Daniel Ocanto, Graham Ulicny, and Sean Smith, Alligator (New Georges in collaboration with the Sol Project)
Marcus Shelby, Notes from the Field (Second Stage)
Bill Sims Jr., Jitney (Manhattan Theatre Club)

Outstanding Revue
Hello Dillie! (59E59)
Life is for Living: Conversations with Coward (59E59)

Outstanding Set Design for a Play
David Gallo, Jitney (Manhattan Theatre Club)
Nigel Hook, The Play That Goes Wrong
Laura Jellinek, A Life (Playwrights Horizons)
Stewart Laing, The Hairy Ape (Park Avenue Armory)
Douglas W. Schmidt, The Front Page

Outstanding Set Design for a Musical
Lez Brotherston, 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips (St. Ann’s Warehouse)
Simon Kenny, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Mimi Lien, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Santo Loquasto, Hello, Dolly!
Jason Sherwood, The View UpStairs

Outstanding Costume Design for a Play
Jane Greenwood, The Little Foxes (Manhattan Theatre Club)
Susan Hilferty Present Laughter
Murell Horton, The Liar (CSC)
Toni-Leslie James, Jitney (Manhattan Theatre Club)
Stewart Laing, The Hairy Ape (Park Avenue Armory)
Ann Roth, The Front Page

Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical
Linda Cho, Anastasia
Toni-Leslie James, Come From Away
Santo Loquasto, Hello, Dolly!
Anita Yavich, The View UpStairs
Paloma Young, Bandstand
Catherine Zuber, War Paint

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play
Christopher Akerlind, Indecent (Vineyard Theatre)
James Farncombe, The Tempest (St. Ann’s Warehouse)
Rick Fisher, The Judas Kiss (Brooklyn Academy of Music)
Mimi Jordan Sherin, The Hairy Ape (Park Avenue Armory)
Stephen Strawbridge, “Master Harold”…and the Boys (Signature Theatre Company)
Justin Townsend, The Little Foxes (Manhattan Theatre Club)

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical
Jeff Croiter, Bandstand
Mark Henderson, Sunset Boulevard
Bradley King, Hadestown (New York Theatre Workshop)
Bradley King, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Amy Mae, Sweeney Todd: The Barber of Fleet Street
Malcolm Rippeth, 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips (St. Ann’s Warehouse)

Outstanding Projection Design
Reid Farrington, CasablancaBox (HERE)
Elaine McCarthy, Notes from the Field (Second Stage)
Jared Mezzocchi, Vietgone (Manhattan Theatre Club)
John Narun, Gorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey (Life Jacket Theatre Company)
Aaron Rhyne, Anastasia

Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Mikhail Fiksel, A Life (Playwrights Horizons)
Gareth Fry and Pete Malkin, The Encounter
Brian Quijada, Where Did We Sit on the Bus? (Ensemble Studio Theatre/Radio Drama Network)
Leon Rothenberg, Notes from the Field (Second Stage)
Jane Shaw, Men on Boats (Playwrights Horizons/Clubbed Thumb)

Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
Simon Baker, 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips (St. Ann’s Warehouse)
Peter Hylenski, Anastasia
Scott Lehrer, Hello, Dolly!
Nicholas Pope, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
Mick Potter, Cats
Brian Ronan, War Paint
Matt Stine, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Outstanding Wig and Hair
David Brian Brown, War Paint
Campbell Young Associates, Hello, Dolly!
John Jared Janas, Yours Unfaithfully (Mint Theatre Company)
Jason Hayes, The View UpStairs
Josh Marquette, Present Laughter
Tom Watson, The Little Foxes (Manhattan Theatre Club)

Outstanding Solo Performance
Nancy Anderson, The Pen (Inner Voices) (Premieres)
Ed Dixon, Georgie: My Adventures with George Rose
Marin Ireland, On the Exhale (Roundabout Underground)
Sarah Jones, Sell/Buy/Date (Manhattan Theatre Club)
Brian Quijada, Where Did We Sit on the Bus? (Ensemble Studio Theatre/Radio Drama Network)
Anna Deavere Smith, Notes from the Field (Second Stage)

Unique Theatrical Experience
CasablancaBox (HERE)
The Paper Hat Game (The Tank/3-Legged Dog)
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (National Theatre of Scotland)
The Ephemera Trilogy (The Tank/Flint & Tinder)

Outstanding Fight Choreography
J. David Brimmer, Yen (MCC Theatre)
Donal O’Farrell, Quietly (Irish Repertory Theatre)
Michael Rossmy and Rick Sordelet, Troilus and Cressida (New York Shakespeare Festival)
Thomas Schall, Othello (New York Theatre Workshop)
Thomas Schall, The Hairy Ape (Park Avenue Armory)
U. Jonathan Toppo, Sweat (The Public Theatre)

Outstanding Adaptation
David Ives, The Liar, (Classic Stage Company)
Ellen McLaughlin, The Trojan Women, (The Flea Theatre)

Outstanding Puppet Design
Basil Twist, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Lyndie Wright, Sarah Wright, 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips (St. Ann’s Warehouse)
Special Awards

The Wolves – Outstanding Ensemble
“The superbly talented cast of Sarah DeLappe’s debut play—Mia Barron, Brenna Coates, Jenna Dioguardi, Samia Finnerty, Midori Francis, Lizzy Jutila, Sarah Mezzanotte, Tedra Millan, Lauren Patten, and Susannah Perkins—jelled as one, proving that team spirit is just a alive on the stage as it is on the soccer field.”

Special Award to Phil LaDuca
“Proving that character comes from the ground up, the designer’s innovative flexible dance shoe ensures that hoofers on any stage remain on point.”

Lila Neugebauer – Sam Norkin Award
“During a season that saw her helm the original works The Antipodes, Everybody, Miles For Mary, and The Wolves, and resurrect the works of esteemed playwrights Edward Albee, Maria Irene Fornes, and Adrienne Kennedy in Signature Plays, director Lila Neugebauer has shown that her dauntless insight into the human condition knows no bounds.”

The Drama Desk nominating committee determined that the Broadway productions of Dear Evan Hansen and Significant Other were ineligible this year, as they were considered in the 2015–2016 season for their Off-Broadway engagements. Indecent, Sweat and Oslo were considered for their Off-Broadway stagings despite also transferring to Broadway this season.

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 was considered eligible for its design, staging, and new members of the company, but not for book and score as the committee determined them not sufficiently different from its earlier, already eligible Off-Broadway productions.

The Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George was not considered in accordance with the wishes of its producers.

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