Drama Desk Award facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Drama Desk Awards |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Presented by | Drama Desk |
| Country | United States |
| First awarded | 1955, as the Vernon Rice Awards |
The Drama Desk Award is a special yearly prize given to amazing shows and performances in New York City theater. It started in 1955, and back then it was called the Vernon Rice Award. At first, it celebrated smaller shows, like those Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway.
In 1964, the award's name changed to the Drama Desk Awards. A few years later, in the 1968–69 season, big Broadway shows were also included. These awards are now seen as a very important honor in American theater.
Contents
History of the Drama Desk Awards
The Drama Desk organization began in 1949. It was started by a group of theater critics, writers, and publishers in New York. Their main goal was to help people learn more about important topics in the theater world.
They first presented the Vernon Rice Awards. This name honored Vernon Rice, a critic from the New York Post. He was one of the first to write about Off-Broadway shows. In the 1963–1964 award season, the name was officially changed to the Drama Desk Awards.
In 1974, the Drama Desk became a non-profit group. This means they don't make money for themselves, but work for a good cause. In 1975, they started announcing both the nominees and the winners.
Today, the Drama Desk has over 100 members. These members are theater critics, reporters, and editors who cover New York theater. They are the ones who vote on the awards. What makes these awards special is that only media people vote. They don't have any personal reasons to pick certain winners.
Many famous actors have won Drama Desk Awards. Some of these include Bernadette Peters, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
The Drama Desk Awards have helped many stars, writers, and designers become successful. They also help find new talent. For example, the Drama Desk was the first New York theater group to give awards to people like Edward Albee and Wendy Wasserstein. Plays like Driving Miss Daisy and Steel Magnolias gained popularity after winning Drama Desk Awards.
The organization also holds special luncheons with theater professionals. These meetings discuss current theater topics. They cover shows on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway. This helps create interesting and helpful discussions.
Drama Desk Awards Ceremony
The Drama Desk Awards are presented at a special ceremony each year. Here's a look at some past ceremonies:
| Season | Nominations announced date | Nomination announcement host(s) | Awards ceremony | Location | Awards ceremony host(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | April 26, 2007 | James Naughton & Beth Leavel | May 20, 2007 | LaGuardia Concert Hall | Kristin Chenoweth |
| 2007–08 | April 28, 2008 | Bebe Neuwirth & Len Cariou | May 18, 2008 | Jeff Bowen, Hunter Bell, Susan Blackwell, Heidi Blickenstaff & Larry Pressgrove | |
| 2008–09 | April 27, 2009 | Jim Dale & Faith Prince | May 17, 2009 | Harvey Fierstein | |
| 2009–10 | May 3, 2010 | N/A | May 23, 2010 | Patti LuPone | |
| 2010–11 | April 29, 2011 | Audra McDonald & Liev Schreiber | May 23, 2011 | Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City | Harvey Fierstein |
| 2011–12 | April 27, 2012 | Donna Murphy & Brian d'Arcy James | June 3, 2012 | The Town Hall, New York City | Brooke Shields & Brian d'Arcy James |
| 2012–13 | April 29, 2013 | Linda Lavin & John Lloyd Young | May 19, 2013 | ||
| 2013–14 | April 25, 2014 | Robert Lopez, Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Fran Drescher | June 1, 2014 | Laura Benanti | |
| 2014–15 | April 23, 2015 | Judith Light & Jessie Mueller | May 31, 2015 | ||
| 2015–16 | April 28, 2016 | Matthew Morrison & Vanessa Williams | June 5, 2016 | Michael Urie | |
| 2016–17 | April 27, 2017 | Laura Benanti & Javier Muñoz | June 4, 2017 | ||
| 2017–18 | April 26, 2018 | Jane Krakowski & Tituss Burgess | June 3, 2018 | ||
| 2018–19 | April 25, 2019 | Roma Torre & Frank DiLella | June 2, 2019 | ||
| 2019–20 | April 21, 2020 | Seth Rudetsky & James Wesley | June 13, 2020 | Virtual ceremony | Frank DiLella |
| 2021–22 | May 16, 2022 | George Takei | June 14, 2022 | Sardi's | Renée Elise Goldsberry |
| 2022–23 | April 27, 2023 | Frank DiLella & Donna McKechnie | June 6, 2023 | Mandy Patinkin & Kathryn Grody | |
| 2023–24 | April 29, 2024 | Kathleen Turner | June 10, 2024 | Skirball Center for the Performing Arts | Sutton Foster & Aaron Tveit |
Drama Desk Award Categories
The Drama Desk Awards honor many different parts of a theater production. They have categories for actors, directors, writers, and even the technical parts of a show.
Performance Awards
These awards celebrate the actors and actresses in plays and musicals.
- Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical
- Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical
- Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play
- Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play
- Outstanding Solo Performance
Show and Technical Awards
These awards recognize the best plays, musicals, and the amazing work behind the scenes.
- Outstanding Musical
- Outstanding Revival of a Musical
- Outstanding Director of a Musical
- Outstanding Book of a Musical
- Outstanding Music
- Outstanding Music in a Play
- Outstanding Lyrics
- Outstanding Orchestrations
- Outstanding Choreography
- Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical
- Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical
- Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical
- Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
- Outstanding Play
- Outstanding Revival of a Play
- Outstanding Director of a Play
- Outstanding Costume Design of a Play
- Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play
- Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play
- Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
- Outstanding Projection Design
- Outstanding Puppetry
- Outstanding Revue
- Outstanding Wig and Hair Design
- Unique Theatrical Experience
Special Awards
- Drama Desk Special Award
- Outstanding Ensemble
Past Awards
Some award categories have been changed or retired over the years.
- Outstanding Actor in a Musical
- Outstanding Actress in a Musical
- Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
- Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
- Outstanding Actor in a Play
- Outstanding Actress in a Play
- Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
- Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
- Outstanding Director
- Outstanding Revival
- Outstanding Costume Design
- Outstanding Lighting Design
- Outstanding Set Design
- Outstanding Sound Design
See also
Other theater awards in New York:
- Tony Awards
- Lucille Lortel Awards
- Obie Award
- New York Drama Critics' Circle
- Drama League Award
- Theatre World Award
