Winners have been announced for the 63rd Annual Drama Desk Awards! The ceremony honoring the best in Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway was held on June 3 at Town Hall. The event was hosted by upcoming Torch Song star Michael Urie.
Major prizes went to SpongeBob SquarePants—taking home awards for actors Ethan Slater and Gavin Lee, director Tina Landau, two design awards and the top prize of Outstanding Musical; Joshua Harmon's Admissions, triumphing in the category of Outstanding Play; Angels in America, winning for actors Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane along with the prize for Outstanding Revival of a Play; and My Fair Lady, winning for Outstanding Musical Revival.
Other wins of note include Mean Girls book writer Tina Fey, Desperate Measures songwriting team David Friedman and Peter Kellogg, Carousel actresses Jessie Mueller and Broadway.com vlogger Lindsay Mendez, Three Tall Women headliner Glenda Jackson and Amy and the Orphans star Jamie Brewer. The sell-out two-parter Harry Potter and the Cursed Child took home five Drama Desk Awards.
The full list of winners can be found below in bold and preceded by an asterisk.
Outstanding Play
*Admissions, by Joshua Harmon
Mary Jane, by Amy Herzog
Miles for Mary, by the Mad Ones
People, Places & Things, by Duncan Macmillan
School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play, by Jocelyn Bioh
Outstanding Musical
Desperate Measures
KPOP
Mean Girls
Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
*SpongeBob SquarePants
Outstanding Revival of a Play
*Angels in America
Hindle Wakes
In the Blood
Three Tall Women
Travesties
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Amerike—The Golden Land
Carousel
*My Fair Lady
Once On This Island
Pacific Overtures
Outstanding Book of a Musical
*Tina Fey, Mean Girls
Kyle Jarrow, SpongeBob SquarePants
Peter Kellogg, Desperate Measures
Hannah Moscovitch, Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
Outstanding Music
The Bengsons, The Lucky Ones
Ben Caplan, Christian Barry, Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story,
*David Friedman, Desperate Measures
Erin McKeown, Miss You Like Hell
Helen Park, Max Vernon, KPOP
Outstanding Lyrics
Nell Benjamin, Mean Girls
Quiara Alegría Hudes/Erin McKeown, Miss You Like Hell
*Peter Kellogg, Desperate Measures
Helen Park, Max Vernon, KPOP
Outstanding Music in a Play
*Imogen Heap, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Justin Hicks, Mlima's Tale
Amatus Karim-Ali, The Homecoming Queen
Justin Levine, A Midsummer Night's Dream
Adrian Sutton, Angels in America
Outstanding Orchestrations
Tom Kitt, SpongeBob SquarePants
Annmarie Milazzo and Michael Starobin (John Bertles and Bash the Trash, found instrument design), Once On This Island
Charlie Rosen, Erin McKeown, Miss You Like Hell
Jonathan Tunick, Pacific Overtures
*Jonathan Tunick, Carousel
Outstanding Actor in a Play
Johnny Flynn, Hangmen
*Andrew Garfield, Angels in America
Tom Hollander, Travesties
James McArdle, Angels in America
Paul Sparks, At Home at the Zoo
Outstanding Actress in a Play
Carrie Coon, Mary Jane
Denise Gough, People, Places & Things
*Glenda Jackson, Three Tall Women
Laurie Metcalf, Three Tall Women
Billie Piper, Yerma
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Jelani Alladin, Frozen
Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady
Joshua Henry, Carousel
Evan Ruggiero, Bastard Jones
*Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants
Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Gizel Jiménez, Miss You Like Hell
LaChanze, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
*Jessie Mueller, Carousel
Ashley Park, KPOP
Daphne Rubin-Vega, Miss You Like Hell
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Anthony Boyle, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Ben Edelman, Admissions
Brian Tyree Henry, Lobby Hero
*Nathan Lane, Angels in America
David Morse, The Iceman Cometh
Gregg Mozgala, Cost of Living
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Jocelyn Bioh, In the Blood
*Jamie Brewer, Amy and the Orphans
Barbara Marten, People, Places & Things
Deirdre O'Connell, Fulfillment Center
Constance Shulman, Bobbie Clearly
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Damon Daunno, The Lucky Ones
Alexander Gemignani, Carousel
Grey Henson, Mean Girls
*Gavin Lee, SpongeBob SquarePants
Tony Yazbeck, Prince of Broadway
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
*Lindsay Mendez, Carousel
Kenita R. Miller, Once On This Island
Ashley Park, Mean Girls
Diana Rigg, My Fair Lady
Kate Rockwell, Mean Girls
Outstanding Solo Performance
*Billy Crudup, Harry Clarke
David Greenspan, Strange Interlude
Jon Levin, A Hunger Artist
Lesli Margherita, Who's Holiday!
Sophie Melville, Iphigenia in Splott
Outstanding Director of a Play
Marianne Elliott, Angels in America
Jeremy Herrin, People, Places & Things
Joe Mantello, Three Tall Women
Lila Neugebauer, Miles for Mary
Simon Stone, Yerma
*John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Christian Barry, Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
Teddy Bergman, KPOP
Jack O'Brien, Carousel
*Tina Landau, SpongeBob SquarePants
Bartlett Sher, My Fair Lady
LaDuca Award for Outstanding Choreography
Camille A. Brown, Once On This Island
Christopher Gattelli, SpongeBob SquarePants
Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls
*Justin Peck, Carousel
Nejla Yatkin, The Boy Who Danced on Air
Hudson Scenic Studio Award for Outstanding Set Design of a Play
*Miriam Buether, Three Tall Women
Bunny Christie, People, Places & Things
Lizzie Clachan, Yerma
Maruti Evans, Kill Move Paradise
Louisa Thompson, In the Blood
Outstanding Set Design for a Musical
Louisa Adamson, Christian Barry, Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
Beowulf Boritt, Prince of Broadway
Dane Laffrey, Once On This Island
Santo Loquasto, Carousel
*David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants
Outstanding Costume Design for a Play
Dede M. Ayite, School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play
*Jonathan Fensom, Farinelli and the King
Katrina Lindsay, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Ann Roth, Three Tall Women
Emilio Sosa, Venus
Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Mean Girls
Clint Ramos, Once On This Island
David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants
*Catherine Zuber, My Fair Lady
Dede M. Ayite, Bella: An American Tall Tale
Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play
*Neil Austin, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Natasha Chivers, 1984
Alan C. Edwards, Kill Move Paradise
Paul Gallo, Three Tall Women
Paul Russell, Farinelli and the King
Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical
Louisa Adamson, Christian Barry, Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
Amith Chandrashaker, The Lucky Ones
*Jules Fisher, Peggy Eisenhauer, Once On This Island
Brian MacDevitt, Carousel
Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, KPOP
Outstanding Projection Design
David Bengali, Van Gogh's Ear
Andrezj Goulding, People, Places & Things
Peter Nigrini, SpongeBob SquarePants
Finn Ross and Adam Young, Mean Girls
*Finn Ross and Ash J. Woodward, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Brendan Aanes, Balls
*Gareth Fry, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Tom Gibbons, 1984
Tom Gibbons, People, Places & Things
Stefan Gregory, Yerma
Palmer Hefferan, Today Is My Birthday
Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
*Kai Harada, The Band's Visit
Scott Lehrer, Carousel
Will Pickens, KPOP
Dan Moses Schreier, Pacific Overtures
Outstanding Wig and Hair
Carole Hancock, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Campbell Young Associates, Farinelli and the King
Cookie Jordan, School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play
*Charles G. LaPointe, SpongeBob SquarePants
Josh Marquette, Mean Girls
The Chase Award for Unique Theatrical Experience
*Derren Brown: Secret
Master
Say Something Bunny!
Outstanding Fight Choreography
J. David Brimmer, Is God Is
*Steve Rankin, Carousel
Unkle Dave's Fight House, Oedipus El Rey
Outstanding Puppet Design
Finn Caldwell, Nick Barnes, Angels in America
*Michael Curry, Frozen
Charlie Kanev, Sarah Nolan, and Jonathan Levin, A Hunger Artist
Vandy Wood, The Artificial Jungle
Special Awards
To Sean Carvajal and Edi Gathegi of Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, whose last-minute entrances into the Signature production of this powerful play ensured it had a happy real-life ending.
Ensemble Award: To Nabiyah Be, MaameYaa Boafo, Paige Gilbert, Zainab Jah, Nike Kadri, Abena Mensah-Bonsu, Mirirai Sithole and Myra Lucretia Taylor of School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play, whose characters learn the facts of life but whose portrayers taught us all a thing or two about the way things are.
Sam Norkin Award: To Juan Castano, whose varied performances this season in Oedipus El Rey, A Parallelogram and Transfers not only make a complex statement about American life but also indicate great things to come for this talented performer.