The nominees for the 2024 Drama League Awards were announced on April 22 by Vanessa Williams and Bebe Neuwirth at an event held at Lincoln Center’s New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The 90th Annual Drama League Awards will be held at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 17.
Notably, the three leads from Merrily We Roll Along—Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez—are in the running for this year’s Distinguished Performance Award, the culmination of the awards ceremony. Typically, only two performers are nominated from a single production.
The Drama League also acknowledged the exemplary work of three previous recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award who appeared in eligible Broadway or Off-Broadway productions this season: Alfred Molina for Uncle Vanya, Bebe Neuwirth for Cabaret and Liev Schreiber for Doubt: A Parable. A performer may only win the award once in their lifetime.
As previously announced, Groff will receive the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award; Jessica Lange will receive the Contribution to the Theater Award; Schele Williams will receive the Founders Award for Excellence in Directing; and Kandi Burruss will receive the Gratitude Award in recognition of her leadership and commitment to the theater industry as a producer and performer.
See the full list of nominees below.
Outstanding Production of a Play
The Comeuppance
Flex
Grief Hotel
The Hunt
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Mother Play
Oh, Mary!
Patriots
Prayer for the French Republic
Stereophonic
Wet Brain
Outstanding Revival of a Play
An Enemy of the People
Appropriate
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea
Doubt: A Parable
The Effect
Mary Jane
Our Class
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Uncle Vanya
The White Chip
Outstanding Production of a Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Harmony
The Heart of Rock and Roll
Hell’s Kitchen
Illinoise
Lempicka
The Notebook
The Outsiders
Suffs
Teeth
Water for Elephants
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Cabaret
Gutenberg! The Musical!
Here Lies Love
I Can Get It for You Wholesale
Merrily We Roll Along
Spamalot
The Who’s Tommy
The Wiz
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Saheem Ali, Buena Vista Social Club
Sarah Benson, Teeth
David Cromer, Dead Outlaw
Rebecca Frecknall, Cabaret
Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along
Des McAnuff, The Who’s Tommy
Leigh Silverman, Suffs
Alex Timbers, Gutenberg! The Musical!
Alex Timbers, Here Lies Love
Distinguished Performance
Betsy Aidem, Prayer for the French Republic
Shoshana Bean, Hell's Kitchen
Gabby Beans, Jonah
Joshua Boone, The Outsiders
Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Who’s Tommy
Steve Carell, Uncle Vanya
Jenn Colella, Suffs
Danny DeVito, I Need That
Caleb Eberhardt, The Comeuppance and An Enemy of the People
Alex Edelman, Just for Us
Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!
Eden Espinosa, The Gardens of Anuncia and Lempicka
Paapa Essiedu, The Effect
Melissa Etheridge, Melissa Etheridge: My Window
Laurence Fishburne, Like They Do in the Movies
Josh Gad, Gutenberg! The Musical!
Eli Gelb, Stereophonic
Brody Grant, The Outsiders
Jonathan Groff, Merrily We Roll Along
Dorian Harewood, The Notebook
Willam Jackson Harper, Primary Trust and Uncle Vanya
Amber Iman, Lempicka
Eddie Izzard, Hamlet
Nikki M. James, Suffs
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Spamalot
Jessica Lange, Mother Play
Kecia Lewis, Hell’s Kitchen
Nichelle Lewis, The Wiz
Maribel Martinez, Bees and Honey
Rachel McAdams, Mary Jane
Lindsay Mendez, Merrily We Roll Along
Tobias Menzies, The Hunt
Cynthia Nixon, The Seven Year Disappear
Eva Noblezada, The Great Gatsby
Kelli O'Hara, Days of Wine and Roses
Leslie Odom, Jr., Purlie Victorious, A Non-Confederate Romp Through The Cotton Patch
Patrick Page, All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented The Villain
Nicole Ari Parker, The Refuge Plays
Jim Parsons, Mother Play
Sarah Paulson, Appropriate
Sarah Pidgeon, Stereophonic
Aubrey Plaza, Danny and The Deep Blue Sea
Maryann Plunkett, The Notebook
Daniel Radcliffe, Merrily We Roll Along
Gayle Rankin, Cabaret
Andrew Rannells, Gutenberg! The Musical!
Eddie Redmayne, Cabaret
Conrad Ricamora, Here Lies Love and Oh, Mary!
Corey Stoll, Appropriate
Michael Stuhlbarg, Patriots
Jeremy Strong, An Enemy of the People
Zenzi Williams, Jaja's African Hair Braiding
Kara Young, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through The Cotton Patch
Jehan O. Young, The Cotillion