The 90th Annual Drama League Awards, honoring Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, are presented May 17 at noon at The Ziegfeld Ballroom hosted by NY1's Frank DiLella.
Presenters are scheduled to include 2024 Tony nominees Bebe Neuwirth (Cabaret, also a Tony winner for Chicago and Sweet Charity), Daniel Radcliffe (Merrily We Roll Along), Jim Parsons (Mother Play), and Lindsay Mendez (Merrily We Roll Along, also a Tony winner for Carousel) as well as Tony winner Ben Platt, Tony nominees Alfred Molina, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, and Lear deBessonet plus Chief Creative Officer of Disney Theatrical Group Thomas Schumacher.
As previously reported, three-time Tony nominee Jonathan Groff, currently on Broadway in the acclaimed revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, will receive the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award. Director Schele Williams will be honored with the Founders Award for Excellence in Directing; she is represented this season with the Broadway revival of The Wiz and the new musical The Notebook (Williams co-directs the latter with Michael Greif).
The annual Gratitude Award will be presented to producer and performer Kandi Burruss (Chicago, The Wiz), in recognition of her leadership and commitment to the theatre industry, and Oscar and Tony winner Jessica Lange, who recently returned to Broadway in a Tony-nominated turn in Mother Play, will be honored with the Contribution to the Theater Award for her commitment to furthering the art of the American theatre.
Nominations for the 2024 Drama League Awards' competitive categories were announced April 22 by Vanessa Williams and Neuwirth at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Read the full list of nominees by clicking here.
The Drama League Awards are among the oldest theatrical honors in America, having been first presented in 1922 and subsequently formalized in 1935. It recognizes work playing Broadway and Off-Broadway. The awards are determined by Drama League members, a group that includes award-winning actors, designers, directors, playwrights, producers, industry veterans, critics, and dedicated audiences from across the nation.
The ceremony culminates in the presentation of the Distinguished Performance Award, which goes to one artist a year and can only be won once in an artist’s lifetime. Recent winners have included Annaleigh Ashford for Sweeney Todd, Glenda Jackson for Three Tall Women, Ben Platt for Dear Evan Hansen, and Lin-Manuel Miranda for Hamilton.
The May 17 ceremony is open to the public with tickets and tables available at DramaLeague.org.
