On June 3, 2018, the 63rd Drama Desk Awards ceremony was held at The Town Hall. The Drama Desk Awards honor outstanding productions across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway each year and are regarded as the next most prestigious honors after the Tony Awards. With the Tony Awards right around the corner, this year’s winners have been in the spotlight. At Broadway brings you the latest winners and highlights ahead of everyone else!
What are the Drama Desk Awards?
The Drama Desk Awards were launched in 1955 by the “Drama Desk organization,” founded in 1949 by New York theater critics, editors, reporters, and publishers. To honor New York Post critic Vernon Rice, the awards began under the name Vernon Rice Awards. In the early years, they recognized plays and Off-Broadway works and were the first New York awards to honor artists including playwrights. The name changed to the current Drama Desk Awards in 1963, and since 1975 they have also included Broadway productions, making them one of the most respected honors in American theater, and New York’s first theater awards program.63rd Drama Desk: Best Play
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Musical
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Revival of a Play
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Revival of a Musical
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Revival of a Musical
- My Fair Lady
- Carousel
- Once On This Island
- Pacific Overtures
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Actor in a Play
- Andrew Garfield (Angels in America)
- Johnny Flynn – Hangmen
- Tom Hollander – Travesties
- James McArdle (Angels in America
- Paul Sparks – At Home at the Zoo
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Actress in a Play
- Glenda Jackson – Three Tall Women
- Denise Gough – People, Places & Things
- Laurie Metcalf – Three Tall Women
- Billie Piper – Yerma
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Actor in a Musical
- Ethan Slater (SpongeBob SquarePants)
- Jelani Alladin (Frozen)
- Harry Hadden-Paton (My Fair Lady)
- Joshua Henry (Carousel)
- Evan Ruggiero – Bastard Jones
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Actress in a Musical
- Jessie Mueller (Carousel)
- Gizel Jimenez – Miss You Like Hell
- LaChanze – Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
- Ashley Park – KPOP
- Daphne Rubin-Vega – Miss You Like Hell
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
- Nathan Lane (Angels in America)
- Anthony Boyle (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)
- Ben Edelman – Admissions
- Brian Tyree Henry – Lobby Hero
- David Morse – The Iceman Cometh
- Gregg Mozgala – Cost of Living
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
- Jamie Brewer – Amy and the Orphans
- Jocelyn Bioh – In the Blood
- Barbara Marten – People, Places & Things
- Deirdre O’Connell – Fulfillment Center
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
- Gavin Lee (SpongeBob SquarePants)
- Damon Daunno – The Lucky Ones
- Alexander Gemignani (Carousel)
- Grey Henson (Mean Girls)
- Tony Yazbeck – Prince of Broadway
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
- Lindsay Mendez (Carousel)
- Kenita R. Miller (Once On This Island)
- Diana Rigg (My Fair Lady)
- Ashley Park (Mean Girls)
- Kate Rockwell (Mean Girls)
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Director of a Play
- John Tiffany (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Director of a Musical
- Tina Landau (SpongeBob SquarePants)
63rd Drama Desk: Best Choreography
- Justin Peck (Carousel)
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Music
- SpongeBob SquarePants
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Lyrics
- Peter Kellogg – Desperate Measures
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Book of a Musical
- Tina Fey (Mean Girls)
63rd Drama Desk: Best Orchestrations
- Jonathan Tunick (Carousel)
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Projection Design
- Finn Ross and Ash J. Woodward (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
- Gareth Fry (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Wig & Hair
- Charles G. LaPointe (SpongeBob SquarePants)
63rd Drama Desk: Outstanding Solo Performance
- Billy Crudup – Harry Clarke
How the Drama Desk and Tony Awards differ
Whereas the Drama Desk Awards consider productions across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway, the Tony Awards recognize only Broadway productions, honoring the year’s outstanding shows, performers, and creative teams. The 72nd Tony Awards ceremony for 2018 was scheduled for June 10 at Radio City Music Hall. With nominations announced on May 1, 2018, all eyes were on who would take home the top honors!
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