Dead Outlaw and The Outsiders lead the pack with the most nominations for the upcoming 2024 Drama Desk Awards, showcasing the best of theatrical excellence. The nominations were recently unveiled on NY1, setting the stage for an exciting awards ceremony scheduled for June 10 at NYU Skirball.
Off-Broadway sensation Dead Outlaw has secured a significant number of nominations, closely followed by the Broadway hit The Outsiders. Both productions are in the running for the prestigious Outstanding Musical award, alongside other contenders like Illinoise, Lizard Boy, Teeth, and The Connector. In the Outstanding Play category, noteworthy titles include Infinite Life, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Mother Play, Stereophonic, Swing State, and The Ally. The Outstanding Revival of a Play category features nods for productions such as Appropriate, Doubt: A Parable, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Purlie Victorious, and Uncle Vanya. Musical Revival nominees include Cabaret, Gutenberg! The Musical!, and I Can Get It for You Wholesale.
Aside from the competitive categories, special awards were also announced, recognizing exceptional contributions to the theater community. The cast of Stereophonic received the Ensemble Award, while Cole Escola, the writer and star of Oh, Mary!, was honored with the Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award. Notable individuals like the Autistic Representation Team from How to Dance in Ohio, lighting designer Isabella Byrd, and press agent Irene Gandy were also acknowledged for their outstanding work.
The winners of the Drama Desk Awards will be revealed on June 10 during a grand ceremony at The Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. The event will be executive produced by Staci Levine and Jessica R. Jenen, promising an evening filled with excitement and celebration.
Embracing inclusivity and diversity, the Drama Desk Awards have adopted a gender-neutral approach in their performance categories, allowing for a more inclusive and representative selection of nominees. This year, all performance categories feature double the number of nominees compared to previous years when categories were gender-specific, with the possibility of multiple winners in each category in the event of a tie.
The Awards are determined by a panel of esteemed individuals from the theater industry, including theatre critics, journalists, editors, and publishers. The nominating committee for this year comprised Martha Wade Steketee, Linda Armstrong, Dan Dinero, Peter Filichia, Kenji Fujishima, Margaret Hall, and Charles Wright.
For a comprehensive list of all the nominees across various categories, refer to the list below:
- Outstanding Play: Infinite Life, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Mother Play, Stereophonic, Swing State, The Ally
- Outstanding Musical: Dead Outlaw, Illinoise, Lizard Boy, Teeth, The Connector, The Outsiders
- Outstanding Revival of a Play: Appropriate, Doubt: A Parable, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, Uncle Vanya
Stay tuned for the exciting Drama Desk Awards ceremony on June 10, where the best of Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions will be celebrated and honored.
