2011-2012 Drama League Award Winners

The Drama League announced today the winners for the 78th Annual Drama League Awards at a luncheon ceremony hosted by Stockard Channing (Other Desert Cities) and John Larroquette (Gore Vidal’s The Best Man) at the Marriott Marquis Times Square (1535 Broadway).

drama-leagueThe Drama League announced today the winners for the 78th Annual Drama League Awards at a luncheon ceremony hosted by Stockard Channing (Other Desert Cities) and John Larroquette (Gore Vidal’s The Best Man) at the Marriott Marquis Times Square (1535 Broadway).

The awards went to:

Distinguished Play, Other Desert Cities, presented by Philip Seymour HoffmanDistinguished Revival of a Play, Death of a Salesman, presented by Christian BorleDistinguished Production of a  Musical, Once, presented by Cynthia Nixon; Distinguished Revival of a Musical, Follies, presented by Kelli O’Hara; and Distinguished Performance, Audra McDonald, presented by John Lithgow.

The Drama League honored three outstanding theatre luminaries at this year’s awards ceremony:  Tony Award-winner Donna Murphy (Wonderful Town) presented eight-time Academy Award-winner, theatre and movie composer Alan Menken with the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre Award in recognition of his contribution to the musical theatre;  Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein (Hairspray) presented stage, television and movie star Rosie O’Donnell  with the Unique Contribution to the Theatre Award for her continuing efforts in promoting live theatre;  and Tony-nominee Gavin Creel (Hair) presented Drama League Directors Project alum and Tony-nominee Diane Paulus with The Founders Award for Excellence in Directing.

The Drama League gathered together a team of Broadway’s best to serve as Honorary Co-Chairs for the 78TH Annual Drama League Awards that included Nina Arianda, Christian Borle, Norbert Leo Butz, Rosemary Harris, Jeremy Jordan, Christine Lahti, Linda Lavin, Norm Lewis, Judith Light, Audra McDonald, Cynthia Nixon, and Blair Underwood.  The Honorary Co-Chairs served as ambassadors for The Drama League Awards and the excellence of the New York theatre season by welcoming the attendees of the Awards Luncheon to a cocktail reception before the ceremony.

 The Drama League Awards honor distinguished productions, performances, and exemplary career achievements in musical theatre and directing.  First awarded in 1922 and formalized in 1935, The Drama League Awards are the oldest theatrical honors in America. They are the only major theatergoer awards chosen by audience members — specifically, by the thousands of Drama League members nationwide who attend Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.  2012 Nominees were selected from over 170 productions.

Here is the full list:

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCTION OF A PLAY

Other Desert Cities

Lincoln Center Theatre

Andre Bishop, Artistic Director; Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer

 
DISTINGUISHED REVIVAL OF A PLAY

Death of a Salesman

Ethel Barrymore Theatre

Scott Rudin, Stuart Thompson, Jon B. Platt, Columbia Pictures, Jean Doumanian,

Merritt Forrest Baer, Roger Berlind, Scott M. Delman, Sonia Friedman Productions,

Ruth Hendel, Carl Moellenberg, Scott and Brian Zerlinger, Eli Bush, producers

 

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

 Once

New York Theatre Workshop/Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

Barbara Broccoli, John N. Hart Jr., Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo,

Brian Carmody, Michael G. Wilson, Orin Wolf, The Shubert Organization,

Robert Cole, New York Theatre Workshop, producers

 

DISTINGUISHED REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

 Follies

Marquis Theatre

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (David M. Rubenstein, Chairman;

Michael M. Kaiser, President; Max A. Woodward, Vice President), Nederlander Presentations Inc., Adrienne Arsht, HRH Foundation, Allan Williams, producers

 

DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD

Audra McDonald

The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

 

DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICAL THEATRE

Alan Menken

 

 UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE THEATRE

Rosie O’Donnell

 

 FOUNDERS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DIRECTING

Diane Paulus

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