The Drama Desk Awards 2024

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/68th-Annual-Drama-Desk-Awards-to-be-Held-in-June-Nominations-to-be-Revealed-in-April-20240205

The 68th Annual Drama Desk Awards will be presented on Monday, June 10, 2024.
 
The Drama Desk Awards are the only major New York City theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway compete against each other in the same categories.

To be eligible for consideration for Drama Desk Awards this season, productions must open no later than Thursday, April 25, 2024. The nominations will be announced on Monday, April 29. Details and venues will be announced in the coming months.
 
As was the case last year, all performance categories will be gender-neutral and they are: Outstanding Leading Performance in a Play, Outstanding Leading Performance in a Musical, Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, and Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical. 
 
Each of these categories has twice as many nominees as the former gendered categories and voters will cast two votes for each category. These categories will also have two winners each. If there is a tie, there may be more than two winners in a category.
 
Staci Levine will produce this year’s ceremony, as she did last year.

The 2024 Drama Desk for Outstanding Wig and Hair Design goes to Nikiya Mathis, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Manhattan Theatre Club #DramaDeskAwards

The 2024 Drama Desk for Outstanding Puppetry goes to Ray Wetmore, JR Goodman, and Camille Labarre, Water for Elephants #DramaDeskAwards

The 2024 Drama Desk for Unique Theatrical Experience goes to Grenfell: in the words of survivors, St. Ann’s Warehouse, National Theatre, and KPPL Productions #DramaDeskAwards

The 2024 Drama Desk for Outstanding Solo Performance goes to Patrick Page, All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain #DramaDeskAwards

The 2024 Drama Desk for Outstanding Costume Design of a Play goes to Enver Chakartash, Stereophonic, Playwrights Horizons #DramaDeskAwards

The 2024 Drama Desk for Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical goes to Paul Tazewell, Suffs #DramaDeskAwards

The 2024 Drama Desk for Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play goes to David Zinn, Stereophonic, Playwrights Horizons #DramaDeskAwards

The 2024 Drama Desk for Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical goes to Paul Tate dePoo III, The Great Gatsby #DramaDeskAwards

The 2024 Drama Desk for Outstanding Revue goes to Amid Falling Walls, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene #DramaDeskAwards

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play
Jessica Lange, Mother Play
Sarah Paulson, Appropriate

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical
Brian d’Arcy James, Days of Wine and Roses
Maleah Joi Moon, Hell’s Kitchen
Kelli O’Hara, Days of Wine and Roses

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Mother Play
Kara Young, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical
Kecia Lewis, Hell’s Kitchen
Bebe Neuwirth, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Outstanding Direction of a Play
Daniel Aukin, Stereophonic

Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Jessica Stone, Water for Elephants

Outstanding Choreography
Justin Peck, Illinoise

Outstanding Music
Shaina Taub, Suffs

Outstanding Lyrics
David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, Dead Outlaw

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Itamar Moses, Dead Outlaw

Outstanding Orchestrations
Marco Paguia, Buena Vista Social Club

Outstanding Music in a Play
Will Butler, Stereophonic

Updated On: 6/10/24 at 09:07 PM

I don't really remember these awards having multiple ties in different categories, especially three way ties, is that common? 

EDSOSLO858 said: "I feel a bit more confident now that Kara Young will win featured actress in a play over Pidgeon."

She wasn’t competing against Pigeon. The entire cast of Stereophonic got an award and weren’t individually nominated. 

EDSOSLO858 said: "Dreamboy3 said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "I feel a bit more confident now that Kara Young will win featured actress in a play over Pidgeon."

She wasn’t competing against Pigeon. The entire cast of Stereophonic got an award and weren’t individually nominated."

Young also bestedPidgeon at the OCCs and has the potential "third time's a charm" narrative, as she just became the first Black performer to garner a nominationin 3 straight years."

She was great. So was Sarah Pigeon. But my point was that the outcome of the Drama Desk award has no bearing on the outcome of the Tony Award because they weren’t up against each other. 

Updated On: 6/10/24 at 09:58 PM

It's a musical with a middling book and score. The only reason the whole comes together nearly as well as it does is due to the direction, her vision pulling together the acrobatics, the choreography, and the stage elements to keep the whole thing afloat. I know Stone's unlikely to beat Friedman at the Tonys, but I would love to see it happen, and it's great that multiple groups have recognized her.

So I guess Dead Outlaw is transferring? 2026 season?

bwaylyric said: "I know the acting categories are non-gender specific, but I see no point in having two winners. If one winner gets more than 90% of votes, the runner-up still gets an award?"

I really hate the two winner thing too. I don't care if it's divided up by gender or not but a division of some sort is so much better than two winners in a category. Just my personal opinion. I hope the Tonys don't go in this direction.

Voter said: "So I guess Dead Outlaw is transferring? 2026 season?"

I don't think they'd want to wait 2 years to transfer- it would totally sap the momentum they have now.

I've heard they're tied up in a bit of red tape with Audible for the Broadway transfer, so that's been an ongoing process.  I do hope that if it transfers to Broadway they restage some of it because it did feel a bit like it was staged with the end goal of it being an audio musical.

Updated On: 6/11/24 at 11:59 AM