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Ask Playbill.com is a new weekly Playbill.com column that will answer questions about theatre, generated by readers and Playbill.com staff, every Thursday. To ask a question, email [email protected]. Please specify how you would like your name displayed and please include the city in which you live. This week's question comes from the Playbill.com staff.
Question: What are the differences among all of the end-of-season awards?
Answer: Playbill.com has compiled an easy-to-use study guide to the major ones:
Drama Desk Awards
Jurisdiction: Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway
Who gets them: Productions, writers, directors, choreographers, performers, designers in 27 categories
Who picks them: Panel of theatre journalists
Who runs them: Drama Desk, a theatre journalism organization
Nominations announced: April 26 (check them out here)
Awards announced: May 20
Website: www.dramadesk.com Drama League Awards
Jurisdiction: Broadway and Off-Broadway
Who gets them: Distinguished new play, new musical, revival of a play, revival of a musical, plus a performance award and various special awards
Who picks them: Panel of 30 Drama League members selects nominations (for each show, six are assigned to see it); over 2,700 members nationwide vote
Who runs them: Drama League, a support and membership organization for theatre professionals
Nominations announced: April 25 (check them out here)
Awards announced: May 11
Website: www.dramaleague.org
Lucille Lortel Awards
Jurisdiction: Off-Broadway
Who gets them: Productions, writers, directors, choreographers, performers, designers and a few special awards
Who picks them: A fifteen-member panel (made up of representatives of Actors' Equity Association, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, the Off-Broadway League, the Lucille Lortel Foundation, producers, journalists, academics and other theatre professionals) choose the nominations and then vote
Who runs them: League of Off-Broadway Theaters and Producers, with funding from the Lucille Lortel Foundation (set up by the famed Off-Broadway producer who passed away in 1999) and Theatre Development Fund
Nominations announced: April 2 (check them out here)
Awards announced: May 7
Website: www.lortelaward.com.
New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards
Jurisdiction: New York City shows
Who gets them: Writer of best new play, with optional awards for foreign or American plays, musicals and performers
Who picks them: Around 20 major critics from New York City area publications
Who runs them: New York Drama Critics' Circle, an organization of those critics
Nominations announced: None
Awards announced: May 7
Obie Awards
Jurisdiction: Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway
Who gets them: Varies (typically a few writers, directors and designers, and a bunch of performers, plus some special citations)
Who picks them: Panel of theatre artists and Village Voice theatre journalists
Who runs them: The Village Voice
Nominations announced: None
Awards announced: May 21
Website: www.villagevoice.com/obies
Outer Critics Circle Awards
Jurisdiction: Broadway and Off-Broadway
Who gets them: Productions, writers, directors, choreographers, performers in 23 categories
Who picks them: A nine-person executive committee makes the nominations, and around 100 critics, most of them from out-of-town newspapers, vote
Who runs them: Outer Critics Circle, an organization of critics, mostly from out-of-town newspapers
Nominations announced: April 23 (check them out here)
Awards announced: May 14 (ceremony May 24)
Website: www.outercriticscircle.org
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Jurisdiction: U.S. premieres in 2006 calendar year
Who gets it: American playwrights
Who picks it: Jury of five critics and theatre professionals nominates three finalists to a 19-member Pulitzer Prize Board, which picks a winner
Who runs it: Columbia University
Nominations announced: April 16 (Orpheus X by Rinde Eckert, Bulrusher by Eisa Davis and Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue by Quiara Alegría Hudes)
Award announced: April 16 (David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole)
Website: www.pulitzer.org
Theatre World Awards
Jurisdiction: Broadway or Off-Broadway
Who gets them: Newcomer actors
Who picks them: Committee of theatre journalists
Who runs them: Theatre World, publication of the American theatre.
Awards announced: June 5
Website: www.theatreworldawards.org/
Tony Awards
Jurisdiction: Broadway
Who gets them: Productions, writers, directors, choreographers, performers and designers in 25 categories, plus some special awards
Who picks them: Panel of up to 30 nominators, and around 750 voters, all prominent members of the theatre community
Who runs them: American Theatre Wing (theatre support and education organization) and the League of American Theatres and Producers (the main trade organization for commercial theatre)
Nominations announced: May 15
Awards announced: June 10
Website: www.tonyawards.com.
Touring Broadway Awards
Jurisdiction: Touring Broadway productions
Who gets them: Best new musical, long-running musical, play, musical score, direction, choreography, production design, plus an achievement award and people's choice award
Who picks them: Presenters representing over 240 markets nationwide
Who run them: League of American Theatres and Producers
Nominations announced: None
Awards announced: April 16 (Check them out here)
Website: www.nationalbroadwayawards.com