Drama Desk Awards Reinstate Orchestrations Category; Nominees Announced

By Adam Hetrick
April 30, 2012

After members of the New York theatre community voiced their discontent that the Drama Desk Awards had eliminated the Outstanding Orchestrations category this year, the board announced April 30 that the category has been reinstated.

"The Drama Desk prides itself on celebrating New York's rich theatrical community," said Drama Desk president Isa Goldberg in a statement. "Our executive board appreciates the forthright and passionate response to our nominations announcement and have taken your comments to heart. The executive board is very happy to reinstate the Outstanding Orchestrations category and honor the dedication and hard work of this season's talented orchestrators."

The nominees for Outstanding Orchestrations follow:

Bill Elliott, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Larry Hochman, Death Takes a Holiday
Martin Lowe, Once
John McDaniel, Bonnie & Clyde
Michael Starobin, Queen of the Mist
Danny Troob, Newsies

The executive board's move to reinstate the category comes after members of the theatre community spoke out when the Drama Desk announced April 27 that it had "decided to eliminate the category of Orchestrations," without explanation.

When Tony-winning Parade composer Jason Robert Brown and his contemporaries reached out to the Drama Desk, Goldberg replied in a letter that "every possible category cannot be recognized in each Awards year. I want to emphasize that the absence of the Outstanding Orchestrations category is not a permanent matter." She also cited constraints on time, space and cost in producing the awards as factors contributing to the initial loss of the category.

Read Playbill.com's coverage of the Outstanding Orchestrations category, with responses from Tony winners Brown, Larry Hochman and Michael Starobin.

The 2011-2012 Drama Desk Nominating Committee is composed of Barbara Siegel, Chairperson (TalkinBroadway.com, TheaterMania.com); Suzanna Bowling (Times Square Chronicles); Lawrence Harbison (Smith and Kraus, Inc.); Mark Peikert (Back Stage); Richard Ridge (Broadway Beat TV/BroadwayWorld.com); and Frank Verlizzo (Fraver Design).

Click here to read the 2012 Drama Desk nominees.