The 2020 Drama Desk Awards took place June 13 to honor the best of Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway in the abbreviated 2019–2020 season.
Pulitzer Prize winner Michael R. Jackson's A Strange Loop took home five Drama Desk Awards at the 65th annual ceremony June 13, including Outstanding Musical. Jackson himself also took home the awards for Outstanding Book of a Musical and Outstanding Lyrics, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical went to star Larry Owens, and Outstanding Director of a Musical to Strange Loop’s Stephen Brackett.
A Strange Loop tied for the most wins—five—with Matthew Lopez's The Inheritance, which won Best Play, and Moulin Rouge!.
Great Comet writer Dave Malloy won Outstanding Music for his new 2019 musical Octet. The other lead performance trophies went to Adrienne Warren in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, Liza Colón-Zayas in Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven for Outstanding Actress in a Play, and Edmund Donovan in Greater Clements for Outstanding Actor in a Play. Laura Linney won Outstanding Solo Performance for her work in Broadway’s My Name is Lucy Barton.
A Soldier's Play and Little Shop of Horrors won Outstanding Revival of a Play and Musical, respectively.
The 65th annual Drama Desk Awards took place virtually (at DramaDeskAwards.com and on NY1) due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Check out the full list of nominees and winners below, with winners starred in bold.
Outstanding Play
Cambodian Rock Band
Greater Clements
Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Heroes of the Fourth Turning
*The Inheritance
Outstanding Musical
Octet
The Secret Life of Bees
Soft Power
*A Strange Loop
The Wrong Man
Outstanding Revival of a Play
Fefu and Her Friends
for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf
Mac Beth
Much Ado About Nothing
*A Soldier's Play
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
*Little Shop of Horrors
The Unsinkable Molly Brown
West Side Story
Outstanding Actor in a Play
Charles Busch, The Confession of Lily Dare
*Edmund Donovan, Greater Clements
Raúl Esparza, Seared
Francis Jue, Cambodian Rock Band
Triney Sandoval, 72 Miles to Go…
Kyle Soller, The Inheritance
Outstanding Actress in a Play
Rose Byrne, Medea
*Liza Colón-Zayas, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Emily Davis, Is This a Room
April Mathis, Toni Stone
Ruth Negga, Hamlet
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
David Aron Damane, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Chris Dwan, Enter Laughing
Joshua Henry, The Wrong Man
Francis Jue, Soft Power
*Larry Owens, A Strange Loop
Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Tammy Blanchard, Little Shop of Horrors
Beth Malone, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Saycon Sengbloh, The Secret Life of Bees
Elizabeth Stanley, Jagged Little Pill
*Adrienne Warren, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Victor Almanzar, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Esteban Andres Cruz, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
David Alan Grier, A Soldier's Play
*Paul Hilton, The Inheritance
Chris Perfetti, Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Patrice Johnson, Runboyrun & In Old Age
Kristina Poe, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Belange Rodríguez, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Elizabeth Rodriguez, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
*Lois Smith, The Inheritance
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
George Abud, Emojiland
*Christian Borle, Little Shop of Horrors
Jay Armstrong Johnson, Scotland, PA
Conrad Ricamora, Soft Power
Ryan Vasquez, The Wrong Man
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Yesenia Ayala, West Side Story
Paula Leggett Chase, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
LaChanze, The Secret Life of Bees
Alyse Alan Louis, Soft Power
*Lauren Patten, Jagged Little Pill
Outstanding Director of a Play
Jessica Blank, Coal Country
*Stephen Daldry, The Inheritance
John Ortiz, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Tina Satter, Is This A Room
Erica Schmidt, Mac Beth
Outstanding Director of a Musical
*Stephen Brackett, A Strange Loop
Thomas Kail, The Wrong Man
Kathleen Marshall, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Leigh Silverman, Soft Power
Annie Tippe, Octet
Outstanding Choreography
Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, West Side Story
Keone Madrid and Mari Madrid, Beyond Babel
Kathleen Marshall, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
*Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge!
Travis Wall, The Wrong Man
Outstanding Music
Ross Golan, The Wrong Man
Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop
*Dave Malloy, Octet
Joshua Rosenblum, Einstein’s Dreams
Duncan Sheik, The Secret Life of Bees
Jeanine Tesori, Soft Power
Outstanding Lyrics
Susan Birkenhead, The Secret Life of Bees
Adam Gwon, Scotland, PA
*Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop
Joanne Sydney Lessner and Joshua Rosenblum, Einstein’s Dreams
Dave Malloy, Octet
Mark Saltzman, Romeo & Bernadette
Outstanding Book of a Musical
David Henry Hwang, Soft Power
*Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop
Dave Malloy, Octet
Lynn Nottage, The Secret Life of Bees
Mark Saltzman, Romeo & Bernadette
Dick Scanlan, The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Outstanding Orchestrations
*Tom Kitt, Jagged Little Pill
Alex Lacamoire, The Wrong Man
Or Matias and Dave Malloy, Octet
Danny Troob, John Clancy, and Larry Hochman, Soft Power
Jonathan Tunick, West Side Story
Outstanding Music in a Play
Steve Earle, Coal Country
Frightened Rabbit, Square Go
Jim Harbourne, Feral
*Martha Redbone, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Adam Seidel, Jane Bruce, and Daniel Ocanto, Original Sound
Outstanding Scenic Design for a Play
Catherine Cornell, Mac Beth
*Clint Ramos, Grand Horizons
Adam Rigg, Fefu and Her Friends
Paul Steinberg, Judgment Day
B.T. Whitehill, The Confession of Lily Dare
Outstanding Scenic Design for a Musical
Julian Crouch, Little Shop of Horrors
Anna Louizos, Scotland, PA
*Derek McLane, Moulin Rouge!
Clint Ramos, Soft Power
Amy Rubin and Brittany Vasta, Octet
Outstanding Costume Design for a Play
Asa Benally, Blues for an Alabama Sky
Montana Levi Blanco, Fefu and Her Friends
Toni-Leslie James, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
Antony McDonald, Judgment Day
*Rachel Townsend and Jessica Jahn, The Confession of Lily Dare
Kaye Voyce, Coriolanus
Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical
Vanessa Leuck, Emojiland
Jeff Mahshie, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Mark Thompson, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Anita Yavich, Soft Power
*Catherine Zuber, Moulin Rouge!
Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play
Isabella Byrd, Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Oona Curley, Dr. Ride’s American Beach House
*Heather Gilbert, The Sound Inside
Mimi Jordan Sherin, Judgment Day
Yi Zhao, Greater Clements
Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical
Betsy Adams, The Wrong Man
Jane Cox, The Secret Life of Bees
Herrick Goldman, Einstein’s Dreams
Bruno Poet, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
*Justin Townsend, Moulin Rouge!
Outstanding Projection Design
David Bengali, Einstein’s Dreams
Julia Frey, Medea
*Luke Halls, West Side Story
Lisa Renkel and POSSIBLE, Emojiland
Hannah Wasileski, Fires in the Mirror
Outstanding Sound Design for a Play
*Paul Arditti and Christopher Reid, The Inheritance
Justin Ellington, Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Mikhail Fiksel, Dana H.
Palmer Hefferan, Fefu and Her Friends
Lee Kinney and Sanae Yamada, Is This A Room
Outstanding Sound Design for a Musical
Tom Gibbons, West Side Story
Kai Harada, Soft Power
*Peter Hylenski, Moulin Rouge!
Hidenori Nakajo, Octet
Nevin Steinberg, The Wrong Man
Outstanding Wig and Hair Design
*Campbell Young Associates, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Cookie Jordan, Fefu and Her Friends
Nikiya Mathis, STEW
Tom Watson, The Great Society
Bobbie Zlotnik, Emojiland
Outstanding Solo Performance
David Cale, We’re Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time
Kate del Castillo, the way she spoke
*Laura Linney, My Name is Lucy Barton
Jacqueline Novak, Get on Your Knees
Deirdre O’Connell, Dana H.
Unique Theatrical Experience
Beyond Babel, Hideaway Circus
Feral, Tortoise in a Nutshell/Cumbernauld Theatre/59E59
*Is This A Room, Vineyard Theatre
Midsummer: A Banquet, Food of Love Productions/Third Rail Projects
Outstanding Fight Choreography
Vicki Manderson, Square Go
*Thomas Schall, A Soldier’s Play
UnkleDave’s Fight House, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Outstanding Adaptation
*A Christmas Carol, by Jack Thorne
Judgment Day, by Christopher Shinn
Mojada, by Luis Alfaro
Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow, by Halley Feiffer
Outstanding Puppet Design
*Raphael Mishler, Tumacho
Rockefeller Productions, Paddington Gets in a Jam
Amanda Villalobos, Is This A Room
Ensemble Award
The eight performers in Dave Malloy’s a cappella musical Octet: Adam Bashian, Kim Blanck, Starr Busby, Alex Gibson, Justin Gregory Lopez, J.D. Mollison, Margo Seibert, and Kuhoo Verma
Sam Norkin Award:
To performer Mary Bacon, recognized for her work this season in Off-Broadway's Coal Country at the Public Theater and Nothing Gold Can Stay from Partial Comfort Productions
The Hal Prince Award:
The inaugural award was presented to its namesake in recognition of the late director body of work. The award will continue to be presented annually to an individual for their outstanding lifetime contributions to the theatre.
Additional Special Awards:
The Actors Fund, Seth Rudetsky, James Wesley, and Dr. Jonathan LaPook, for connecting the theatre community and lifting spirits during the coronavirus crisis through the ongoing Stars in the House series
The Public Theater’s Mobile Unit, offering free Shakespeare throughout the five boroughs, including prisons, homeless shelters, and community centers
WP Theater and Julia Miles, the company’s founder who died this spring.
Claire Warden, whose work as an intimacy choreographer was featured in such recent projects as Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune and Linda Vista
