2024 Drama Desk Awards Winners- The Full List

The best of Broadway and off-Broadway came togehter for the 68th Annual Drama Desk Awards, which were held at The Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.

In keeping with the Drama Desk’s mission, the nominators considered shows that opened on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway during the 2023-2024 New York theater season, that the Drama Desk determined ended as of April 25, 2024. Productions must run for 21 or more live performances to be considered eligible.

Productions deemed not eligible, either because they were considered in their entirety in prior seasons or because they did not invite awards consideration in the current season, included Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Here We Are, Merrily We Roll Along, The Animal Kingdom, The White Chip, and Walk on Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice.

Some of the most-nominated productions of the year included: Dead Outlaw (11),  The Outsiders (9), Stereophonic (8), Suffs (8), The Connector (8), Appropriate (7), and Water for Elephants (7).

Check out the full list of winners below!

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2024 DRAMA DESK AWARDS

Outstanding Play

Infinite Life, by Annie Baker, Atlantic Theater Company
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, by Jocelyn Bioh, Manhattan Theatre Club
Mother Play, by Paula Vogel, Second Stage Theater
**Stereophonic, by David Adjmi, Playwrights Horizons**
Swing State, by Rebecca Gilman, Goodman Theatre
The Ally, by Itamar Moses, The Public Theater

Outstanding Musical

**Dead Outlaw**
Illinoise, Park Avenue Armory
Lizard Boy, Prospect Theater Company
Teeth, Playwrights Horizons
The Connector, MCC Theater
The Outsiders

Outstanding Revival of a Play

**Appropriate, Second Stage Theater**
Doubt: A Parable, Roundabout Theatre Company
Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Irish Repertory Theatre
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Uncle Vanya, OHenry Productions

Outstanding Revival of a Musical

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Gutenberg! The Musical!
**I Can Get It for You Wholesale, Classic Stage Company**

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play

Nicole Cooper, Macbeth (an undoing), Theatre for a New Audience, Rose Theatre, and Royal
Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh
William Jackson Harper, Primary Trust, Roundabout Theatre Company
**Jessica Lange, Mother Play, Second Stage Theater**
Rachel McAdams, Mary Jane, Manhattan Theatre Club
Tobias Menzies, The Hunt, St. Ann’s Warehouse and Almeida Theatre
Leslie Odom, Jr., Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
**Sarah Paulson, Appropriate, Second Stage Theater**
A.J. Shively, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Irish Repertory Theatre
Juliet Stevenson, The Doctor, Park Avenue Armory
Michael Stuhlbarg, Patriots

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical

Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw
Santino Fontana, I Can Get It for You Wholesale, Classic Stage Company
Brody Grant, The Outsiders
**Brian d’Arcy James, Days of Wine and Roses, Atlantic Theater Company**
**Maleah Joi Moon, Hell’s Kitchen**
**Kelli O’Hara, Days of Wine and Roses, Atlantic Theater Company**
Liam Pearce, How to Dance in Ohio
Gayle Rankin, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Ben Levi Ross, The Connector, MCC Theater
Ricky Ubeda, Illinoise, Park Avenue Armory

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play

Brittany Adebumola, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Manhattan Theatre Club
Marylouise Burke, Infinite Life, Atlantic Theater Company
Michael Esper, Appropriate, Second Stage Theater
Marin Ireland, Uncle Vanya, OHenry Productions
Will Keen, Patriots
**Celia Keenan-Bolger, Mother Play, Second Stage Theater**
Conrad Ricamora, Oh, Mary!
Sheila Tousey, Manahatta, The Public Theater
Bubba Weiler, Swing State, Goodman Theatre
**Kara Young, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch**

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical

Shoshana Bean, Hell’s Kitchen
Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club, Atlantic Theater Company
Dorian Harewood, The Notebook
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Monty Python’s Spamalot
**Kecia Lewis, Hell’s Kitchen**
**Bebe Neuwirth, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club**
Steven Pasquale, Teeth, Playwrights Horizons
Maryann Plunkett, The Notebook
Thom Sesma, Dead Outlaw
Emily Skinner, Suffs

Outstanding Direction of a Play

**Daniel Aukin, Stereophonic, Playwrights Horizons**
Rupert Goold, The Hunt, St. Ann’s Warehouse and Almeida Theatre
Kenny Leon, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Lila Neugebauer, Appropriate, Second Stage Theater
Ciarán O'Reilly, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Irish Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Direction of a Musical

David Cromer, Dead Outlaw
Rebecca Frecknall, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Daisy Prince, The Connector, MCC Theater
**Jessica Stone, Water for Elephants**
Danya Taymor, The Outsiders

Outstanding Choreography

Camille A. Brown, Hell’s Kitchen
Graciela Daniele and Alex Sanchez, The Gardens of Anuncia, Lincoln Center Theater
Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman, The Outsiders (includes fight choreography)
Lorin Latarro, The Heart of Rock and Roll
**Justin Peck, Illinoise, Park Avenue Armory**
Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll, Water for Elephants (includes circus choreography)

Outstanding Music

Jason Robert Brown, The Connector, MCC Theater
Justin Huertas, Lizard Boy, Prospect Theater Company
Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay & Zach Chance) and Justin Levine, The Outsiders
**Shaina Taub, Suffs**
David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, Dead Outlaw

Outstanding Lyrics

Rachel Bloom, Eli Bolin, and Jack Dolgen, Rachel Bloom: Death, Let Me Do My Show
Jason Robert Brown, The Connector, MCC Theater
Michael R. Jackson, Teeth, Playwrights Horizons
Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay & Zach Chance) and Justin Levine, The Outsiders
**David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, Dead Outlaw**

Outstanding Book of a Musical

Justin Huertas, Lizard Boy, Prospect Theater Company
Michael R. Jackson and Anna K. Jacobs, Teeth, Playwrights Horizons
Michael John LaChiusa, The Gardens of Anuncia, Lincoln Center Theater
Rebekah Greer Melocik, How to Dance in Ohio
**Itamar Moses, Dead Outlaw**

Outstanding Orchestrations

Timo Andres, Illinoise, Park Avenue Armory
Will Butler and Justin Craig, Stereophonic, Playwrights Horizons
Andy Evan Cohen, The Greatest Hits Down Route 66, New Light Theater Project
**Marco Paguia, Buena Vista Social Club, Atlantic Theater Company**
Erik Della Penna, Dean Sharenow, and David Yazbek, Dead Outlaw
Michael Starobin, Shaina Taub (vocal arrangements), and Andrea Grody (vocal arrangements), Suffs

Outstanding Music in a Play

Michael “Mikey J” Asante, The Effect, The Shed
S T A R R Busby and JJJJJerome Ellis, (pray), Ars Nova and National Black Theatre
**Will Butler, Stereophonic, Playwrights Horizons**
Dionne McClain-Freeney, The Harriet Holland Social Club Presents The 84th Annual Star
Burst Cotillion in the Grand Ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel, New Georges and The Movement Theatre Company
Ben Steinfeld, Pericles, Classic Stage Company and Fiasco Theater

Outstanding Revue

**Amid Falling Walls, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene**

Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play

Es Devlin, The Hunt, St. Ann’s Warehouse and Almeida Theatre
dots, Appropriate, Second Stage Theater
Derek McLane, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Scott Pask, Grey House
**David Zinn, Stereophonic, Playwrights Horizons**

Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical

AMP featuring Tatiana Kahvegian, The Outsiders
**Paul Tate DePoo III, The Great Gatsby (includes projections)**
Riccardo Hernández, Suffs
Arnulfo Maldonado, Dead Outlaw
Grace Smart, Good Vibrations: A Punk Rock Musical, Irish Arts Center

Outstanding Costume Design of a Play

Alex Berry, Macbeth (an undoing), Theatre for a New Audience, Rose Theatre, and Royal
Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh
Karen Boyer, Warrior Sisters of Wu, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
**Enver Chakartash, Stereophonic, Playwrights Horizons**
Lux Haac, Manahatta, The Public Theater
Rodrigo Muñoz, Sally & Tom, The Public Theater

Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical

Dede Ayite, Buena Vista Social Club, Atlantic Theater Company
Márion Talán de la Rosa, The Connector, MCC Theater
Loren Elstein, Once Upon a One More Time
David Israel Reynoso, Water for Elephants
**Paul Tazewell, Suffs**

Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play

**Jane Cox, Appropriate, Second Stage Theater**
Stacey Derosier, Uncle Vanya, OHenry Productions
Natasha Katz, Grey House
Lizzie Powell, Macbeth (an undoing), Theatre for a New Audience, Rose Theatre, and
Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh
Eric Southern, Swing State, Goodman Theatre

Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical

Lap Chi Chu, Suffs
Heather Gilbert, Dead Outlaw
Bradley King, Water for Elephants
**Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim (projections), The Outsiders**
Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, The Connector, MCC Theater

Outstanding Projection and Video Design

Eric Dunlap, Our Class, MART Foundation and Arlekin Players Theatre
Jared Mezzocchi, Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy, Vineyard Theatre
**Peter Nigrini, Hell’s Kitchen**
Olivia Sebesky, Melissa Etheridge: My Window
Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, The Connector, MCC Theater

Outstanding Sound Design of a Play

Adam Cork, The Hunt, St. Ann’s Warehouse and Almeida Theatre
Tom Gibbons, Grey House
Palmer Hefferan, The Comeuppance, Signature Theatre
Bray Poor and Will Pickens, Appropriate, Second Stage Theater
**Ryan Rumery, Stereophonic, Playwrights Horizons**

Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical

Jason Crystal, Suffs
Kai Harada and Joshua Millican, Dead Outlaw
**Nick Lidster for Autograph, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club**
**Cody Spencer, The Outsiders**
**Walter Trarbach, Water for Elephants**

Outstanding Wig and Hair

J. Jared Janas and Cassie Williams, Sally & Tom, The Public Theater
Charles G. LaPointe, Suffs
**Nikiya Mathis, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Manhattan Theatre Club**
Nikiya Mathis, The Harriet Holland Social Club Presents The 84th Annual Star-Burst
Cotillion in the Grand Ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel, New Georges and The Movement Theatre Company
Robert Pickens and Katie Gell for the Broadway production of Stereophonic

Outstanding Solo Performance

Michael Cruz Kayne, Sorry for Your Loss
Madeleine MacMahon, Breathless, Theatre Royal Plymouth
Wade McCollum, Make Me Gorgeous!, triangle productions!
Robert Montano, SMALL, Penguin Rep Theatre
**Patrick Page, All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain**

Unique Theatrical Experience

A Eulogy for Roman, Through the Tollbooth Co.
A Simulacrum, Atlantic Theater Company
ADRIFT: A Medieval Wayward Folly, Happenstance Theater
I Love You So Much I Could Die, New York Theatre Workshop
**Grenfell: in the words of survivors, St. Ann’s Warehouse, National Theatre, and KPPL Productions**

Outstanding Fight Choreography

Michael G. Chin, Warrior Sisters of Wu, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
**Cha Ramos, Water for Elephants**
Steve Rankin, The Who’s Tommy

Outstanding Adaptation

**An Enemy of the People, by Amy Herzog**
Macbeth (an undoing), by Zinnie Harris, Theatre for a New Audience, Rose Theatre,
and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh
The Comedy of Errors, by Rebecca Martínez and Julián Mesri, The Public Theater Mobile
Unit
The Doctor, by Robert Icke, Park Avenue Armory
The Hunt, by David Farr, St. Ann’s Warehouse and Almeida Theatre
The Whole of Time, by Romina Paula, Joben Studios

Outstanding Puppetry

Matt Acheson, Hotel Happy, Houses on the Moon Theater Company
Adrian Kohler and Handspring Puppet Company, Life & Times of Michael K, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Baxter Theatre Centre, and Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus
**Ray Wetmore, JR Goodman, and Camille Labarre, Water for Elephants**
David Valentine, Poor Yella Rednecks, Manhattan Theatre Club

SPECIAL AWARDS

Ensemble Award

The cast of Stereophonic – Will Brill, Andrew R. Butler, Juliana Canfield, Eli Gelb, Tom Pecinka, Sarah Pidgeon, and Chris Stack – who execute David Adjmi’s hypernaturalistic text with extraordinary care and precision, while also performing Will Butler’s music with the freshness and life that makes us believe we are witnessing, first-hand, the creation of a new American classic.

Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award

Cole Escola, who both wrote and stars in one of this season’s biggest hits Off Broadway, Oh, Mary! Following in the long legacy of queer artists who write themselves into American history, Escola’s new “gay fantasia on national themes” is a hilarious reminder of why we must continue to interrogate our past.

ADDITIONAL SPECIAL AWARDS

How to Dance in Ohio Authentic Autistic Representation Team – Sammi Cannold, Nicole D'Angelo, Becky Leifman, Ava Xiao-Lin Rigelhaupt, Liz Weber, and Jeremy Wein  – for their steadfast support of autistic theatermakers, and their strides toward true accessibility for neurodiverse individuals both on and offstage.

Lighting designer Isabella Byrd, whose self-described technique as a “darkness designer” has earned her a cache of nominations and awards in the United States and abroad. During this season, Byrd illuminated two Broadway shows done in the round, An Enemy of the People and Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club. Off Broadway, her spotlight on quiet, small-scale stories both enchanted us in Primary Trust and mesmerized us in Infinite Life, with a parking-lot sky that marked the passage of time.

Lady Irene Gandy, for career achievement. A press agent extraordinaire for over five decades, Lady Irene has always demonstrated her passion, dedication, and love for theater. A Broadway producer and Sardi's honoree, she is a zealous advocate for inclusion, diversity, and equity in the arts.