Drama Desk Award

Information about Drama Desk Award

The Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Award, created in 1955, is an award recognizing shows produced off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, and for legitimate not-for-profit theaters, in addition to Broadway productions. Previously there had been only the Tony Awards, which focused solely on Broadway shows, ignoring the hundreds of other productions mounted in New York City each year.

Originally, the awards were known as the Vernon Rice Awards in honor of the theater critic from the New York Post. The name was changed in 1963. In its earliest years, a minimal number of prizes were awarded, but there now are as many categories as there are for the Tonys.

The Drama Desk Awards have proven to be the first step towards stardom for numerous theatrical luminaries, including Edward Albee, Wendy Wasserstein, Ryan Ward, George C. Scott, Stacy Keach, Sada Thompson, Jose Quintero, and Dustin Hoffman. Off-Broadway productions such as Driving Miss Daisy, Steel Magnolias, and The Boys in the Band were propelled to international recognition based on their wins.

There have been many Tony Award winners that have not been nominated for Drama Desk awards.

The Drama Desk Awards ceremony is held annually at LaGuardia Concert Hall of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Lincoln Center.

Categories

Awards are presented in the following categories:
  • Outstanding New Play
  • Outstanding Director of a Play
  • Outstanding Actor in a Play
  • Outstanding Actress in a Play
  • Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
  • Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
  • Outstanding Musical
  • Outstanding Director of a Musical
  • Outstanding Actor in a Musical
  • Outstanding Actress in a Musical
  • Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
  • Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
  • Outstanding Book of a Musical
  • Outstanding Music
  • Outstanding Lyrics
  • Outstanding Orchestrations
  • Outstanding Choreography
  • Outstanding Set Design
  • Outstanding Costume Design
  • Outstanding Lighting Design
  • Outstanding Sound Design/Music for a Play
  • Outstanding Special Effects
  • Outstanding Revival
  • Unique Theatrical Experience
  • Outstanding One-Person Show
A complete listing of previous winners can be found at Drama Desk Award winners.

External links

Off Broadway plays or musicals are performed in New York City in smaller theatres than Broadway, but larger than Off-Off-Broadway, productions.

Off Broadway theatres (venues) are those with 100 to 499 seats[1].
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Off-Off-Broadway refers to theatrical productions including plays, musicals or performance art pieces performed in New York City in smaller theatres than Broadway productions and off-Broadway productions.
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A non-profit organization (abbreviated "NPO", also "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is a legally constituted organization whose primary objective is to support or to actively engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit purposes.
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Broadway theatre[1] is the most well known form of professional theatre to the American general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows.
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Tony Award

Designed by Herman Rosse, 1949
Awarded for Excellence in theatre
Presented by American Theatre Wing and the League of American Theatres and Producers
Country  United States
First awarded 1947
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City of New York
New York City at sunset

Flag
Seal
Nickname: The Big Apple, Gotham, The City that Never Sleeps
Location in the state of New York
Coordinates:
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New York Post

One of the paper's most famous headlines
Type Daily newspaper
Format Tabloid

Owner News Corporation
Editor Col Allan
Founded 1801
Language English
Headquarters 1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
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Edward Albee

Edward Albee, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1961
Born: March 12 1928 (1928--) (age 79)
Washington D.C.
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Wendy Wasserstein
Born: September 18 1950(1950--)
Brooklyn, New York
Died: January 30 2006 (aged 57)
New York, New York
Occupation: Playwright, writer and academic
Nationality: United States
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George C. Scott

Birth name George Campbell Scott
Born September 18 1927(1927--)
Wise, Virginia
Died September 22 1999 (aged 73)
Westlake Village, California


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Stacy Keach

Birth name Walter Stacy Keach Jr.
Born May 2 1941 (1941--) (age 66)
Savannah, Georgia

Occupation Actor

Spouse(s)
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Sada Thompson (born September 27, 1929) is an acclaimed American stage, film and television actress.

Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Thompson first appeared in television in 1954 in a Goodyear Television Playhouse production and made her Broadway debut in 1959.
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Jose Quintero could refer to:
  • José Agustín Quintero, (1829–1885), journalist, lawyer, poet, and revolutionary
  • José Quintero, (1924-1999), theatre director

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Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman, 2007. Photograph by Christopher Peterson
Birth name Dustin Lee Hoffman
Born July 8 1937 (1937--) (age 70)
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All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Driving Miss Daisy is a 1987 play by Alfred Uhry about the relationship of an elderly Southern Jewish lady shares with her African-American chauffeur, Hoke Colburn, over the span of several decades.
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IMDb profile
Steel Magnolias, by Robert Harling, is a 1987 off-Broadway play, made into a movie in 1989. Based on the author's experience with the death of his sister, Steel Magnolias
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The Boys in the Band

Poster for the 1996 off-Broadway revival
Written by Mart Crowley

Date of premiere April 14 1968
Country of origin U.S.
Original language English

The Boys in the Band is a play by Mart Crowley.
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Tony Award

Designed by Herman Rosse, 1949
Awarded for Excellence in theatre
Presented by American Theatre Wing and the League of American Theatres and Producers
Country  United States
First awarded 1947
..... Click the link for more information.
The Drama Desk Award, created in 1955, is an award recognizing shows produced off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, and for legitimate not-for-profit theaters, in addition to Broadway productions.
..... Click the link for more information.
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts

Motto "Have a safe and productive LaGuardia day"

Established 1984

Type Public Alternative High school
Principal Kim Bruno

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Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a 16.3-acre (61,000 m²) complex of buildings in New York City which serves as home for 12 arts organizations: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Juilliard School,
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