The winners follow: Outstanding Production of a Musical, Hamilton; Outstanding Production of a Play, The Humans; Outstanding Revival of a Musical, The Color Purple; Outstanding Revival of a Play, A View From The Bridge; and Distinguished Performance Award, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton.
In addition to the competitive categories, lyricist Sheldon Harnick was honored with the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award; Deaf West Theatre was honored with the Unique Contribution to the Theater Award for "their vital work"; and Ivo van Hove was honored with the Founders Award for Excellence in Directing.
Although Hamilton and two of its stars, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Daveed Diggs, were nominated for Drama League Awards last year, those nominations were for the Off-Broadway production. The hit musical received consideration for its Broadway production this year. The last production that received recognition for its Off-Broadway and Broadway stagings was Venus in Fur. The Drama League "feels that it is important to recognize and to encourage the transfer and growth of production," according to its spokesperson.
During the ceremony, Drama League artistic director Roger T. Danforth introduced the 2016 Directing Fellows of The Drama League Directors Project: Noa Egozi, Drew Feldman, Sara Holdren, Candis Jones, Yavor Kostov, Katie Lupica, James Palmer, Jesca Prudencio, Ilana Ransom Toeplitz, Chloe Treat, and Shaun Patrick Tubbs.
First bestowed in 1922 and formalized in 1935, The Drama League Awards are the oldest theatrical honors in America. They are the only major theatregoer awards chosen by audience members — specifically, by the thousands of Drama League members nationwide who attend Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.
The Drama League Awards "honor distinguished productions, performances, and exemplary career achievements in musical theatre and directing." The first Drama League Award was presented to Katharine Cornell in 1935. Since then, the Distinguished Performance Award has been accorded to a roster of theatre legends such as Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, Liam Neeson, Hugh Jackman, Patti LuPone, Glenn Close, Liev Schreiber, Sir John Gielgud, Harvey Fierstein, Cherry Jones, Alec Guinness, James Earl Jones, Julie Harris, Helen Hayes, Jeremy Irons, Mary-Louise Parker, Sir Ian McKellen, Bernadette Peters, Christopher Plummer and Chita Rivera.
The detailed list of winners follows:
2016 DRAMA LEAGUE AWARDS WINNERS
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Hamilton
Richard Rodgers Theatre
Book, Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Directed by Thomas Kail
Richard Rodgers Theatre
Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman, and The Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Patrick Willingham, Executive Director), producers
* * *
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A PLAY
The Humans
Helen Hayes Theatre
By Stephen Karam
Directed by Joe Mantello
Scott Rudin, Barry Diller, Fox Theatricals, James L. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Roy Furman, Daryl Roth, Jon B. Platt, Eli Bush, Broadway Across America, Jack Lane, Barbara Whitman, Jay Alix & Una Jackman, Scott M. Delman, Sonia Friedman, Amanda Lipitz, Peter May, Stephanie P. McClelland, Lauren Stein, The Shubert Organization, and The Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director, Harold Wolpert, Managing Director, and Julia C. Levy, Executive Director), producers; Joey Parnes, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, executive producers
* * *
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
The Color Purple
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
Book by Marsha Norman
Music and Lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray
Directed by John Doyle
Scott Sanders Productions, Roy Furman, Oprah Winfrey, David Babani, Rom Siracusa, Caiola Productions, James Fantaci, Ted Liebowitz, Stephanie P. McClelland, James L. Nederlander, Darren Bagert, Candy Spelling, Adam Zotovich, Eric Falkenstien/Morris Berchard, Just For Laughs Theatricals/Tanya Link Productions, Adam S. Gordon, Jam Theatricals, Kelsey Grammer, Independent Presenters Network, Carol Fineman, Sandy Block, producers
* * *
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
A View From The Bridge
Lyceum Theatre
By Arthur Miller
Directed by Ivo van Hove
Scott Rudin, Lincoln Center Theater, Eli Bush. Robert G. Bartner, Roger Berlind, William Berlind, Roy Furman, Peter May, Amanda Lipitz, Stephanie P. McClelland, Jay Alix & Una Jackman, Scott M. Delman, Sonia Friedman, John Gore, Ruth Hendel, JFL Theatricals, Heni Koenigsberg, Jon B. Platt, Daryl Roth, Spring Sirkin, producers
* * *
DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Hamilton
* * *
DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICAL THEATRE
Sheldon Harnick
* * *
UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE THEATRE
Deaf West Theatre
* * *
FOUNDERS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DIRECTING
Ivo van Hove
