The New York Drama Critics' Circle named Will Arbery’s Heroes of the Fourth Turning Best Play and Michael R. Jackson’s A Strange Loop Best Musical of the 2019–2020 season. Selections were made during the organization’s 85th annual voting meeting April 15.
The committee also determined special citations for David Byrne and the Broadway production of American Utopia, Deirdre O’Connell for career excellence (including her performance in Dana H), and the New York theatre community as a whole for perseverance in the face of loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Heroes of the Fourth Turning had its world premiere at Playwrights Horizons in the fall in a production directed by Danya Taymor. A Strange Loop, directed by Stephen Brackett, had its world premiere at Playwrights last year as well. The two titles also lead the pack in the nominations for the Lucille Lortel Awards, announced earlier this week.
The awards will be presented in a virtual ceremony April 28. The Best Play award carries a cash prize of $2,500.
READ: How Theatre Award Ceremonies Are Handling the Coronavirus Shutdown
The New York Drama Critics’ Circle comprises 20 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines, wire services, and websites based in the New York metropolitan area.
Adam Feldman, theatre critic and editor for Time Out New York, has served as president of the NYDCC since 2005. Joe Dziemianowicz serves as vice president; Zachary Stewart is treasurer. The other members are David Cote, Vinson Cunningham, David Finkle, Jeremy Gerard, Charles Isherwood, Chris Jones, Christopher Kelly, David Rooney, Frank Scheck, Alexandra Schwartz, Helen Shaw, David Sheward, Marilyn Stasio, Terry Teachout, Elisabeth Vincentelli, and Matt Windman.
Emeritus members include Melissa Rose Bernardo, Michael Feingold, Robert Feldberg, Elysa Gardner, Brian Scott Lipton, Jesse Oxfeld, Michael Sommers, Steven Suskin, Linda Winer, and Richard Zoglin.
For more information, visit DramaCritics.org.
