Tony winner Sutton Foster, back on Broadway this season opposite fellow Tony winner Hugh Jackman in the revival of The Music Man, won the career-achievement honor of the Distinguished Performance Award at the 88th Annual Drama League Awards, celebrating productions on and Off-Broadway during the 2021-2022 season.
Previous Drama League Award winner Patti LuPone, also back on Broadway in the revival of Company, presented Foster with her award at the May 23 ceremony hosted by Frank DiLella at the Ziegfeld Ballroom.
The Drama League’s inaugural prizes for Outstanding Director were awarded to Marianne Elliott (Outstanding Director of a Musical for Company) and Kate Whoriskey (Outstanding Director of a Play for Clyde’s). Encores! Into the Woods director Lear deBessonet presented both awards.
See photos from the red carpet below!
The other major award winners were The Lehman Trilogy for Outstanding Production of a Play, A Strange Loop for Outstanding Production of a Musical, Take Me Out for Outstanding Revival of a Play, and Company for Outstanding Revival of a Musical.
The 2022 Special Recognition Award Recipients honored at the ceremony were Tony winner Hugh Jackman, recipient of the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award, presented by Foster; director Lileana Blain-Cruz, honored with the Founders Award for Excellence in Directing, presented by Drama League-nominated The Skin of Our Teeth star Gabby Beans; Tony winner Billy Crystal, presented with the Contribution to the Theater Award by his Drama League-nominated Mr. Saturday Night co-star Shoshana Bean; and Tony winner Willette Murphy Klausner, who received the Gratitude Award, presented by Tony winner Ben Vereen.
First awarded in 1922 and formalized in 1935, The Drama League Awards are the oldest theatrical honors in America. Visit DramaLeague.org.
