Presenters for the evening included Stephanie J. Block, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Daniel Breaker, Danny Burstein, David Byrne, Charlotte d'Amboise, Jim Dale, John Glover, Cynthia Henson, Paul Huntley, Steve Karam, Lisa Kron, Martin Lowe, Terrence Mann, Joe Mantello, Jan Maxwell, Audra McDonald, Terrence McNally, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Donna Murphy, Denis O'Hare, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Michele Pawk, Tonya Pinkins, Alex Timbers, Tommy Tune, Michael Urie and William Wolf.
Gretchen Shugart is managing executive producer of the Drama Desk Awards. The show was written by Bill Rosenfield and directed by Jack Cummings III (co-founder and artistic director of Transport Group). Joey Parnes Productions produced and managed the evening.
Drama Desk Awards are voted on and bestowed by theatre critics, journalists, editors and publishers covering theatre "without any vested interest in the results.”
The nominations, winners in bold with an asterisk, follow:
Outstanding Play
Annie Baker, The Flick
Christopher Durang, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike*
Joe Gilford, Finks
Richard Greenberg, The Assembled Parties
Amy Herzog, Belleville
Deanna Jent, Falling
Richard Nelson, Sorry Outstanding Musical
A Christmas Story: The Musical
Giant
Hands on a Hardbody
Here Lies Love
Matilda*
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
The Other Josh Cohen
Outstanding Revival of a Play
Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?*
Golden Boy
Good Person of Szechwan
The Piano Lesson
The Trip to Bountiful
Uncle Vanya
Outstanding Revival of a Musical or Revue
Passion
Pippin*
Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella
The Golden Land
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Working: A Musical
Outstanding Actor in a Play
Reed Birney, Uncle Vanya
Daniel Everidge, Falling
Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
Shuler Hensley, The Whale
Nathan Lane, The Nance
Tracy Letts, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?*
Outstanding Actress in a Play
Maria Dizzia, Belleville
Amy Morton, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Julia Murney, Falling
Vanessa Redgrave, The Revisionist
Miriam Silverman, Finks
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful*
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Eric Anderson, Soul Doctor
Brian d’Arcy James, Giant
Jim Norton, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Billy Porter, Kinky Boots*
Steve Rosen, The Other Josh Cohen
Ryan Silverman, Passion
Anthony Warlow, Annie
Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Kate Baldwin, Giant
Stephanie J. Block, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Carolee Carmello, Scandalous
Lindsay Mendez, Dogfight
Donna Murphy, Into the Woods
Laura Osnes, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella*
Jenny Powers, Donnybrook!
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Chuck Cooper, The Piano Lesson
Peter Friedman, The Great God Pan
Richard Kind, The Big Knife*
Aaron Clifton Moten, The Flick
Brían F. O’Byrne, If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet
Tony Shalhoub, Golden Boy
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Tasha Lawrence, The Whale
Judith Light, The Assembled Parties*
Kellie Overbey, Sleeping Rough
Maryann Plunkett, Sorry
Condola Rashad, The Trip to Bountiful
Laila Robins, Sorry
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Stephen Bogardus, Passion
John Bolton, A Christmas Story: The Musical
Keith Carradine, Hands on a Hardbody
Bertie Carvel, Matilda*
John Dossett, Giant
Andy Karl, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots
Melissa Errico, Passion
Andrea Martin, Pippin*
Jessie Mueller, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Christiane Noll, Chaplin: The Musical
Keala Settle, Hands on a Hardbody
Kate Wetherhead, The Other Josh Cohen
Outstanding Director of a Play
Lear Debessonet, Good Person of Szechwan
Sam Gold, Uncle Vanya
Ed Sylvanus Iskandar, Restoration Comedy
Pam MacKinnon, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?*
Lynne Meadow, The Assembled Parties
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, The Piano Lesson
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It On: The Musical
Rachel Chavkin, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
John Doyle, Passion
Diane Paulus, Pippin*
Emma Rice, The Wild Bride
Alex Timbers, Here Lies Love
Matthew Warchus, Matilda
Outstanding Choreography
Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It On: The Musical
Warren Carlyle, A Christmas Story: The Musical
Peter Darling, Matilda
Josh Rhodes, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Sergio Trujillo, Hands on a Hardbody
Chet Walker and Gypsy Snider, Pippin*
Outstanding Music
Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green, Hands on a Hardbody
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, Here Lies Love*
Michael John LaChiusa, Giant
Dave Malloy, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, A Christmas Story: The Musical
David Rossmer and Steve Rosen, The Other Josh Cohen
Outstanding Lyrics
Amanda Green, Hands on a Hardbody
Amanda Green and Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bring It On: The Musical
Michael John LaChiusa, Giant
Dave Malloy, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Tim Minchin, Matilda*
David Rossmer and Steve Rosen, The Other Josh Cohen
Outstanding Book of a Musical
Dennis Kelly, Matilda*
Sybille Pearson, Giant
Joseph Robinette, A Christmas Story: The Musical
David Rossmer and Steve Rosen, The Other Josh Cohen
Jeff Whitty, Bring It On: The Musical
Doug Wright, Hands on a Hardbody
Outstanding Orchestrations
Trey Anastasio and Don Hart, Hands on a Hardbody
Larry Blank, A Christmas Story: The Musical
Bruce Coughlin, Giant
Larry Hochman, Chaplin: The Musical
Steve Margoshes, Soul Doctor
Danny Troob, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella*
Outstanding Music in a Play
César Alvarez with The Lisps, Good Person of Szechwan
Jiří Kadeřábek, Mahir Cetiz, and Ana Milosavljevic, Act Before You Speak: The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Glen Kelly, The Nance*
Eugene Ma, The Man Who Laughs
Steve Martin, As You Like It
Jane Wang, Strange Tales of Liaozhai
Outstanding Revue
Forbidden Broadway: Alive & Kicking!
Old Hats*
Old Jews Telling Jokes
Outstanding Set Design
Rob Howell, Matilda*
Mimi Lien, The Whale
Santo Loquasto, The Assembled Parties
Anna Louizos, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Michael Yeargan, Golden Boy
David Zinn, The Flick
Outstanding Costume Design
Amy Clark and Martin Pakledinaz, Chaplin: The Musical
Dominique Lemieux, Pippin
William Ivey Long, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella*
Chris March, Chris March's The Butt-Cracker Suite! A Trailer Park Ballet
Loren Shaw, Restoration Comedy
Paloma Young, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Outstanding Lighting Design
Ken Billington, Chaplin: The Musical
Jane Cox, Passion
Kenneth Posner, Pippin
Justin Townsend, Here Lies Love*
Daniel Winters, The Man Who Laughs
Scott Zielinski, A Civil War Christmas
Outstanding Projection Design
Jon Driscoll, Chaplin: The Musical
Wendall K. Harrington, Old Hats
Peter Nigrini, Here Lies Love*
Darrel Maloney, Checkers
Pedro Pires, Cirque du Soleil: Totem
Aaron Rhyne, Wild With Happy
Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical (a three-way tie)
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Hands on a Hardbody*
Scott Lehrer and Drew Levy, Chaplin: The Musical*
Tony Meola, The Mystery of Edwin Drood*
Brian Ronan, Bring It On: The Musical
Brian Ronan, Giant
Dan Moses Schreier, Passion
Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Ien DeNio, The Pilo Family Circus
Steve Fontaine, Last Man Club
Christian Frederickson, Through the Yellow Hour
Lindsay Jones, Wild With Happy
Mel Mercier, The Testament of Mary*
Fergus O’Hare, Macbeth
Outstanding Solo Performance
Joel de la Fuente, Hold These Truths
Kathryn Hunter, Kafka’s Monkey
Bette Midler, I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers
Julian Sands, A Celebration of Harold Pinter
Holland Taylor, Ann
Michael Urie, Buyer & Cellar*
Unique Theatrical Experience
Bello Mania
Chris March's The Butt-Cracker Suite! A Trailer Park Ballet
Cirque Du Soleil: Totem*
That Play: A Solo Macbeth
The Fazzino Ride
The Man Who Laughs
The following awards were previously voted by the Nominating Committee. They were presented at the awards ceremony:
Outstanding Ensemble Performance
This year the nominators chose to bestow a special ensemble award to the cast of Working: A Musical. Marie-France Arcilla, Joe Cassidy, Donna Lynne Champlin, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Nehal Joshi and Kenita R. Miller "created a memorable ensemble of marvelously gifted singer-actors working together in pure artistic harmony." Individual cast members receiving this award are ineligible for acting awards in the competitive categories.
Special Awards
Each year, the Drama Desk votes special awards to recognize excellence and significant contributions to the theater. For 2012-13, these awards are:
• To The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), Isaac Robert Hurwitz, Executive Director and Producer: "For a decade of creating and nurturing new musical theater, ensuring the future of this essential art form."
• To Wakka Wakka (Gabrielle Brechner, Kirjan Waage, and Gwendolyn Warnock): "For sophisticated puppet theater, as represented by this season’s SAGA, that explores with wit, imagination, and insight serious issues of our times."
• To Jayne Houdyshell: "For her artistry as an exceptionally versatile and distinctive Broadway and Off-Broadway performer."
• To Samuel D. Hunter: "His empathic and indelible The Whale affirms his arrival as a distinguished dramatist who depicts the human condition."
To Maruti Evans, the Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award: "For his ingenious lighting designs, reflecting an exquisite and bold theatrical aesthetic. This season’s The Pilo Family Circus and Tiny Dynamite confirm his incandescent creativity." (Recipient of the Sam Norkin Award receives a $1,000 honorarium, a gift from Mrs. Francie Norkin.)
Eligibility and award category designations for the productions under consideration this season were determined by the Drama Desk Board of Directors with recommendations from the Nominating Committee. Because of the abundance of work throughout the season, the Board also authorized increasing the number of nominees allowed in select categories.
The president of Drama Desk is Isa Goldberg. Randie Levine Miller is director of special events.
The 2012-13 Drama Desk Nominating Committee comprised Barbara Siegel, Chairperson (TalkinBroadway.com and freelance); David Kaufman (author and freelance), Samuel L. Leiter (Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Theatre, Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center), Martha Wade Steketee (urbanexcavations.com; editor and contributor, Chance Magazine), Adrian Wattenmaker (Theater Faculty, Brooklyn College; Director, School of Creative and Performing Arts) and James Wilson (Professor of Theatre, CUNY; co-editor of Journal of American Drama and Theatre).
For more information visit dramadeskawards.com.
