The Drama League (Gabriel Shanks, Executive Dir) has announced the 2011-2012 Drama League Nominees for Distinguished Play, Distinguished Revival of a Play, Distinguished Best Musical, Distinguished Revival of a Musical, and Distinguished Performance Award at a ceremony hosted by Megan Hilty (9 to 5, “Smash”), Justin Long (Seminar) & Raven-Symoné at Sardi’s Restaurant. 

The Drama League Awards honor distinguished productions, performances, and exemplary career achievements in musical theatre and directing.  First awarded in 1922 and formalized in 1935, The Drama League Awards are the oldest theatrical honors in America. They are the only major theatergoer awards chosen by audience members — specifically, by the thousands of Drama League members nationwide who attend Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.  2012 Nominees were selected from over 170 productions.

2011-2012 DRAMA LEAGUE AWARDS NOMINATIONS

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCTION OF A PLAY

Clybourne Park

The Columinst

The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures

The Lyons

One Man, Two Guvnors

Other Desert Cities

Peter and The Starcatcher

Tribes

Seminar

Septimus and Clarissa

Venus in Fur

DISTINGUISHED REVIVAL OF A PLAY

And God Created Great Whales

Death of a Salesman

Gore Vidal’s The Best Man

How I Learned To Drive

Look Back in Anger

The Maids

Wit

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

Ghost 

Leap of Faith

Mission Drift

Newsies

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Once

Queen of The Mist

DISTINGUISHED REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

Carrie

Follies

Evita

The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

Jesus Christ Superstar

DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD

One winner is selected from this category for which the recipient can only receive the award once during his or her career. 

Jane Alexander, The Lady From Dubuque

Nina Arianda, Venus In Fur

Annaleigh Ashford, Rent

Angela Bassett, The Mountaintop

Simon Russell Beale, Bluebird

Tracie Bennett, End of the Rainbow

Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher

Matthew Broderick, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Kim Cattrall, Private Lives

Heather Christian, Mission Drift

James Corden, One Man, Two Guvnors

Michael Cristofer, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism

and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures

Tyne Daly, Master Class

Jesse Eisenberg, Asuncion

Linda Emond, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism

and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures

Raúl Esparza, Leap of Faith

Santino Fontana, Sons of the Prophet

Andrew Garfield, Death of a Salesman

Russell Harvard, Tribes

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Death of a Salesman

Samuel L. Jackson, The Mountaintop

Jeremy Jordan, Newsies, Bonnie and Clyde

Steve Kazee, Once

Celia Keenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher

Christine Lahti, Dreams of Flying, Dreams of Falling

Angela Lansbury, Gore Vidal's The Best Man

John Larroquette, Gore Vidal's The Best Man

Linda Lavin, The Lyons

Norm Lewis, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess

Judith Light, Other Desert Cities

Ricky Martin, Evita

Jan Maxwell, Follies

Jefferson Mays, Blood and Gifts

Marin Mazzie, Carrie

Audra McDonald, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess

Ellen McLaughlin, Septimus and Clarissa

Cristin Milioti, Once

Jessie Mueller, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever

Carey Mulligan, Through A Glass Darkly

Cynthia Nixon, Wit

Leslie Odom, Jr., Leap of Faith

Kelli O'Hara, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Denis O'Hare, An Iliad

Lily Rabe, Seminar

Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Ghost

Molly Ranson, Carrie

Condola Rashad, Stick Fly

Matthew Rhys, Look Back In Anger

Alan Rickman, Seminar

Elena Roger, Evita

Jeremy Shamos, Clybourne Park

Kevin Spacey, Richard III

Stephen Spinella, An Iliad

Mary Testa, Queen of the Mist

Blair Underwood, A Streetcar Named Desire

Mary Louise Wilson, 4,000 Miles

The Drama League wishes to recognize the superb contributions to the season of its previous Distinguished Performance Award winners including:

Norbert Leo Butz, How I Learned To Drive

Zoe Caldwell, Elective Affinities

Kathleen Chalfant, Painting Churches

Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities

Rosemary Harris, The Road To Mecca

Hugh Jackman, Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway

Sir Derek Jacobi, King Lear

James Earl Jones, Gore Vidal’s The Best Man

Frank Langella, Man and Boy

John Lithgow, The Columnist

Patti LuPone, An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin

Bebe Neuwirth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Bernadette Peters, Follies

Sam Waterston, King Lear

DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICAL THEATRE

Alan Menken

UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE THEATRE

Rosie O’Donnell

FOUNDERS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DIRECTING

Diane Paulus

Press contact: O&M Co