The annual presentation of the Tony Awards by the Broadway Theatre Wing is one of the biggest nights in theatre but the annual Drama League Awards are among the oldest award in theatre.  Along wit the awards for plays and musicals is the Distinguished Performance Award – an award that can be won only once by an artist in their career.

On April 25 the nominees for the 88th annual Drama League Awards were announced in an event from the New York Library. The winners will be announced in a gala event from the Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 20.

Along with the normal awards, this year the Drama League will be honouring Hugh Jackman from “The Music Man”, Willette Murphy Klausner for producing “American Buffalo”, Billy Crystal for “Mr. Saturday Night”, Lileana Blain-Cruz for directing “The Skin of Our Teeth” as a part of their Special Recognition ceremonies.

88th annual Drama League Award nominees:
Distinguished Performance Award:
Uzo Aduba in “Clyde’s”
Simon Russell Beale in “The Lehman Trilogy”
Shoshana Bean in “Mr. Saturday Night”
Gabby Beans in “The Skin of Our Teeth”
Victoria Clark in “Kimberly Akimbo”
Sharon D. Clarke in “Caroline, or Change”
Billy Crystal in “Mr. Saturday Night”
Matt Doyle in “Company”
Rachel Dratch in “POTUS: or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive”
Edie Falco in “Morning Sun”
Tyler Fauntleroy in “Tambo & Bones”
Beanie Feldstein in “Funny Girl”
Jesse Tyler Ferguson in “Take Me Out”
Sutton Foster in “The Music Man”
Myles Frost in “MJ: The Musical”
Adrianna Hicks in “SIX”
Marin Ireland in “Morning Sun”
Nikki M. James in “SUFFS”
Ron Cephas Jones in “Clyde’s”
Joaquina Kalukango in “Paradise Square”
LaChanze in “Trouble in Mind”
L. Morgan Lee in “A Strange Loop”
Jane Lynch in “Funny Girl”
Taylor Mac in “The Hang”
Brittney Mack in “SIX”
Ebony Marshall-Oliver in “7 Minutes”
Elizabeth Marvel in “Long Day’s Journey into Night”
James McAvoy in “Cyrano de Bergerac”
Rob McClure in “Mrs. Doubtfire”
Kenita R. Miller in “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf”
Bonnie Milligan in “Kimberly Akimbo”
David Morse in “How I Learned to Drive”
Sarah Jessica Parker in “Plaza Suite”
Phylicia Rashad in “Skeleton Crew”
Ruben Santiago-Hudson in “Lackawanna Blues”
Arturo Luis Soria in “Ni Mi Madre”
Jarquel Spivey in “A Strange Loop”
Cecily Strong in “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
Will Swenson in “Assassins”
Julie White in “POTUS: or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive”
Jesse Williams in “Take Me Out”
Michelle Wilson in “Confederates”

The Drama League also recognizes previous Distinguished Performance Award winners for the outstanding work on Broadway and Off-Broadway of the pas season – Hugh Jackson, Patti LuPone, and Mary-Louise Parker.

Outstanding Production of a Play:
“Clyde’s”
“Confederates”
“Dana H.”
“English”
“Hangmen”
“The Lehman Trilogy”
“Merry Wives”
“The Minutes”
“POTUS: or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive”
“Prayer for the French Republic”
“Selling Kabul”

Outstanding Revival of a Play:
“American Buffalo”
“Cyrano de Bergerac”
“for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf”
“How I Learned to Drive”
“Long Day’s Journey into Night”
“Skeleton Crew”
The Skin of Our Teeth”
“Take Me Out”
“Trouble in Mind”

Outstanding Production of a Musical:
David Byrne’s “American Utopia”
“The Hang”
“Kimberly Akimbo”
“MJ: The Musical”
“Mr. Saturday Night”
“Mrs. Doubtfire”
“Oratorio for Living Things”
“SIX”
“A Strange Loop”
“Suffs”

Outstanding Revival of a Musical:
“Assassins”
“Company”
“Caroline, or Change”
“Funny Girl”
“The Music Man”

Outstanding Direction of a Play:
Knud Adam for “English”
Saheem Ali for “Merry Wives”
Stori Ayers for “Confederates”
Camille A. Brown for “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf”
Matthew Dunster for “Hangmen”
Jamie Lloyd for “Cyrano de Burgerac”
Sam Mendes for “The Lehman Trilogy”
Tyne Rafaeli for “Selling Kabul”
Taylor Reynolds for “Tambo & Bones”
Les Waters for “Dana H.”
Kate Whoriskey for “Clyde’s”

Outstanding Direction of a Musical:
John Doyle for “Assassins”
Marianne Elliott for “Company”
Lee Sunday Evans for “Oratorio for Living Things”
Michael Mayer for “Funny Girl”
Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage for “SIX”
Leigh Silverman for “Suffs”
Niegel Smith for “The Hang”
Christopher Wheeldon for “MJ: The Musical”
Jerry Zaks for “The Music Man”