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The Drama League has revealed the 2026 Special Recognition Honorees of the 92nd Annual Drama League Awards, who will be celebrated for their outstanding lifetime contributions to the theater industry and to popular culture.
Olivier and Grammy-nominated actress Caissie Levy will receive the Award for Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater for her outstanding work on stage as part of the musical theater community. Currently starring as ‘Mother’ in Lincoln Center Theater’s acclaimed revival of Ragtime, Levy made her Broadway debut twenty years ago in Hairspray and was most recently seen in the celebrated West End production of Next to Normal.
Tony Award-winning director David Cromer will be honored with the Founders Award for Excellence in Directing for his expertise, which this season in New York includes The Fear of 13 on Broadway, Bug on Broadway, Meet the Cartozians at Second Stage, and Caroline at MCC Theater.
For her exemplary work as Executive Producer of The Apollo Theatre, Kamilah Forbes will be honored with the Contribution to the Theater Award, celebrating her visionary excellence and transformative artistic achievements in American theater.
The Gratitude Award will be presented to Tony nominee and Olivier Award winner Scott Ellis, in recognition of his exceptional leadership at Roundabout Theatre Company and his significant contributions to Broadway and the greater theatrical landscape. This season on Broadway, he is the director of Fallen Angels and Art.
These awards will be presented during the famed luncheon ceremony at The Ziegfeld Ballroom on Friday, May 15, 2026, at 11:00 AM. The event will be hosted by Emmy Award winner Frank DiLella.
Nominations for the 2025-26 Broadway and Off-Broadway season will be announced on Monday, April 20, 2026 at 11:00 AM, at Lincoln Center’s New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and will also be livestreamed by BroadwayWorld.
Honoring the outstanding accomplishments of the theatrical community, The Drama League Awards will be bestowed in the following categories:
Distinguished Performance Award
Outstanding Production of a Play
Outstanding Production of a Musical
Outstanding Revival of a Play
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Outstanding Direction of a Play
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Founders Award for Excellence in Directing
Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater
Contribution to the Theater Award
The Gratitude Award
Broadway and Off-Broadway productions must have started previews between April 21, 2025, and April 18, 2026 to be eligible for this season’s Drama League Awards.
