Weather 
The 70th Annual Drama Desk Awards is set to be the largest gathering in the organization’s seven-decade history — with the most Drama Desk winners and nominees, past and present, ever assembled for the ceremony. On Sunday, May 17, Broadway legends, Off-Broadway pioneers, Hollywood stars, and television favorites will descend on The Town Hall for an evening hosted by Titaníque’s Marla Mindelle, marking the Awards’ first return to the historic venue since the 2020 Broadway shutdown.
The 70th Annual Drama Desk Awards is conceived as a tribute to the artists, institutions, and communities that have defined seventy years of New York theater — from the Off-Off-Broadway movement to the great Broadway houses, from the city’s longest-running musicals to its boldest new work. Over seven decades, the Drama Desks have honored excellence across every tier of the New York stage, and the 70th-anniversary ceremony is built to reflect that breadth.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT HONORS
The ceremony will present the Harold S. Prince Award for lifetime achievement to Tom Schumacher, the former President and Producer of Disney Theatrical Productions, whose three-decade tenure delivered The Lion King, Aladdin, Mary Poppins, Newsies, Frozen, and Hercules to the Broadway stage. The William Wolf Award will honor songwriting partners Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire, collaborators since college and the writers behind Starting Here, Starting Now, Closer Than Ever, and this season’s About Time.
DRAMA DESK PRESENTER HIGHLIGHTS
Past Drama Desk Award winners returning as presenters include three-time winner Raúl Esparza, two-time winners Norbert Leo Butz and Christopher Fitzgerald, and Drama Desk recipients Donna McKechnie, Beth Leavel, BD Wong, Doug Wright, Bess Wohl, Robin de Jesús, Jenn Colella, Ethan Slater, Javier Muñoz, Nikiya Mathis, and others. Past Drama Desk nominees joining as presenters include Daniel Breaker, Helen J Shen, Whitney White, Toni-Leslie James, Alex Brightman, Hunter Foster, Lea DeLaria, Zhailon Levingston, and John Ortiz. Additional presenters include Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians), Whitney Leavitt (Chicago), Jasmine Cephas-Jones (Hamilton), Ali Louis Bourzgui (Lost Boys), Liisi LaFontaine (Wanted), Solea Pfeiffer (Wanted), Ann Harada (Schmigadoon!), and David Zayas (Cost of Living), with the full list subject to change, and more to be announced.
DRAMA DESK NOMINEE HIGHLIGHTS
The 70th Anniversary nominees expected at The Town Hall on May 17 include seven-time Drama Desk winner Nathan Lane (Death of a Salesman), four-time Drama Desk winner John Lithgow (Giant), four-time Drama Desk winner Joe Mantello (Death of a Salesman), three-time Drama Desk winner Nevin Steinberg (Anna Christie), two-time Drama Desk winners Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Joe Turner’s Come and Gone) and Derek McLane (The Adding Machine and The Balusters), Drama Desk winners Laurie Metcalf (Death of a Salesman), Patrick Page (Titus Andronicus), Brandon Uranowitz (Ragtime), Kara Young (Gruesome Playground Injuries), David Cromer (Caroline), Christopher Gattelli (Schmigadoon!), Jasmine Amy Rogers (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Emilio Sosa (The Balusters), and Paul Tazewell (Joe Turner’s Come and Gone), alongside Joshua Henry (Ragtime), Anika Noni Rose (The Balusters), Caissie Levy (Ragtime), Dulé Hill (Lights Out: Nat ‘King’ Cole), Judy Kuhn (The Baker’s Wife), Ruthie Ann Miles (The Seat of Our Pants), John Krasinski (Angry Alan), Lesley Manville (Oedipus), Luke Evans (The Rocky Horror Show), Stephanie Hsu (The Rocky Horror Show), Noah Galvin (The Reservoir), Alden Ehrenreich (Becky Shaw), Richard Thomas (The Balusters), Lilli Cooper (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Kenny Leon (The Balusters), Lear deBessonet (Ragtime), and Leigh Silverman (The Seat of Our Pants). The Drama Desk Ensemble Award will go to the cast of Marjorie Prime — Danny Burstein, Christopher Lowell, Cynthia Nixon, and June Squibb.
ABOUT THE CEREMONY
The 70th Annual Drama Desk Awards will recognize the outstanding New York theater of the 2025–2026 season. The full nominations list is available HERE!
