2011 Drama Desk Awards

The winners of the 2011 Drama Desk Awards have been given out and the winners include some expected choices (Book of Mormon for Best Musical, for example), and continued the rivalry between Good People and War Horse for the Best Play Prize. War Horse has now won the Drama League, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Play, though only voters for the first two groups can vote for the Tony Awards, while Good People has won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the voters for which are also Tony voters. After this announcement, I will be reworking my predictions slightly.


Outstanding Play
Nick Stafford, War Horse

Outstanding Musical
The Book of Mormon

Outstanding Revival of a Play
The Normal Heart

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Anything Goes

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Bobby Cannavale, The Motherf**ker With the Hat

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Frances McDormand, Good People

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Sutton Foster, Anything Goes

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Edie Falco, The House of Blue Leaves

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Outstanding Director of a Play
Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon

Outstanding Choreography
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes

Outstanding Music
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, The Book of Mormon

Outstanding Lyrics
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, The Book of Mormon

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Adam Mathias, See Rock City & Other Destinations

Outstanding Orchestrations
Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus, The Book of Mormon

Outstanding Music in a Play
Wayne Barker, Peter and the Starcatcher

Outstanding Revue
Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles on Broadway

Outstanding Set Design
Derek McLane, Anything Goes

Outstanding Costume Design
Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner, Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Outstanding Lighting Design
David Lander, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical
Brian Ronan, Anything Goes

Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Acme Sound Partners and Cricket S. Myers, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

Outstanding Solo Performance
John Leguizamo, Ghetto Klown

Unique Theatrical Experience
Sleep No More



The awards committee also gives out some special awards every year, and the 2011 winners of these awards are:

—A.R. Gurney for his enduring, keenly observed portraits of American life over a prolific four-decade-long career

—Reed Birney for his versatile and finely nuanced performances over the past 35 years, and for his exceptional work this season in Tigers Be Still, A Small Fire and The Dream of the Burning Boy

—The New Group and Artistic Director Scott Elliott for presenting contemporary new voices, and for uncompromisingly raw and powerful productions.

— The Pearl Theatre Company for notable productions of classic plays and nurturing a stalwart resident company of actors

—The creative team of War Horse for thrilling stagecraft: Paule Constable, Marianne Elliott, 59 Productions, Adrian Kohler with Basil Jones for Handspring Puppet Company, Tom Morris, Rae Smith, Christopher Shutt, Toby Sedgwick, Adrian Sutton and John Tams

This year the nominators gave special ensemble awards for acting to the casts of two shows: In Transit and The Normal Heart, rendering cast members ineligible for competitive awards on an individual basis.