The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City.
| Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play |
| Location | New York City |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Drama Desk |
| First awarded | 2023 |
| Currently held by |
|
| Website | dramadesk.org (defunct) |
From 1955 to 1974, acting awards were given only for lead performances, without making distinctions between roles in plays and musicals, nor between actors and actresses. From 1975 to 2022, acting awards were presented in eight categories: separate categories by gender; further divided by lead or featured performer; producing four acting awards each for plays and musicals.
In 2023, the Drama Desk organization announced that, starting with that year's awards, the eight acting categories had been retired and replaced with four gender neutral categories with twice the winners and nominees: separate categories by lead or featured performer; producing two acting categories each for plays and musicals.[1] The former awards for Outstanding Actor in a Play and Outstanding Actress in a Play were merged to create this Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play category.
Nominees
edit2020s
edit| Year | Actor | Title | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 [2] | |||
| Sean Hayes | Good Night, Oscar | Oscar Levant | |
| Jessica Chastain | A Doll's House | Nora Helmer | |
| Hiran Abeysekera | Life of Pi | Pi | |
| Kyle Beltran | A Case for the Existence of God | Keith | |
| Will Brill | A Case for the Existence of God | Ryan | |
| Brittany Bradford | Wedding Band | Julia Augustine | |
| Sharon D. Clarke | Death of a Salesman | Linda Loman | |
| Denise Manning | Amani | Amani | |
| Audra McDonald | Ohio State Murders | Suzanne Alexander | |
| Wendell Pierce | Death of a Salesman | Willy Loman | |
| John Douglas Thompson | Endgame | Hamm | |
| Kara Young | Twelfth Night | Viola | |
| 2024[3] | |||
| Jessica Lange | Mother Play | Phyllis | |
| Sarah Paulson | Appropriate | Antoinette "Toni" Lafayette | |
| Nicole Cooper | Macbeth (an undoing) | Lady Macbeth | |
| William Jackson Harper | Primary Trust | Kenneth | |
| Rachel McAdams | Mary Jane | Mary Jane | |
| Tobias Menzies | The Hunt | Lucas | |
| Leslie Odom, Jr. | Purlie Victorious | Purlie Victorious Judson | |
| A.J. Shively | Philadelphia, Here I Come! | Gareth “Gar” O’Donnell | |
| Juliet Stevenson | The Doctor | Ruth Wolff | |
| Michael Stuhlbarg | Patriots | Boris Berezovsky |
References
edit- ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (April 26, 2023). "Drama Desk Awards Go Gender Neutral". Playbill. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Gordon, David (April 27, 2023). "Shucked, Some Like It Hot Lead 2023 Drama Desk Award Nominations". Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ "Stereophonic Leads 2024 Drama Desk Awards with 7 Wins Including Outstanding Play - Playbill.com". 2024-06-10. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
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