Thursday, April 23, 2015

Lin-Manuel Miranda's HAMILTON Dominates the 2014-15 Drama Desk Awards With 13 Nominations; Chita Rivera, José Joaquín Pérez and Paola Lázaro-Muñoz Also Receive Nods

Judith Light and Jessie Mueller announced the nominations for the 60th Annual Drama Desk Awards at 54 Below in Manhattan's Theater District on Thursday, April 23, 2015. The Drama Desk Awards honor outstanding achievement by professional theater artists on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway.

Eligibility and award category designations for the productions under consideration this season were determined by the Drama Desk board of directors with recommendations from the nominating committee. Because of the abundance of great work throughout the season, the Board also authorized the increase in the number of nominees allowed in select categories.


Left to right: Alex Lacamoire
and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Chita Rivera.
The Lin-Manuel Miranda musical Hamilton, which is headed to Broadway this summer, received the most Drama Desk nominations with thirteen (13), including Outstanding Musical and four nominations for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, Outstanding Lyrics, Outstanding Music and Outstanding Book of a Musical. Alex Lacamoire also received a nod for Outstanding Orchestrations for the same work, which also received nominations for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Leslie Odom, Jr.), Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Renée Elise Goldsberry), Outstanding Director of a Musical (Thomas Kail), Outstanding Set Design (David Korins), Outstanding Costume Design (Paul Tazewell), Outstanding Lighting Design (Howell Binkley), Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical (Nevin Steinberg), and a Special Award for the "inspired and heart-stopping" choreography of Andy Blankenbuehler.

José Joaquín Pérez.
Paola Lázaro-Muñoz.
Other Latinos nominated for a Drama Desk Award include Chita Rivera (Outstanding Actress in a Musical for the Kander-Ebb-McNally musical The Visit), José Joaquín Pérez (Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for Elizabeth Irwin's My Mañana Comes), Paola Lázaro-Muñoz (Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for Lisa Ramírez's To The Bone) and César Álvarez (Outstanding Music in a Play for Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' An Octoroon). Portuguese-born actress Ismenia Mendes, along with Kelly AuCoin, Jon DeVries, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Rebecca Henderson, Marc Kudisch, Jenn Lyon, Lizbeth Mackay, David McElwee, and Will Pullen, received a special award for Outstanding Ensemble for their work on A.R. Gurney's The Wayside Motor Inn.

The 60th Annual Drama Desk Awards will be hosted by Laura Benanti and be presented on Sunday, May 31, 2015 at Town Hall, located in the theater district of midtown Manhattan. For more information, click here.

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