Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music | |
---|---|
Awarded for | Outstanding Music |
Location | New York City |
Country | United States |
Presented by | Drama Desk |
First awarded | 1968 |
Currently held by | Shaina Taub for Suffs (2024) |
Website | dramadesk.org (defunct) |
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in musical theatre (distinct from incidental music in plays) across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. The award was originally entitled Best Composer, before being renamed to its current title in 1969. The award is often referred to as Outstanding Score of a Musical.
Year | Composer | Production |
---|---|---|
1968 | ||
Al Carmines | In Circles | |
Galt MacDermot | Hair | |
1969 | ||
Al Carmines | Peace | |
Burt Bacharach | Promises, Promises |
Year | Composer | Production |
---|---|---|
2020 | ||
Dave Malloy | Octet | |
Ross Golan | The Wrong Man | |
Michael R. Jackson | A Strange Loop | |
Joshua Rosenblum | Einstein's Dreams | |
Duncan Sheik | The Secret Life of Bees | |
Jeanine Tesori | Soft Power | |
2021 | No awards: New York theatres shuttered, March 2020 to September 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City [1] | |
2022 | ||
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss | Six | |
Jason Howland | Paradise Square | |
Matt Ray | The Hang | |
Carrie Rodriguez | ¡Americano! | |
Jeanine Tesori | Kimberly Akimbo | |
2023 | ||
Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally | Shucked | |
Michael R. Jackson | White Girl in Danger | |
Tom Kitt and AnnMarie Milazzo | Almost Famous | |
Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson | Between the Lines | |
The Kilbanes | Weightless | |
2024 [2] | ||
Shaina Taub | Suffs | |
Jason Robert Brown | The Connector | |
Justin Huertas | Lizard Boy: The Musical | |
Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justin Levine | The Outsiders | |
David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna | Dead Outlaw | |
|
|
|
|
The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Following the 1964 renaming as the Drama Desk Awards, Broadway productions were included beginning with the 1968–69 award season. The awards are considered a significant American theater distinction.
Jeanine Tesori, known earlier in her career as Jeanine Levenson, is an American composer and musical arranger best known for her work in the theater. She is the most prolific and honored female theatrical composer in history, with five Broadway musicals and six Tony Award nominations. She won the 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in a Play for Nicholas Hytner's production of Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center, the 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music for Caroline, or Change, the 2015 Tony Award for Best Original Score for Fun Home, making them the first female writing team to win that award, and the 2023 Tony Award for Best Original Score for Kimberly Akimbo. She was named a Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalist twice for Fun Home and Soft Power.
Alex Timbers is an American writer and director best known for his work on stage and television. He has received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Drama Desk Award, as well as nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Grammy Award. Timbers received the Drama League Founder's Award for Excellence in Directing and the Jerome Robbins Award for Directing.
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical was an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. The award was one of eight new acting awards first presented in 1975, when Drama Desk retired an earlier award that had made no distinction between work in plays and musicals, nor between actors and actresses, nor between lead performers and featured performers.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical was an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. The award was one of eight new acting awards first presented in 1975, when Drama Desk retired an earlier award that had made no distinction between work in plays and musicals, nor between actors and actresses, nor between lead performers and featured performers.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical was an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. The award was one of eight new acting awards first presented in 1975, when Drama Desk retired an earlier award that had made no distinction between work in plays and musicals, nor between actors and actresses, nor between lead performers and featured performers.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical was an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. The award was one of eight new acting awards first presented in 1975, when Drama Desk retired an earlier award that had made no distinction between work in plays and musicals, nor between actors and actresses, nor between lead performers and featured performers.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of 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. The awards were established in 1955, with the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director being presented each year to a director from any play or musical production. Starting in 1975, the singular director's award was replaced by separate play and musical categories.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. The awards were established in 1955, with the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director being presented each year to a director from any play or musical production. Starting in 1975, the singular director's award was replaced by separate play and musical categories.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of 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. The award was first presented at the 1993 ceremony, after Drama Desk retired the Outstanding Revival (1955–1992), a singular award covering achievement by either a play or a musical production. The accompanying category Revival of a Musical was also created, though it was first presented at the 1994 ceremony.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical 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. The award was first presented at the 1994 ceremony, after Drama Desk retired the Outstanding Revival category (1955–1992), a singular award covering achievement by either a play or a musical production. The accompanying Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play was also created, though it was first presented at the 1993 ceremony.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in musical theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. It was first presented at the 1969 ceremony, under the shorter name Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book, changing to its current name as of the 1988 ceremony.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in musical theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. This category was eliminated after the 2011 ceremony, only to be reinstated about a week later due to popular and overwhelming demand from much of the Broadway community.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music 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 plays produced in New York City. This category was introduced at the 1980 ceremony, presented sporadically through 2008, and has been regularly awarded since 2009.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Sound Design for a Musical is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Scenic Design for a Musical is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design for a Play is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City.
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical is an annual award presented by Drama Desk recognize achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City.