Drama Desk Awards 2025 nominations announced: full list of nominees for the 69th annual celebration
Discover the full list of nominations for the 2025 Drama Desk Awards, honoring the best of Broadway, Off-Broadway, and beyond.
The nominees for the 69th Annual Drama Desk Awards have been officially announced. Photo: GLR composition/ Drama Desk Awards
The 69th ceremony of the Drama Desk Awards 2025 it's nearly here and the full list of nominations has been officially announced.
Set on Sunday, June 1, 2025, at NYU Skirball in New York City, this ceremony celebrates the New York's theater community and promises to be an incredible night with the best of Broadway and Off-Broadway performances.
What are the Drama Desk Awards?
While there are many awards that celebrate theater in the U.S. and the world, the Drama Desk Awards are the only award ceremony in which productions on Broadway, Off Broadway, and even Off-Off Broadway compete against each other in the same categories.
Additionally, all categories for performances are gender-neutral, and the honor is voted on by theater critics, journalists, editors, and publishers covering theater.
Full list of nominees for Drama Desk Awards 2025
Outstanding play
- Blood of the Lamb by Arlene Hutton
- Deep Blue Sound by Abe Koogler
- Grangeville by Samuel D. Hunter
- John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower
- Liberation by Bess Wohl
- Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Outstanding musical
- BOOP! The Musical
- Death Becomes Her
- Just in Time
- Maybe Happy Ending
- Music City
Outstanding revival of a play
- Eureka Day
- Garside’s Career
- Home
- Wine in the Wilderness
- Yellow Face
Outstanding revival of a musical
- Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
- Floyd Collins
- Gypsy
- Once Upon a Mattress
- See What I Wanna See
- Sunset Blvd.
Outstanding lead Performance in a play
- Betsy Aidem, The Ask
- Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California
- Patsy Ferran, A Streetcar Named Desire
- Danny J. Gomez, All of Me
- Doug Harris, Redeemed
- Patrick Keleher, Fatherland
- Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
- Lily Rabe, Ghosts
- Jay O. Sanders, Henry IV (Theatre for a New Audience)
- Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray
- Paul Sparks, Grangeville
- Olivia Washington, Wine in the Wilderness
Outstanding lead performance in a musical
- Tatianna Córdoba, Real Women Have Curves
- Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
- Sutton Foster, Once Upon a Mattress
- Tom Francis, Sunset Blvd.
- Jonathan Groff, Just in Time
- Grey Henson, Elf
- Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins
- Audra McDonald, Gypsy
- Jasmine Amy Rogers, BOOP! The Musical
- Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd.
- Helen J. Shen, Maybe Happy Ending
- Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding featured performance in a play
- Greg Keller, Pre-Existing Condition
- Julia Lester, All Nighter
- Adrienne C. Moore, The Blood Quilt
- Deirdre O’Connell, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
- Maria-Christina Oliveras, Cymbeline
- Maryann Plunkett, Deep Blue Sound
- Michael Rishawn, Table 17
- Jude Tibeau, Bad Kreyòl
- Anjana Vasan, A Streetcar Named Desire
- Frank Wood, Hold On to Me Darling
- Amalia Yoo, John Proctor is the Villain
- Kara Young, Purpose
Outstanding featured performance in a musical
- Brooks Ashmanskas, Smash
- Nicholas Barasch, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
- André De Shields, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
- John El-Jor, We Live in Cairo
- Jason Gotay, Floyd Collins
- Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time
- Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat
- Lesli Margherita, Gypsy
- Zachary Noah Piser, See What I Wanna See
- Jenny Lee Stern, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song
- Michael Urie, Once Upon a Mattress
- Natalie Walker, The Big Gay Jamboree
Outstanding solo performance
- David Greenspan, I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan
- Ryan J. Haddad, Hold Me in the Water
- Sam Kissajukian, 300 Paintings
- Mark Povinelli, The Return of Benjamin Lay
- Andrew Scott, Vanya
Outstanding direction of a play
- David Cromer and Caitlin Sullivan, The Antiquities
- Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
- Tyne Rafaeli, Becoming Eve
- Jack Serio, Grangeville
- Danya Taymor, John Proctor is the Villain
- Whitney White, Liberation
- Kip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Outstanding direction of a musical
- Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending
- Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
- Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Blvd.
- Jerry Mitchell, BOOP! The Musical
- Alex Timbers, Just in Time
- George C. Wolfe, Gypsy
Outstanding choreography
- Camille A. Brown, Gypsy
- Warren Carlyle, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
- Jakob Karr, Ain’t Done Bad
- Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
- Jerry Mitchell, BOOP! The Musical
- Sergio Trujillo, Real Women Have Curves
Outstanding music
- Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
- David Foster, BOOP! The Musical
- Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, Real Women Have Curves
- Zoe Sarnak, The Lonely Few
- The Lazours, We Live in Cairo
Outstanding lyrics
- Gerard Alessandrini, Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song
- Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
- David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
- Adam Gwon, All the World’s a Stage
- Marla Mindelle and Philip Drennen, The Big Gay Jamboree
- Luis Quintero, Medea: Re-Versed
Outstanding book of a musical
- Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
- David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
- Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver, Just in Time
- Bob Martin, BOOP! The Musical
- Marla Mindelle and Jonathan Parks-Ramage, The Big Gay Jamboree
- Marco Pennette, Death Becomes Her
Outstanding orchestrations
- Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending
- Doug Besterman, BOOP! The Musical
- Joseph Joubert and Daryl Waters, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
- Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, Just in Time
- Michael Starobin, All the World’s a Stage
Outstanding scenic design of a play
- Miriam Buether, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
- Miriam Buether, and Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher (illusions and visual effects), Stranger Things: The First Shadow
- Rob Howell, The Hills of California
- Johan Kølkjær, Dark Noon
- Grace Laubacher, Life and Trust
- Matt Saunders, Walden
Outstanding scenic design of a musical
- Clifton Chadick, Music City
- Rachel Hauck, Swept Away
- Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, Maybe Happy Ending (includes video design)
- Derek McLane, Just in Time
- David Rockwell and Finn Ross (projections), BOOP! The Musical
Outstanding costume design of a play
- Brenda Abbandandolo, The Antiquities
- Dede Ayite, Our Town
- Christopher Ford, The Beastiary
- Camilla Lind, Dark Noon
- Karl Ruckdeschel, Twelfth Night
Outstanding costume design of a musical
- Gregg Barnes, BOOP! The Musical
- Sarah Cubbage, The Big Gay Jamboree
- Toni-Leslie James, Gypsy
- Qween Jean, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
- Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her
- Catherine Zuber, Just in Time
Outstanding lighting design of a play
- Isabella Byrd, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
- Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
- Natasha Katz, John Proctor is the Villain
- Tyler Micoleau, The Antiquities
- Paul Whitaker, SUMO
Outstanding lighting design of a musical
- Kevin Adams, Swept Away
- Adam Honoré, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
- Jack Knowles, Sunset Blvd.
- Philip S. Rosenberg, BOOP! The Musical
- Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun (projections), Floyd Collins
Outstanding sound design of a play
- Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
- Johnny Gasper, Two Sisters Find a Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods
- Matt Otto, All of Me
- Bray Poor, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
- Clemence Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
- Fan Zhang, Good Bones
Outstanding sound design of a musical
- Adam Fisher, Sunset Blvd.
- Peter Hylenski, Just in Time
- Scott Lehrer, Gypsy
- Mick Potter, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
- Dan Moses Schreier, Floyd Collins
Outstanding projection and video design
- Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom, Sunset Blvd.
- Jake Barton, McNeal
- David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray
- Jesse Garrison, The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [redux]
- Hana S. Kim, Redwood
Outstanding wig and hair
- Alberto “Albee” Alvarado, SUMO
- Charles G. LaPointe, Death Becomes Her
- Sabana Majeed, BOOP! The Musical
- Nikiya Mathis, Cats: “The Jellicle Ball”
- Nikiya Mathis, Liberation
Outstanding puppetry
- Dorothy James, Bill’s 44th
- Tom Lee, See What I Wanna See
- Simple Mischief Studio, Small Acts of Daring Invention
- Amanda Villalobos, Becoming Eve
- Kirjan Waage, Dead as a Dodo
Outstanding fight choreography
- Drew Leary, Romeo + Juliet
- Chelsea Pace and James Yaegashi, SUMO
- Rick Sordelet and Christian Kelly-Sordelet, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
- Bret Yount, King Lear
Outstanding adaptation
- Becoming Eve, by Emil Weinstein
- Cymbeline, by Andrea Thome
- Medea: Re-Versed, by Luis Quintero
- Pirates! The Penzance Musical, by Rupert Holmes
- The Devil’s Disciple, by David Staller
Outstanding revue
- Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song
- Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now!
- The Jonathan Larson Project
- The World According to Micki Grant
Unique theatrical experience
- Odd Man Out
- The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [redux]
- The Picture of Dorian Gray
- The Voices in Your Head
- The Wind and the Rain: A story about Sunny’s Bar
