SOUTH PACIFIC HEADS LIST OF 2007/2008 DRAMA DESK WINNERS WITH 5 AWARDS, FOLLOWED BY AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, GYPSY AND PASSING STRANGE WITH 3 BOEING-BOEING, LES LIAISON DANGEREUSES, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE AND THE 39 STEPS ARE OTHER MULTIPLE WINNERS WITH 2 EACH
Patti LuPone (Gypsy), Paulo Szot (South Pacific), Deanna Dunagan (August: Osage County) and Mark Rylance (Boeing- Boeing) Win Top Acting Awards
New York, NY, May 18, 2008 – South Pacific, the Lincoln Center revival of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic 1949 musical, won five awards, including Outstanding Musical Revival, to head the list of 2007/2008 Drama Desk Award winners at the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards, held tonight at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center. August: Osage County, Tracy Letts’ Steppenwolf Theatre production of a dysfunctional family, won three Drama Desk Awards as did the revival of Gypsy, the 1959 Jule Styne/Stephen Sondheim/Arthur Laurents musical, and the new Broadway musical Passing Strange,by Stew and Heidi Rodewald.Deanna Dunagan (August: Osage County) won the award as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama and Patti LuPone (Gypsy) won as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical. Paulo Szot (South Pacific) was named Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical and Mark Rylance (Boeing-Boeing) won the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Award.Laurence Fishburne received the Outstanding Solo Performance award for his tour de force portrayal of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in Thurgood. The Unique Theatrical Experience award was presented to The 39 Steps and Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakeningwon as Outstanding Revue.
Conleth Hill (The Seafarer) and Linda Lavin (The New Century) were cited as Outstanding Featured Actor and Actress in a Play. Boyd Gaines and Linda Benanti, both in Gypsy,won the Outstanding Featured Acting Awards in a Musical.
The Drama Desk Awards for staging went to Anna D. Shapiro (August: Osage County) as Outstanding Director of a Play, and to Bartlett Sher (South Pacific) as Outstanding Director of a Musical. Rob Ashford (Cry Baby The Musical) was honored for Outstanding Choreography.Stew and Heidi Rodewald (Passing Strange) won the Outstanding Music Award and Stew (Passing Strange) also won for Outstanding Lyrics. Douglas Carter Beane (Xanadu) captured the award for Outstanding Book of a Musical and Jason Carr (Sunday in the Park with George) won for Outstanding Orchestrations. In the design categories, Scott Pask (Les Liaisons Dangereuses)won for Outstanding Set Design of a Play, and Michael Yeargan won the Drama Desk Award for his Outstanding Set Design of a Musical for his creative contributions to South Pacific.The Outstanding Costume Design award was presented to Katrina Lindsay (Les Liaison Dangereuses). Kevin Adams (The 39 Steps) won for Outstanding Lighting Design and Scott Lehrer (South Pacific) was honored for his Outstanding Sound Design.Timothy Bird and The Knifedge Creative Network won the Outstanding Projection and Video Design award, a new Drama Desk Awards category this year, for their exciting contributions to Sunday in the Park with George.
This year the nominators chose to bestow special ensemble awards for acting to the casts of two shows – The Dining Room (Off-Broadway) and The Homecoming (Broadway). Thus, individual cast members for these shows were not eligible for acting awards in the competitive categories. The Drama Desk maintained its tradition of acknowledging excellence in the theater by presenting special awards to: Edward Albee, James Earl Jones, 59E59 Theaters and Playwrights Horizons.
This year’s winners were the first recipients of a handsome new trophy created and hand crafted specifically for the Drama Desk Awards by Robert Du Grenier Associates, Inc., a world renowned design studio specializing in glass sculptural pieces and three dimensional designs.
The awards ceremony was hosted by cast members of the Broadway-bound musical [title of show] – Hunter Bell, Susan Blackwell, Jeff Bowen, Heidi Blickenstaff and Larry Pressgrove. Presenters included (in alphabetical order): Elizabeth Ashley, Laura Benanti, Michael Berresse, John Cullum, Jim Dale, Harvey Fierstein, Laurence Fishburne, Leigh Ann Larkin, Priscilla Lopez, Patti LuPone, Andrea Martin, Bill Pullman, Marisa Tomei and Julie White. There was a special appearance by Dixie Longate. Music was provided by Barry Levitt (piano), Jon Burr (bass) and Roger Squitero (percussion).
The 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards was webcast with live streaming video from 9:00 PM to its conclusion by TheaterMania.com, and was broadcast live in its entirety on satellite radio’s XM-28 On Broadway.
The 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards is presented by Executive Producer Robert R. Blume in association with TheaterMania.com.Lauren Class Schneider is producer, and Jeff Kalpak, director. Peter Flynn is the writer. Associate Producers are Les Schecter, Corine Dana Cohen, Matthew P. Donoghue, Jacki Barlia Florin and Margot Astrachan. Elias EL-Hage is General Manager. Stuart F. Margulies (SFM Management Ltd.) is the Drama Desk Awards accountant. Roy A. Somlyo is Consulting Producer.
The Board of Directors of the Drama Desk is composed of: William Wolf, President; Leslie (Hoban) Blake, Vice President; Charles Wright, Treasurer and 2nd Vice President; Joyce Hauser, Secretary; Ellis Nassour; Michael Bracken; David Kaufman; Sam Norkin; Barbara Siegel, and Elyse Sommer.
2007/2008 DRAMA DESK AWARD WINNERSOutstanding
Play: August: Osage County by Tracy LettsOutstanding Musical: Passing StrangeOutstanding Revival of a Play: Boeing-Boeing by Marc CamolettiOutstanding Revival of a Musical: South Pacific by Rodgers and HammersteinOutstanding Revue Forbidden Broadway: Rude AwakeningOutstanding Actor in a Play: Mark Rylance (Boeing-Boeing)Outstanding Actress in a Play: Deanna Dunagan (August: Osage County)Outstanding Actor in a Musical: Paolo Szot (South Pacific)Outstanding Actress in a Musical: Patti LuPone (Gypsy) Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play: Conleth Hill (The Seafarer)Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play: Linda Lavin (The New Century)Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical: Boyd Gaines (Gypsy)Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical: Laura Benanti (Gypsy)Outstanding Director of a Play: Anna D. Shapiro (August: Osage County)Outstanding Director of a Musical: Bartlett Sher (South Pacific)Outstanding Choreography: Rob Ashford (Cry Baby The Musical)Outstanding Music: Stew and Heidi Rodewald (Passing Strange)Outstanding Lyrics: Stew (Passing Strange)Outstanding Book of a Musical Douglas Carter Beane (Xanadu) Outstanding Orchestrations: Jason Carr (Sunday in the Park with George)Outstanding Set Design of a Play: Scott Pask (Les Liaison Dangereuses) Outstanding Set Design of a Musical: Michael Yeargan (South Pacific)Outstanding Costume Design: Katrina Lindsay (Les Liaison Dangereuses)Outstanding Lighting Design: Kevin Adams (The 39 Steps)Outstanding Sound Design: Scott Lehrer (South Pacific)Outstanding Solo Performance: Laurence Fishburne (Thurgood))Unique Theatrical Experience: The 39 Steps
In addition, the following non-competitive awards were presented:
Outstanding Ensemble Performances: The cast of The Homecoming The cast of The Dining Room
To Edward Albee in his 80th year, whose provocative plays, including this season’s Peter and Jerry, enrich the American theater.
To James Earl Jones, a commanding force on the stage for nearly half a century.
To 59E59 Theaters whose imaginative curatorial vision has created a stimulating environment to nurture a diverse range of artists.
To Playwrights Horizons for ongoing support to generations of theater artists and undiminished commitment to producing new work.
