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.
31-461: Amy Herzog is an American playwright. She is known for her poignant and character-driven plays that explore themes of family dynamics, personal relationships, and the complexities of human experience. She has received a Drama Desk Award as well as a nomination for a Tony Award . Her play 4000 Miles , which ran Off-Broadway in 2011, was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama . Her play Mary Jane , which ran Off-Broadway in 2017, won
62-524: A Play ( Belleville ). She was a finalist for the 2012–2013 and 2016–2017 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize . She received the 2008 Helen Merrill Award for Aspiring Playwrights. She won a 2011 Whiting Award , which included a $ 50,000 prize. She received the Lilly Award in 2011 for playwrighting. (The Lilly Award Foundation has as its mission to "celebrate the work of women in the theater and promote gender parity at all levels of theatrical production.") Herzog won
93-457: A Play (Carrie Coon), Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Liza Colón-Zayas), Outstanding Scenic Design (Laura Jellinek), Outstanding Lighting Design (Japhy Weideman) and Outstanding Sound Design (Leah Gelpe). The play received two 2018 Drama Desk Award nominations: Outstanding Play and Outstanding Actress in a Play (Carrie Coon). Herzog's adapted a new version of Henrik Ibsen 's A Doll's House directed by Jamie Lloyd . It played in 2023 at
124-600: A cash prize of $ 2,500. Herzog was awarded the 2019 Horton Foote Playwriting Award (along with Heidi Schreck) by the Dramatists Guild of America. The award, to be presented at a ceremony in July 2019, has a cash prize of $ 12,500. Herzog's adaptation of Ibsen's A Doll's House earned her a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play nomination. This adaptation was the first time a woman (Herzog) adapted A Doll's House for Broadway. Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk organization
155-474: A journalist, Jamie, age 32. Jamie is told by his old friend Frank that Frank is suing his own father for sexual abuse; Frank suspects that Jamie was also abused. Although Jamie denies this, his life and relationships are thrown into turmoil. Herzog said that the play is "not about abuse, it's about memory and self-discovery." Charles Isherwood , reviewing in The New York Times , wrote: Herzog "has emerged in
186-469: A single mother (Mary Jane) who is raising an ill child, helped by female friends. The Off-Broadway cast was new, and director Kaufman had "the chance to reexamine it from a new angle." Mary Jane won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play on May 3, 2018. The play received six 2018 Lucille Lortel Awards nominations: Outstanding Director (Anne Kauffman), Outstanding Lead Actress in
217-659: Is always inseparable from public, historical processes, when she explores human lives. ' " Herzog teaches at Yale as a lecturer in Playwriting. Her play After the Revolution had its world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival , Massachusetts, from July 22 to August 1, 2010. The play premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in October 2010 (in previews) and ran through December 12, 2010. The play concerns
248-635: 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. The Drama Desk organization
279-412: Is based on Herzog's grandmother, Leepee. Vera initially appeared in her play After the Revolution . Leo in 4000 Miles is based on her cousin who lost a good friend. The "Josephs" in her plays are also partially based on her father's stepfamily. She is married to stage director Sam Gold ; they have two children. Her play Mary Jane is semi-autobiographical and based on Herzog's daughter Frances, who
310-550: The Drama Desk Awards . In 1974, the Drama Desk became incorporated as a not-for-profit organization. In 1975, the Drama Desk announcement of winners included the nominees as well. The Drama Desk has more than 100 members, including theatre critics, reporters and editors who cover New York theater and vote on the awards. Membership consists of two categories: active (voting) membership and participating membership. All of
341-438: The Drama Desk Awards . In 1974, the Drama Desk became incorporated as a not-for-profit organization. In 1975, the Drama Desk announcement of winners included the nominees as well. The Drama Desk has more than 100 members, including theatre critics, reporters and editors who cover New York theater and vote on the awards. Membership consists of two categories: active (voting) membership and participating membership. All of
SECTION 10
#1732858733867372-532: The Hudson Theatre , starring Jessica Chastain . Her adaptation of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People opened on Broadway, March 18, 2024, directed by her husband, Sam Gold . Tim Sanford, former artistic director of Playwrights Horizons , noted that Herzog is willing "to take on 'ideas and history, which not everyone believes in anymore.' He also praises the sophistication of her structures and characters. 'You can see
403-755: The New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play . Herzog adapted revivals of the Henrik Ibsen plays A Doll's House (2023) and An Enemy of the People (2024), both of which earned her Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play nominations and wins for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Adaptation. Herzog's grandfather is songwriter Arthur Herzog Jr. She grew up in Highland Park, New Jersey and
434-427: The 2012 Obie Award in the category Best New American Play for 4000 Miles . She was a finalist for the 2012-2013 Susan Smith Blackburn Award for Belleville ; each finalist receives $ 2,500. She was a finalist for the 2016-2017 Susan Smith Blackburn Award for her play Mary Jane . Each finalist receives $ 5,000. She won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play for Mary Jane in 2018. The award includes
465-577: The Band built momentum with the help of Drama Desk wins. In keeping with its original mission, the organization sponsors guest panel luncheons with theater professionals. Panels address topics of current interest: covering the season on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway, with the aim of prompting informative and stimulating discussion. Other theatre awards in New York: Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award
496-452: The Drama Desk officers and nominating committee members perform their various services for the organization on a voluntary basis. The nominating committee generally meets twice a month to discuss the many eligible shows members are responsible for seeing. They then nominate the productions on which the entire membership will vote. What sets the organization apart is that the awards are voted on "by media people only without any vested interests in
527-452: The Drama Desk officers and nominating committee members perform their various services for the organization on a voluntary basis. The nominating committee generally meets twice a month to discuss the many eligible shows members are responsible for seeing. They then nominate the productions on which the entire membership will vote. What sets the organization apart is that the awards are voted on "by media people only without any vested interests in
558-545: The Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Director (Anne Kauffman) and Outstanding Lighting Design (Ben Stanton). The play also received 2013 Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Actress in a Play (Maria Dizzia). Herzog, for Belleville , was a finalist for the 2013 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize . Her play Mary Jane premiered at Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut, from April 28 to May 20, 2017, directed by Anne Kauffman. Mary Jane
589-582: The affinity for Richard Nelson, who was her teacher,' Sanford points out, referring to the veteran playwright and teacher at Yale School of Drama." Richard Nelson said: "She has great, great facility for dialogue ... It's clean, it's simple, it's evocative, it's witty. It's alive and easily spoken. Very, very actable. That's a given talent." John Guare noted "Amy came fully formed" Guare also mentioned her "warm-hearted, cold-eyed sympathy for her characters." Herzog based several characters in her plays on family members. The character of Vera Joseph in 4000 Miles
620-594: The cast featured Maria Dizzia and Greg Keller. Belleville opened in London at the Donmar Warehouse on December 14, 2017. Directed by Michael Longhurst, the cast featured James Norton and Imogen Poots . The play involves two young married Americans, Zack and Abby, living in Paris in a "funky bohemian apartment in up-and-coming Belleville". Zack's "noble mission [is] to fight pediatric AIDS." The play received nominations for
651-433: The past few years as one of the bright theatrical lights of her generation. ... She writes with a keen sensitivity to the complex weave of feelings embedded in all human relationships, with particular attention to the way we tiptoe around areas of radioactive emotion. Ms. Herzog makes quietly captivating dramas of our instinct to avoid drama, noting how momentous events in our lives can pass by almost without registering on
SECTION 20
#1732858733867682-554: The play "smart, engrossing", and wrote: it "strikes a fresh note in being set among a family of exotic beings". Herzog won the " New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award" for this play; the award carries a prize of $ 5000. Her play The Great God Pan opened at Playwrights Horizons in December 2012 and closed on January 13, 2013. Directed by Carolyn Cantor, the cast featured Becky Ann Baker , Peter Friedman, Jeremy Strong (Jamie), Keith Nobbs (Frank) and Joyce Van Patten . The play concerns
713-615: The results", according to the organization. Previous winners include Bernadette Peters , Dustin Hoffman , Al Pacino , and Catherine Zeta-Jones , among many others. The Drama Desk Awards have contributed to the ongoing success of major stars, playwrights and designers, while also identifying newcomers. The Drama Desk was the first New York theater organization to give awards to talents such as Edward Albee , Wendy Wasserstein , and George C. Scott . Plays like Driving Miss Daisy , Other People's Money , Steel Magnolias , and The Boys in
744-565: The results", according to the organization. Previous winners include Bernadette Peters , Dustin Hoffman , Al Pacino , and Catherine Zeta-Jones , among many others. The Drama Desk Awards have contributed to the ongoing success of major stars, playwrights and designers, while also identifying newcomers. The Drama Desk was the first New York theater organization to give awards to talents such as Edward Albee , Wendy Wasserstein , and George C. Scott . Plays like Driving Miss Daisy , Other People's Money , Steel Magnolias , and The Boys in
775-574: The surface." The play received a 2013 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (Peter Friedman). Belleville had its world premiere at the Yale Repertory Theatre in October through November 2011, directed by Anne Kauffman . This play was commissioned by Yale Rep. The play then opened Off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop from March 3, 2013, to April 14, 2013. Again directed by Anne Kauffman,
806-637: The young granddaughter continuing her "family's Marxist tradition, devoting her life to the memory of her blacklisted grandfather." The play was directed by Carolyn Cantor and the cast featured Mare Winningham , Lois Smith (as Vera), Peter Friedman and Katharine Powell. The play received nominations for the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Actor and Actress, as well as the Outer Critics Circle Award , John Glassner award. Charles Isherwood , in his review for The New York Times called
837-526: Was a finalist for the 2017 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. The Yale Rep production featured Emily Donahoe (Mary Jane) and Kathleen Chalfant (Ruthie, Tenkei). Mary Jane opened Off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop on September 6, 2017 (previews) and closed on October 29, 2017. The Off-Broadway production, directed by Anne Kauffman, featured Carrie Coon (Mary Jane), Brenda Wehle (Ruthie, Tenkei), and Liza Colón-Zayas . Mary Jane focuses on
868-426: Was born with nemaline myopathy and died at age 11 in 2023. Herzog's plays have been produced Off-Broadway, and have received nominations for, among others: the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Actor and Actress ( After the Revolution ); the Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play ( The Great God Pan ); and Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Actress in
899-585: Was formed in 1949 by a group of New York theater critics, editors, reporters and publishers, in order to make the public aware of the vital issues concerning the theatrical industry. They debuted the presentations of the Vernon Rice Awards . The name honors the New York Post critic Vernon Rice, who had pioneered Off-Broadway coverage in the New York press. The name was changed for the 1963–1964 awards season to
930-420: Was formed in 1949 by a group of New York theater critics, editors, reporters and publishers, in order to make the public aware of the vital issues concerning the theatrical industry. They debuted the presentations of the Vernon Rice Awards . The name honors the New York Post critic Vernon Rice, who had pioneered Off-Broadway coverage in the New York press. The name was changed for the 1963–1964 awards season to
961-528: Was the valedictorian of her 1996 graduating class at Highland Park High School . Herzog received a Bachelor's degree from Yale College and a Masters in Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama . Her teachers included Richard Nelson and John Guare . Jim Nicola, producer of Belleville at the New York Theatre Workshop, said that "the distinction of Herzog's work is her belief 'that private, individual experience