2012 Drama League Award Winners - Audra McDonald, ONCE, DEATH OF A SALESMAN & More!

The Drama League announced today the winners for the 78th Annual Drama League Awards: Distinguished Play, Other Desert Cities, presented by Philip Seymour Hoffman; Distinguished Revival of a Play, Death of a Salesman, presented by Christian Borle; Distinguished Production of a Musical, Once, presented by Cynthia Nixon; Distinguished Revival of a Musical, Follies, presented by Kelli O'Hara; and Distinguished Performance, Audra McDonald, presented by John Lithgow at a star-studded luncheon ceremony hosted by Stockard Channing (Other Desert Cities) and John Larroquette (Gore Vidal's The Best Man) at the Marriott Marquis Times Square.

The Drama League honored three outstanding theatre luminaries at this year's awards ceremony: Tony Award-winner Donna Murphy (Wonderful Town) presented eight-time Academy Award-winner, theatre and movie composer Alan Menken with the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre Award in recognition of his contribution to the musical theatre; Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein (Hairspray) presented stage, television and movie star Rosie O'Donnell with the Unique Contribution to the Theatre Award for her continuing efforts in promoting live theatre; and Tony-nominee Gavin Creel (Hair) presented Drama League Directors Project alum and Tony-nominee Diane Paulus with The Founders Award for Excellence in Directing.

The Drama League gathered together a team of Broadway's best to serve as Honorary Co-Chairs for the 78TH Annual Drama League Awards that included Nina Arianda, Christian Borle, Norbert Leo Butz, RoseMary Harris, Jeremy Jordan, Christine Lahti, Linda Lavin, Norm Lewis, Judith Light, Audra McDonald, Cynthia Nixon, and Blair Underwood.

THE 2012 DRAMA LEAGUE WINNERS:

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCTION OF A PLAY 

Clybourne Park 
The Columnist 
The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures 
The Lyons 
One Man, Two Guvnors 
Other Desert Cities *WINNER*
Peter and The Starcatcher 
Tribes 
Seminar 
Septimus and Clarissa 
Venus in Fur 

DISTINGUISHED REVIVAL OF A PLAY 

And God Created Great Whales 
Death of a Salesman *WINNER*
Gore Vidal's The Best Man 
How I Learned To Drive 
Look Back in Anger 
The Maids 
Wit 

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL 

Ghost 
Leap of Faith 
Mission Drift 
Newsies 
Nice Work If You Can Get It 
Once *WINNER*
Queen of The Mist 

DISTINGUISHED REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL 

Carrie 
Follies *WINNER*
Evita 
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess 
Jesus Christ Superstar 

DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD 

One winner is selected from this category for which the recipient can only receive the award once during his or her career. 

Jane Alexander, The Lady From Dubuque 
Nina Arianda, Venus In Fur 
Annaleigh Ashford, Rent 
Angela Bassett, The Mountaintop 
Simon Russell Beale, Bluebird 
Tracie Bennett, End of the Rainbow 
Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher 
Matthew Broderick, Nice Work If You Can Get It 
Kim Cattrall, Private Lives 
Heather Christian, Mission Drift 
James Corden, One Man, Two Guvnors 
Michael Cristofer, The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures 
Tyne Daly, Master Class 
Jesse Eisenberg, Asuncion 
Linda Emond, The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures 
Raúl Esparza, Leap of Faith 
Santino Fontana, Sons of the Prophet 
Andrew Garfield, Death of a Salesman 
Russell Harvard, Tribes 
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Death of a Salesman 
Samuel L. Jackson, The Mountaintop 
Jeremy Jordan, Newsies, Bonnie and Clyde 
Steve Kazee, Once 
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher 
Christine Lahti, Dreams of Flying, Dreams of Falling 
Angela Lansbury, Gore Vidal's The Best Man 
John Larroquette, Gore Vidal's The Best Man 
Linda Lavin, The Lyons 
Norm Lewis, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess 
Judith Light, Other Desert Cities 
Ricky Martin, Evita 
Jan Maxwell, Follies 
Jefferson Mays, Blood and Gifts 
Marin Mazzie, Carrie 
Audra McDonald, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess *WINNER*
Ellen McLaughlin, Septimus and Clarissa 
Cristin Milioti, Once 
Jessie Mueller, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever 
Carey Mulligan, Through A Glass Darkly 
Cynthia Nixon, Wit 
Leslie Odom, Jr., Leap of Faith 
Kelli O'Hara, Nice Work If You Can Get It 
Denis O'Hare, An Iliad 
Lily Rabe, Seminar 
Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Ghost 
Molly Ranson, Carrie 
Condola Rashad, Stick Fly 
Matthew Rhys, Look Back In Anger 
Alan Rickman, Seminar 
Elena Roger, Evita 
Jeremy Shamos, Clybourne Park 
Kevin Spacey, Richard III 
Stephen Spinella, An Iliad 
Mary Testa, Queen of the Mist 
Blair Underwood, A Streetcar Named Desire 
Mary Louise Wilson, 4,000 Miles 

The Drama League wishes to recognize the superb contributions to the season of its previous Distinguished Performance Award winners including: 

Norbert Leo Butz, How I Learned To Drive 
Zoe Caldwell, Elective Affinities 
Kathleen Chalfant, Painting Churches 
Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities 
RoseMary Harris, The Road To Mecca 
Hugh Jackman, Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway 
Sir Derek Jacobi, King Lear 
James Earl Jones, Gore Vidal's The Best Man 
Frank Langella, Man and Boy 
John Lithgow, The Columnist 
Patti LuPone, An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin 
Bebe Neuwirth, A Midsummer Night's Dream 
Bernadette Peters, Follies 
Sam Waterston, King Lear 

DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICAL THEATRE 

Alan Menken *WINNER*

UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE THEATRE 

Rosie O'Donnell  *WINNER*

FOUNDERS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DIRECTING 

Diane Paulus  *WINNER*

The Honorary Co-Chairs served as ambassadors for The Drama League Awards and the excellence of the New York theatre season by welcoming the attendees of the Awards Luncheon to a cocktail reception before the ceremony. In addition, The Drama League introduced the 2012 Fellows of The Drama League Directors Project: Knud Adams, Amy Claussen, Vesselin Dimov, Shana Gozansky, Jess Jung, Swaine Kaui, Jesse Jou, David Mendizábal, Cat Miller, Patrick Walsh, and Christopher Windom. The Drama League Awards honor distinguished productions, performances, and exemplary career achievements in musical theatre and directing. First awarded in 1922 and formalized in 1935, The Drama League Awards are the oldest theatrical honors in America. They are the only major theatergoer awards chosen by audience members - specifically, by the thousands of Drama League members nationwide who attend Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. 2012 Nominees were selected from over 170 productions.