HAMILTON's Phillipa Soo and IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU's Josh Grisetti Receive 2015 Derwent Awards

The Actors' Equity Foundation's 2015 Clarence Derwent Awards for most promising female and male performers on the New York metropolitan scene have gone to Phillipa Soo (Hamilton) and Josh Grisetti (It Shoulda Been You). The announcement was made by Arne Gundersen, president of the Foundation, which administers the awards.

Phillipa Soo was recognized for her performance as Eliza Hamilton in the Public Theatre production of Hamilton, due to move to Broadway on July 13. Soo, a graduate of Juilliard, performed Off-Broadway in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, and regionally with the Berkshire Theatre Group and Two River Theatre. She also appeared on NBC-TV's Smash.

It Shoulda Been You marked Grisetti's Broadway debut. Off-Broadway he appeared in Red Eye of Love, Peter and the Starcatcher, Rent, Enter Laughing (for which he received a Theatre World Award), Candida and After the Ball. He also appeared in Diner at the Signature Theatre, Camelot at the Kennedy Center and received a Los Angeles Ovation Award for his performance in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

The award, a check and crystal trophy, will be presented at Equity's Eastern Regional Board meeting at 2pm on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 at the Equity offices, 165 West 46th Street.

Established in 1945 by Clarence Derwent, distinguished actor and president of Equity from 1946-1952, the award is the oldest on Broadway. Past recipients include Nina Arianda, Annaleigh Ashford, Annette Bening, Kristin Chenoweth, Morgan Freeman, Allison Janney, Frances Sternhagen, Michael Urie, Christopher Walken, Fritz Weaver and in 2014, Whitney Bashor and Steven Boyer.

The Judges' Panel includes Joe Dziemianowicz, Daily News; Adam Feldman, Time Out New York; Susan Haskins-Doloff, Theater Talk; Harry Haun, Playbill and David Rosenberg, The Hour Newspapers.

The Actors' Equity Foundation, a philanthropic and humanitarian nonprofit organization, was created in 1962 to aid and assists the members of the acting profession and to promote the theatre arts. It is separate from Actors' Equity Association and is funded by estate bequests and individual donations.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus