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Photo Coverage: 2009 Drama Desk Awards Press Room

The 54th Annual Drama Desk Awards were held Sunday, May 17, 2009 in the LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center. Drama Desk nominees received their official Nomination Certificates at a cocktail reception on Friday, May 1st at Il Bastardo restaurant, 191 Seventh Avenue (between 21st and 22nd Streets).

Multiple Drama Desk and Tony Award winning actor/writer Harvey Fierstein was host for the 54th Annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony. BroadwayWorld's cameras were there for the post-awards celebration in the press room.

The Drama Desk was founded in 1949 to explore key issues in the theater and to bring together critics and writers in an organization to support the ongoing development of theater in New York. The organization began presenting its awards in 1955, and it is the only critics organization to honor achievement in the theater with competition between Broadway, Off- Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions in the same categories.

The organization hosts panels throughout the year, to which the public is invited, to promote understanding and appreciation of the professional theater. In addition to honoring creative artists and stage productions in multiple categories, the Drama Desk annually presents scholarships to two worthy seniors in the Drama Department of the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts who are planning careers in the theater.

Photos by Linda Lenzi

Jason Danieley and Marin Mazzie accepted the awards for Outstanding Music: Elton John (Billy Elliot The Musical) and Outstanding Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim (Road Show)

Tom Wopat

Outstanding Choreography: Peter Darling (Billy Elliot The Musical)

Peter Darling and Andre De Shields

Outstanding Director of a Musical: Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot The Musical)

John Lithgow

Stephen Daldry and John Lithgow

Outstanding Ensemble Performances: Cripple of Inishmaan Cast

Raul Esparza

Raul Esparza, Jeffory Lawson, Neil Pepe and Mary McCann - Outstanding Ensemble Performances To: Atlantic Theater Company and artistic director Neil Pepe for exceptional craftsmanship, dedication to excellence and productions that engage, inspire and enlighten.

Amy Fiore, Jim Colleran, Janine Nina Trevens and Joanna Greer - Outstanding Ensemble Performances - To: TADA! Youth Theater for providing an invaluable contribution to the future of the theater. The company makes outstanding training and experience accessible and affordable to young people and mounts productions remarkable for their quality and professionalism

Philip George, John Freedson, William Selby, Gerard Alessandrini, Michael West, Christina Bianco, James Donegan, and Gina Kreiezmar
Outstanding Ensemble Performances - To: Forbidden Broadway at the end of its nearly three decade run and the creators, casts and designers who made it an unparalleled New York institution cherished for its satire and celebration of Broadway.

Liza Minnelli - Outstanding Ensemble Performances - To Liza Minnelli, a beloved American musical theater icon, for her enduring career of sustained excellence, and her glorious performance in Liza's at the Palace.