2016 Drama League Awards to Honor Sheldon Harnick, Ivo Van Hove & Deaf West; BroadwayWorld to Live Stream Nominations!

The Drama League will recognize three outstanding stage luminaries at this year's 82nd Annual Drama League Awards, set for Friday afternoon, May 20, 2016 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square, it was announced today.

The 2016 recipients are as follows: Deaf West Theatre (David J. Kurs, Artistic Director) will receive the Unique Contribution to the Theater Award; Tony®, Grammy®, and Pulitzer Prize winner Sheldon Harnick will receive the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award; and Olivier® Award winner Ivo van Hove will receive The Founders Award for Excellence in Directing.

These Special Recognition Honors are in addition to the five competitive categories. The 2016 Drama League Nominees for Outstanding Play, Outstanding Revival of a Play, Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Revival of a Musical, and the much-coveted Distinguished Performance Award will be announced on Wednesday, April 20, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at Sardi's, and will be streamed live via BroadwayWorld.com. The Nominee Announcement will be hosted by National Life Group, the Centennial Season Sponsor of The Drama League and supporter of the arts. Since 1848, National Life has lived its corporate values of "do good, be good, and make good" by offering financial solutions to those it serves.

The 82nd Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon includes a nominees cocktail reception, luncheon, and awards presentation and will be held at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in the Broadway Ballroom (1535 Broadway) on Friday, May 20, 2016 beginning at 11:30 a.m.

National Life Group is the proud Centennial Season Sponsor of The Drama League. MAC Cosmetics is the Official Makeup Partner of The Drama League. The Drama League Awards Chairpersons are Bonnie Comley and Jano Herbosch.

For more information about the Drama League Awards, please call (212) 244-9494 or visit www.dramaleague.org.

"Although we are technically the ones bestowing these honors, it feels like they are actually honoring us," remarked Executive Director Gabriel Shanks. "Sheldon Harnick is a theatrical legend whose impact on our art form is indelible. Deaf West Theatre has enriched the cultural lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals for over two decades, and we are excited to recognize their innumerable contributions to the American theater. And we are thrilled to honor innovative director Ivo van Hove for his excellent work across the globe, including this season's productions of A View From the Bridge and The Crucible on Broadway, Antigone at BAM, and Lazarus at New York Theatre Workshop."

First awarded in 1922 and formalized in 1935, The Drama League Awards are the oldest theatrical honors in America. The Drama League Awards recognize distinguished productions, performances, and exemplary career achievements. The first Drama League Award was presented to Katharine Cornell in 1935; since then, the Distinguished Performance Award has been accorded to a roster of theatre legends such as Chita Rivera, Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, Liam Neeson, Hugh Jackman, Patti LuPone, Glenn Close, Liev Schreiber, Sir John Gielgud, Harvey Fierstein, Cherry Jones, Alec Guinness, James Earl Jones, Helen Hayes, Jeremy Irons, Mary-Louise Parker, Sir Ian McKellen, Bernadette Peters, and Christopher Plummer.

National Life Group®, the Centennial Season Sponsor of The Drama League, doesn't make widgets or cars or computers. We make promises. Our goal, since the chartering of National Life Insurance Company in 1848, has been to work together to create a better financial future for each and every customer through innovative financial solutions and then to deliver on those commitments 10, 20, or 50 years down the road. This commitment is evident in our values which are Do good. Be good. Make good. National Life Group is a trade name of National Life Insurance Company, Montpelier, VT, Life Insurance Company of the Southwest (LSW), Addison, TX and their affiliates. Each company of National Life Group is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. LSW is not an authorized insurer in New York and does not conduct insurance business in New York.