'BILLY, 'CARNAGE' and More Win Drama Leagues

The 75th Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon took place today Friday, May 15, 2009 in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square (1535 Broadway at 46th Street). The event was co-hosted by Jeremy Irons (Impressionism) and Cynthia Nixon (Distracted). 

Each season, The Drama League presents competitive awards in five categories: Distinguished Production of a Musical, Distinguished Production of a Play, Distinguished Revival of a Musical, Distinguished Revival of a Play and the Distinguished Performance Award. Nominations for these awards were announced on Tuesday, April 21.

The winners for the 75th Annual Drama League Awards are:

Distinguished Production of a Musical: BILLY ELLIOT

Distinguished Production of a Play: GOD OF CARNAGE

Distinguished Revival of a Musical: HAIR

Distinguished Revival of a Play: BLITHE SPIRIT

Distinguished Performance Award: Geoffrey Rush

Earlier this spring, The Drama League announced the recipients of its annual special recognitions: Elton John received the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre Award, Arthur Laurents was honored with the Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing and Angela Lansbury received the Unique Contribution to the Theatre Award. In addition, Broadway porducer Herb Blodgett received The Drama League's 75th Anniversary Leadership Award.

Last season, Drama League Awards were presented to Patti LuPone (Distinguished Performance), August: Osage County (Distinguished Production of a Play), A Catered Affair (Distinguished Production of a Musical), Macbeth (Distinguished Revival of a Play) and South Pacific (Distinguished Revival of a Musical).

The first Drama League Award was presented to actress Katharine Cornell in 1935, making it the oldest National Theatre honor, predating the Tony Awards by twelve years.

In recent years, the Distinguished Performance Award has been accorded to a roster of theatre legends such as RoseMary Harris, Christopher Plummer, Sir Ian McKellen, Bernadette Peters, James Earl Jones, John Lithgow, Stockard Channing, Glenn Close, Bebe Neuwirth, Cherry Jones, Mary-Louise Parker, Liam Neeson, Harvey Fierstein, Norbert Leo Butz, Christine Ebersole and Liev Schreiber, among others.

The Drama Leaguewas founded in 1916 as an association of theatre professionals and patrons dedicated to encouraging the finest in professional theatre, and has since developed into the theatre's premiere service organization.

The Drama League provides an unparalleled training program for emerging theatre artists through The Directors Project, which encourages and trains young talents while providing much-needed exposure and essential connections to the professional theatrical community.

The Drama League's Audience Project is dedicated to building strong, passionate audiences for the American theatre, providing discounted tickets for its members to the best Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional productions across the United States while enhancing the theatergoer's understanding and experience of live theatre through its informative panels, luncheons and discussions with leading figures in the field.

For more information visit, www.DramaLeague.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.