Bebe Neuwirth and Vanessa Williams To Announce 2024 Drama League Nominations

Two-time Emmy and two-time Tony winner Bebe Neuwirth (Cabaret, Chicago, “Cheers”, “Frasier”) will join Grammy, Emmy, and Tony nominee Vanessa Williams (Into the Woods, “Ugly Betty”; upcoming The Devil Wears Prada) as co-host for the 2024 Drama League Awards Nominations announcement on Monday, April 22, 2024 at 10:00AM.

The announcement event, held at Lincoln Center's New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (111 Amsterdam Avenue at 64th St), was also livestreamed by BroadwayWorld. Neuwirth replaced Jordan Fisher, who was no longer available to participate in the event due to a schedule conflict. 

Keeping in the tradition of honoring the outstanding accomplishments of the theatrical community since 1935, the Drama League Award nominations will be bestowed in the following categories, honoring Broadway and Off-Broadway artists of the 2023-24 season:   

• Distinguished Performance Award  

• Outstanding Production of a Play  

• Outstanding Production of a Musical  

• Outstanding Revival of a Play  

• Outstanding Revival of a Musical  

• Outstanding Direction of a Play  

• Outstanding Direction of a Musical  

Broadway and Off-Broadway productions will need to have been in previews between April 24, 2023 – April 20, 2024, to be eligible for this season's awards.   The 90th Annual Drama League Awards, the theater industry's distinguished, historic annual luncheon ceremony, will be presented at The Ziegfeld Ballroom (141 W 54th St, NYC) on Friday, May 17, 2024, at 12:00PM.   

As recently announced, this year's Special Recognition Honorees at the Drama League Awards are Jonathan Groff, Jessica Lange, Schele Williams, and Kandi Burruss. A two-time Tony Award and Emmy Award nominee, Jonathan Groff – currently starring on Broadway in Merrily We Roll Along – will receive the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award for his outstanding work on stage as part of the musical theater community. Tony Award and two-time Academy Award winner Jessica Lange – who returns to Broadway this spring in Mother Play – will be honored with the Contribution to the Theater Award for her unwavering commitment to furthering the art of the American theater. Schele Williams will be honored with the Founders Award for Excellence in Directing for her incredible contributions to the field, which includes this season's The Wiz and The Notebook. Burruss will recieve the annual Gratitude Award, in recognition of her leadership and commitment to the theater industry as a producer and performer. 

First presented in 1922 and formalized in 1935, the Drama League Awards are a core service to the theater community of The Drama League, an arts organization that has provided vital support to the field and its artists for over a century. The organization's mission provides the nation's only full-time, lifelong creative home for stage directors and the audiences that enjoy their work around the world.  Last year's dynamic 2023 Drama League Awards ceremony brought out the industry's best and brightest with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jessica Chastain, Oscar Isaac, Rachel Brosnahan, Jodie Comer, Josh Groban, Sara Bareilles, Andre DeShields & more, dazzling the audience of more than 500 people. Sweeney Todd star Annaleigh Ashford took home the 2023 Distinguished Performance Award, which artists can only win once in their career, and Some Like It Hot and Leopoldstadt won Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical and Play, respectively. The 2023 Drama League Awards also saw the second year of new categories for Outstanding Direction of a Play (recipient Anne Kauffman for The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window) and Outstanding Direction of a Musical (recipient Lear deBessonet for Into the Woods), which honor the vital mission of The Drama League. 

More information about the ceremony and how to attend can be found at https://dramaleague.org/2024-awards/. For a complete list of productions and performers that have won Drama League Awards in the event's history, as well as all past honorees, click here. 

About the Nominations Hosts 

Bebe Neuwirth has achieved extraordinary success in theater, television, and film. In 1980, she made her Broadway debut in A Chorus Line. She then appeared in Little Me, Dancin', and Sweet Charity, for which she won her first Tony Award, followed by Damn Yankees, Fosse, and The Addams Family. Bebe won her second Tony, as well as the Drama Desk, Astaire, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League Distinguished Performance of the Year Awards for her portrayal of ‘Velma' in Chicago. A few years later she played ‘Roxie' in the show, and a few years after that she played ‘Mama Morton,' making her the only triple-threat to have played all three leading ladies' roles on Broadway. Bebe's ‘Velma' is recorded on the Grammy-winning cast album of Chicago. Her many and diverse roles in regional theater and Off-Broadway include ‘Anita' in West Side Story, ‘Katherine' in The Taming of the Shrew at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Writer's Block written and directed by Woody Allen, and The Bedwetter by Sarah Silverman, both at the Atlantic Theatre Company, among many others. On London's West End, Bebe followed Chita Rivera into the role of ‘Aurora' in Kiss of the Spider Woman. In 2005, she appeared in the critically acclaimed Here Lies Jenny, a music theater piece comprised entirely of music by Kurt Weill, at the Zipper Theatre. It was directed by Roger Rees and choreographed by Ann Reinking. Neuwirth is well known for her work in film and television. She won two Emmy Awards for her role of ‘Lilith Sternin Crane' on “Cheers,” and gained Emmy nominations for her work on “Frasier” and for her portrayal of ‘Dorothy Parker' in the television movie Dash and Lilly. She's been a guest on many shows including “The Good Fight” and “Blue Bloods,” and recently played Julia Child's best friend ‘Avis Devoto' in HBO Max's “Julia.” She has appeared in numerous films, including Say Anything, Green Card, Bugsy, Jumanji, Summer of Sam, Liberty Heights, Celebrity, The Faculty, and Tadpole. Animation voice is also in Neuwirth's repertoire. Characters in films and many television shows include All Dogs Go To Heaven, “Aladdin” (series), “Duckman,” “Ultra City Smiths,” etc. Neuwirth toured a symphony show, “Bebe Sings Weill and Kander & Ebb,” and a piano cabaret show, “Stories with Piano.” Her two CDs are a studio album called Porcelain, and another recorded live at 54 Below called Stories. . . in NYC. In November of 2023, Neuwirth was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame. Her awards include the CTFD Rolex Dance Award, the Dance Magazine Award, and the Sarah Siddons Society Award, among many others. As a vice-chair of the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly the Actors Fund), she founded the Dancers' Resource – a program aimed at addressing the particular emotional and physical challenges faced by professional dancers. She has an Honorary Doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music, is an Honorary member of IATSE Local 1 (Stage Hands Union), and is an Honorary Zeigfeld Girl.  

Vanessa Williams, returning to the stage this summer as Miranda Priestly in the West End premiere of The Devil Wears Prada, is one of the most respected and multi-faceted performers in the entertainment industry today. Having sold millions of records worldwide, Vanessa has also achieved numerous #1 and Top 10 hits on various Billboard Album and Singles charts, from Pop, Dance, R&B, Adult Contemporary to Holiday, Latin, Gospel, and Jazz. Her critically acclaimed work in film, television, recordings and the Broadway stage has been recognized by every major industry award affiliate including 4 Emmy nominations, 11 Grammy nominations, a Tony nomination, 3 SAG award nominations, 7 NAACP Image Awards and 3 Satellite Awards. Her Platinum single "Colors of the Wind”, from Disney's “Pocahontas”, won the Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Her work on Broadway includes: POTUS, Into the Woods, Kiss of the Spider Woman, St. Louis Woman, Sondheim on Sondheim, and After Midnight. Her many film credits include: “Eraser”, “Soul Food”, “Shaft”, “Dance With Me”, “Hoodlum”, “Light It Up”, and “Johnson Family Vacation”. On television, she starred in ABC's global hit series “Ugly Betty” and “Desperate Housewives”.  

About The Drama League 

The Drama League advances the American theater by providing lifelong artistic resources for directors and a platform for dialogue with audiences. Founded in 1916, we are one of the longest-running arts service organizations in the country. We enable directors to make the most powerful, impactful work possible across multiple mediums reaching ever-wider audiences, and build sustainable careers. Uplifting directors of all economic classes, races, abilities, genders, and identities is a cornerstone of this mission. We provide support to directors throughout their artistic life, and our work in education offers both continued learning to professionals and introduces the skills of directing to young people. Underpinning our work is the support of our members, a community of ardent theater fans and industry professionals whose commitment to advancing the art form helps develop the careers of the talented directors we champion.   

Drama League members have voting privileges in the competitive award categories. Drama League memberships are open to industry professionals, artists, and audience members. They are tax-deductible and support The Drama League's programs that provide vital career support for directors. Members enjoy access to exclusive members-only events, house seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, and more. Members must be in good standing by April  15, 2024 in order to vote on this year's Awards. To become a voting member, visit dramaleague.org/membership or call (212) 244-9494, ext. 101.  

More information about The Drama League's programs, alumni, and the Awards history can be found at www.dramaleague.org.