Drama Desk Awards to Be Announced by Author and Activist George Takei

The nominations for the 66th Annual Drama Desk Awards will be announced by actor, author, civil rights activist and influencer, George Takei, on Monday, May 16, with the top four categories announced live on Spectrum News NY1 at 4 p.m. ET. Takei will join NY1 anchor Ruschell Boone and "On Stage" host Frank DiLella to announce the nominations for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Play, Outstanding Revival of a Musical and Outstanding Revival of a Play. Following the live announcement, the complete list of Drama Desk Awards nominations will be available on dramadeskawards.com.

The Drama Desk Awards are the only major New York City theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same categories. Additional details on the Drama Desk Awards ceremony also will be announced Monday, May 16.

The Drama Desk Awards, which are presented annually, honor outstanding achievement by professional theater artists on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway. What sets the Drama Desk Awards apart is that they are voted on and bestowed by theater critics, journalists, editors, and publishers covering theater. The Drama Desk Awards reflect enthusiasm for all aspects of New York's professional theater.

The 2021-2022 Drama Desk Nominating Committee is composed of: Martha Wade Steketee (Chair; freelance, UrbanExcavations.com), Peter Filichia (Broadway Radio), Kenji Fujishima (freelance: Theatermania), Juan Michael Porter II (TheBody.com; freelance: TDF Stages, Did They Like It?, New York Theatre Guide), Ayanna Prescod (freelance: Variety, New York Theatre Guide, Today Tix), Zachary Stewart (TheaterMania), and Diep Tran (freelance: Backstage, American Theatre, Broadway News, New York Theater Guide).

More About George Takei

George Takei is a social justice activist, social media superstar, Grammy-nominated recording artist, New York Times bestselling author, and pioneering actor whose career has spanned six decades. He has appeared in more than 40 feature films and hundreds of television roles, most famously as Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek, and he has used his success as a platform to fight for social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and marriage equality. Takei made his Broadway debut in 2015 in Allegiance at the Longacre Theater. Other theater credits include: The Wash (MTC), White Rabbit Red Rabbit (Off-Broadway, 2016), and Pacific Overtures (CSC, 2017).

About The Drama Desk

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 among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions in the same categories.