KINKY BOOTS, PIPPIN, VANYA AND SONIA, Nathan Lane & VIRGINIA WOOLF? Win Big at Drama League Awards

The Drama League announced today the winners for the 79th Annual Drama League Awards: Distinguished Production of a Musical, Kinky Boots; presented by Diane Paulus; Distinguished Play,Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, presented by Pam MacKinnon; Distinguished Revival of a Musical, Pippin, presented by Alex Timbers; Distinguished Revival of a Play,Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, presented by Rachel Chavkin; Distinguished Performance, Nathan Lane, presented by Debra Messing at a star-studded luncheon ceremony hosted by Ms. Messing and David Hyde Pierce at the Marriott Marquis Times Square (1535 Broadway).

In addition to the competitive categories, Tony, Drama Desk and Grammy Award winnerBernadette Peters was honored with the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre Award in recognition of her contribution to the musical theatre, presented by Emmy Award winner Mary Tyler Moore; Madison Square Garden Entertainment & the Rockettes were honored with the Unique Contribution to the Theatre Award for the continuing efforts in promoting live theatre presented by Tony Award-winner Tommy Tune; and Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell was honored with The Founders Award for Excellence in Directing, presented by pop icon Cyndi Lauper.

Messing and Pierce led a team of Broadway's luminaries who served as Honorary Co-Chairs for the79TH Annual Drama League Awards that included Bobby Cannavale, Alan Cumming, Edie Falco, Judith Ivey, Nathan Lane, Judith Light, Patina Miller, Donna Murphy, Fiona Shaw, Holland Taylor, Cicely Tyson and Michael Urie. The Honorary Co-Chairs served as ambassadors for The Drama League Awards and the excellence of the New York theatre season, and welcomed the attendees of the Awards Luncheon at a cocktail reception prior to the ceremony.

For the first time in its history, The Drama League welcomed stage directors to its esteemed dais of performers as awards presenters for the major categories. The 2013 Award Presenters, all of whom are alumni of The Drama League Directors Project, included Rachel Chavkin, Pam MacKinnon, Diane Paulus and Alex Timbers.

During the ceremony, The Drama League introduced the 2013 Fellows of The Drama League Directors Project: Georgi Georgiev Antiqua, Elizabeth Carlson, Will Detlefsen, Dimitar Ivanov Dimitrov, Vesselin Dimov, Alexandru Mihail, Raphael Massie, Louisa Proske,Jamila Reddy, Samantha Saltzman, Danny Sharron, Jordan Slaveykov, Nicole A. Watson, and Lian Walden.

First awarded in 1922 and formalized in 1935, The Drama League Awards are the oldest theatrical honors in America. They are the only major theatergoer awards chosen by audience members - specifically, by the thousands of Drama League members nationwide who attend Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.

The Drama League Awards honor distinguished productions, performances, and exemplary career achievements in musical theatre and directing. 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 Audra McDonald, Liam Neeson, Hugh Jackman, Patti LuPone, Glenn Close, Liev Schreiber, Sir John Gielgud, Harvey Fierstein, Cherry Jones, Alec Guinness, James Earl Jones, Julie Harris, Helen Hayes, Jeremy Irons, Mary-Louise Parker, Sir Ian McKellen, Bernadette Peters, and Christopher Plummer.

2013 DRAMA LEAGUE AWARDS WINNERS

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

Kinky Boots
Al Hirschfeld Theatre, Book by Harvey Fierstein; Music and Lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, Directed by Jerry Mitchell

Daryl Roth, Hal Luftig, James L. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Independent Presenters Network, CJ E&M, Jayne Baron Sherman, Just For Laughs Theatricals/Judith Ann Abrams, Yasuhiro Kawana, Jane Bergere, Allan S. Gordon and Adam S. Gordon, Ken Davenport, Hunter Arnold, Lucy and Phil Suarez, Bryan Bantry, Ron Fierstein and Dorsey Regal, Jim Kierstead/Gregory Rae, BB Group/Christina Papagjika, Michael DeSantis/Patrick Baugh, Brian Smith/Tom and Connie Walsh, Warren Trepp and Jujamcyn Theaters, producers

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCTION OF A PLAY

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Lincoln Center Theatre/Golden Theatre, by Christopher Durang, Directed by Nicholas Martin

Joey Parnes, Larry Hirschhorn, Joan Raffe/Jhett Tolentino, Martin Platt and David Elliot, Pat Flicker Addiss, Catherine Adler, John O'Boyle, Joshua Goodman, Jamie deRoy/Richard Winkler, Cricket Hooper Jiranek/Michael Palitz, Mark S. Golub and David S. Golub, Radio Mouse Entertainment, Shadowcatcher Entertainment, Mary Cossette/Barbara Manocherian, Megan Savage/Meredith Lynsey Schade, Hugh Hysell/Richard Jordan, Cheryl Wiesenfeld/Ron Simons, S.D. Wagner, John Johnson, producers, in association with McCarter Theatre Center and Lincoln Center Theater

DISTINGUISHED REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

Pippin, Music Box Theatre, Book by Roger O. Hirson, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, Directed by Diane Paulus

Barry and Fran Weissler, Howard and Janet Kagan, Lisa Matlin, Kyodo Tokyo, A&A Gordon/Brunish Trinchero, Tom Smedes/Peter Stern, Broadway Across America, Independent Presenters Network, Norton Herrick, Allen Spivak, Rebecca Gold, Joshua Goodman, Stephen E. McManus, David Robbins/Bryan S. Weingarten, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal, Jim Kierstead/.Carlos Arana/Myla Lerner, Hugh Hayes/Jamie Cesa/Jonathan Reinis, Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Ben Feldman, Square 1 Theatrics, Wendy Federman/Carl Muellenberg, Bruce Robert Harris/Jack W. Batman, Infinity Theatre Company/Michael Rubenstein, and Michael A. Alden/Dale Badway/Ken Mahoney, producers

DISTINGUISHED REVIVAL OF A PLAY

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Booth Theatre, by Edward Albee, Directed by Pam MacKinnon

Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Susan Quint Gallin, Mary Lu Roffe, Kit Seidel, Amy Danis and Mark Johannes, Patty Baker, Mark S. Golub and David S. Golub, Richard Gross, Jam Theatricals, Cheryl Lachowicz, Michael Palitz, Dramatic Forces/Angelina Fiordellisi, Luigi and Rose Caiola, Ken Greiner, Kathleen K. Johnson, Kirmser Ponturo Fund, Will Trice, and GFour Productions, producers

DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD

Nathan Lane, The Nance

DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSICAL THEATRE

Bernadette Peters

UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE THEATRE

Madison Square Garden Entertainment & the Rockettes

FOUNDERS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DIRECTING

Jerry Mitchell