Megan Hilty and Zachary Levi Will Host the 82nd Annual Drama League Awards on 5/20

The Drama League (Executive Director, Gabriel Shanks) has announced that Zachary Levi ("Chuck") and Megan Hilty ("Smash") will host the upcoming 82nd Annual Drama League Awards on Friday, May 20, 2016 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in the Broadway Ballroom (1535 Broadway)beginning at 11:30 a.m. Both Levi and Hilty are celebrated this season for their acclaimed performances in the Roundabout Theatre Company productions of She Loves Me and Noises Off, respectively.

One of the high points of the season, the Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon includes a star-studded afternoon with nominees, cocktail reception, luncheon, and awards presentations. Tickets are available by calling (212) 244-9494 or visiting www.dramaleague.org.

The 2016 Drama League Award 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.

Recipients, previously announced, are as follows: Deaf West Theatre (David J. Kurs, Artistic Director), represented on Broadway this season with the lauded revival of Spring Awakening, will receive the Unique Contribution to the Theater Award; Tony®, Grammy®, and Pulitzer Prize winner Sheldon Harnick, currently represented on Broadway with hit revivals of Fiddler on the Roof and Roundabout's revival of She Loves Me, will receive the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award; and Olivier® Award winner Ivo van Hove, director of this season's productions of Antigone at BAM, Lazarus at NYTW, and the acclaimed Broadway revivals of A View From the Bridge and The Crucible, will receive The Founders Award for Excellence in Directing.

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 2016 Drama League Awards Chairpersons are Bonnie Comley and Jano Herbosch.

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.

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