Patina Miller and Bebe Neuwirth Kick Off Awards Season with Drama League Nominees; Watch Live at 11AM!

Tony Award-winners Patina Miller (Pippin) and Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago) will announce the 2017 Drama League Awards Nominees for Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Revival of a Play, Outstanding Revival of a Musical, and the much-coveted Distinguished Performance Award later this morning, April 19, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at Sardi's (234 West 44th Street, 2nd Floor).

The nominations ceremony, hosted by Resolution Life, the proud Lead Season Sponsor of The Drama League and supporter of the arts, will be streamed live here at BroadwayWorld!

Patina Miller currently stars as press coordinator Daisy Grant in the CBS hit series, "Madam Secretary," and as Charlotte Jenkins on the PBS Civil War-era drama, "Mercy Street". Miller made her feature film debut as 'Commander Paylor' in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, later reprising her role in the final installment of the series. In theater, Miller won a Tony Award for her performance as "Lead Player" in the Broadway revival of Stephen Schwartz's Pippin; the production,directed by Diane Paulus, also won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical that year. In addition to a Tony, Miller won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and was nominated for the Drama League Award, the Fred and Adele Astaire Award, and the Broadway.com Audience Choice Award. She earned her first Tony nomination for her Broadway debut as gutsy nightclub-singer-turned-nun Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act; in this role Miller also received Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations. Miller also received an Olivier Award nomination when she originated the role of Deloris in the West End Production of Sister Act. Her Off-Broadway credits include Ragtime, Lost in the Stars, Romantic Poetry, and The Public Theater's revival of Hair in 2008. Miller's regional theatre credits include First You Dream at the Kennedy Center, Sister Act at the ALLIANCE THEATRE and Pasadena Playhouse, and the Philadelphia Theater Company's Being Alive. She has participated in workshops for Book of Mormon, Nightingale and American Idiot. Miller performed her first solo concert in 2014 at the Kennedy Center, and made her New York City debut in Lincoln Center Theater's "American Songbook" series. Miller holds a musical theater degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

Bebe Neuwirth is well known for her work in theater as well as television and film, as a singer and dancer as well as an actor. Neuwirth made her Broadway debut in the role of Sheila in A Chorus Line, followed by appearances in Little Me and Dancin'. Particularly with Dancin', Neuwirth established herself as a talented performer of Bob Fosse's choreography, and later had a leading role in the Broadway show Fosse, a musical revue celebrating his work. She also performed in revivals of Sweet Charity, Damn Yankees, and Chicago. She won her first Tony Award, for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, with her performance in Sweet Charity. Neuwirth went on to earn critical acclaim as Velma Kelly in Chicago, for which she won several awards including the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, as well as the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance. She returned to the still-running revival of Chicago ten years later, this time taking on the role of Roxie Hart. In 2009, Neuwirth toured a one-woman cabaret show with pianist Scott Cady, which showcased her versatility as a performer through music by Kurt Weill, Stephen Sondheim, Tom Waits, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, John Kander and Fred Ebb amongst others. In 2010, she returned to Broadway to create the role of Morticia Addams in the original production of The Addams Family opposite Nathan Lane. Neuwirth's television career took off with her portrayal of Dr. Lilith Stemin on the beloved sitcom "Cheers", for which she won two Emmy Awards. This character was reprised on the spin-off sitcom "Frasier", with Neuwirth making multiple guest appearances and earning another Emmy Award nomination. Neuwirth currently stars as Nadine Tolliver in the CBS drama "Madam Secretary".

The nominations announcement begins the month of celebrations leading up to the 83rd Annual Drama League Awards, which will be held at the Marriott Marquis Times Square (1535 Broadway) on Friday, May 19, 2017 at 11:30am. Ticket reservations for The Drama League Awards, which includes a nominee's cocktail reception and the star-studded afternoon luncheon ceremony, can be made by calling (212) 244-9494 or visiting www.dramaleague.org.

The Drama League previously announced the 2017 Special Recognition Awards Recipients: Grammy and Emmy Award-winning icon Bette Midler will receive the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award; Bill Berloni will receive the Unique Contribution to the Theater Award; and Tony Award-winner Michael Greif will receive The Founders Award for Excellence in Directing.

Resolution Life is the proud Lead Season Sponsor of The Drama League. Delta Air Lines is the Official Air Lines of The Drama League. MAC Cosmetics is the Official Make-up Partner of The Drama League. The 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 Lin-Manuel Miranda, 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.