Nominations for The 56th Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced on Friday, April 29, 2011, at 9:30 AM at the New York Friars Club, 57 East 55th Street, in Manhattan. Former Drama Desk Award winners Audra MacDonald and Liev Schreiber made the announcements. Other speakers included Isa Goldberg, President of the Drama Desk; Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the Drama Desk Awards; Barbara Siegel, chairperson of the Drama Desk Nominating Committee and Randie Levine-Miller, Director of Special Events for the Drama Desk, who has produced the nominations announcement ceremony at the NY Friars Club for the past 15 years.
Amongst the shows with multiple nominations were THE BOOK OF MORMON with 12, ANYTHING GOES with 10, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE with 7, BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, SEE ROCK CITY & OTHER DESTINATIONS and WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN with 6.
BroadwayWorld was on hand for the nominee reception yesterday, May 2, and brings you photo coverage of the men in attendance below. Click here for coverage of The Women.
The 56th Annual Drama Desk Awards, hosted by Harvey Fierstein, will be held Monday, May 23, at 9:00 PM at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan Center, 8th Avenue and 34th Street. This year, for the first time, a 90-minute Highlights Special of the Drama Desk Awards Ceremony will be televised nationally on OVATION, the national cable network dedicated to presenting creative arts programming to national TV audiences. The ceremony will be given two primetime broadcasts plus four other airings between June 4 and June 19, 2011.
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 between Broadway, Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway productions in the same categories. The organization hosts panels throughout the year, to which the public is invited, to promote understanding and appreciation of the professional theater. For additional information about the Drama Desk and this year's awards show, visit www.DramaDesk.com and www.DramaDeskAwards.com.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride / Retna Ltd.
Atmosphere at the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Brian Bedford attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Mike Birbiglia attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Mike Birbiglia attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Reed Birney attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Adam Bock attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Christian Borle attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Christian Borle attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Company of Born Yesterday attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Company of A Bright New Boise attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Charles Busch attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Tom D'Angora & Rick Crom attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Trip Cullman attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Trip Cullman attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Trip Cullman attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Jack Cummings III attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Colin Donnell attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Colin Donnell attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Fyvush Finkel attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Adam Godley attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Company of Hello Again attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Stephen Oremus attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Larry Hochman attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Stephen Oremus & Larry Hochman attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Company of In Transit attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Rory O'Malley & Nikki M. James & Stephen Oremus attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Moises Kaufman attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Tom Kitt attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Tom Kitt attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
David Korins attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Michael Zam & Jack Lechner attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
John Leguizamo attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Robert Lopez attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Casey Nicholaw attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Company of The Normal Heart attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Rory O'Malley attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Rory O'Malley attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Lee Pace attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Lee Pace attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Jim Parsons attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Jim Parsons attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Colin Quinn attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Daniel Radcliffe attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Daniel Radcliffe attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Daniel Radcliffe attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Daniel Radcliffe & Richie Ridge attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Rain's Ralph Castelli, Joe Bithorn and Steve Landes attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Andrew Rannells attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Todd Robbins attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Todd Robbins attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Company of See Rock City & Other Destinations attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Tony Sheldon attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Garry McQuinn & Tony Sheldon attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Christopher Sieber attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Christopher Sieber attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Glenn Slater attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Paul Sparks attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Richard Topol attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Artist - Valy attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Yul Vazquez attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Yul Vazquez attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Stephen Adly Gyuirgis attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Stephen Adly Gyuirgis & Yul Vazquez attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Stephen Adly Gyuirgis & Yul Vazquez attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Wayne Alan Wilcox attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Wayne Alan Wilcox attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Tom Wopat attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
Tom Wopat attending the 56th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominees Reception at Bombay Palace in New York City.
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