Tony Winner Laura Benanti Will Host 59th Annual Drama Desk Awards

Drama Desk and Tony Award winner Laura Benanti ("The Sound of Music Live!", Gypsy, Women On The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) will host the 59th Annual Drama Desk Awards on Sunday, June 1, 2014 at 8:00 PM at The Town Hall (123 W. 43rd Street), it was announced today.

Joey Parnes Productions will produce and manage the show. Gretchen Shugart is the Managing Executive Producer of the Drama Desk Awards. The Awards show will be written by Bill Rosenfield anddirected by Jack Cummings III (co-founder and artistic director of Transport Group).

"As host, Laura Benanti brings a winning combination to the stage - talent, beauty and a great sense of humor. We look forward to a great evening," said Shugart.

Benanti said, "I am thrilled to bring my particular brand of idiocy to what is usually a very classy affair. #ForThePeopleByThePeople"

Tickets to the 59th Annual Drama Desk Awards are available to the general public at www.dramadeskawards.com.

The Nominations Announcement News Conference will take place on Friday, April 25, 2014 at 11 AM at 54 Below and will be live-streamed on www.TheaterMania.com.

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, without any vested interest in the results. For this reason, Drama Desk Awards reflect both enthusiasm for all aspects of New York's professional theater and a level of erudition and theatrical experience unparalleled in our industry's other prize-giving organizations.