The 2025 Drama Desk Awards ceremony was held on June 1 at NYU’s Skirball Center. Debra Messing and Tituss Burgess hosted the event, which marked the Drama Desk organization’s 69th annual presentation of its awards. 100% of net proceeds from the 2025 Drama Desk Awards benefited the Entertainment Community Fund.
Leading this year’s winners was “Maybe Happy Ending,” which took home six Drama Desk Awards, including the prize for Outstanding Musical. Shows with three wins each were “Boop! The Musical,” “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” and “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
In keeping with the Drama Desk’s mission, nominators considered shows that opened on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway during the 2024-2025 season.
As was the case last year, all Drama Desk performance categories were genderless. Each of these categories had twice as many nominees as the former gendered categories and allowed for two winners each. (In the case of Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, there was a three-way tie this year, so there are three winners.)
In determining the eligibility of plays or performances from prior seasons, the nominating committee considered only those elements that constituted new work. Those productions included “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Hold On to Me Darling,” “Job,” “Odd Man Out,” “Our Class,” “Still,” “Teeth,” “The Christine Jorgensen Show” and “Yellow Face.” While some members of the “Floyd Collins” creative team also worked on the original 1996 Off-Broadway production, the nominating committee determined that their contributions to this revival were eligible as new work.
Productions that were deemed not eligible, either because they were considered in their entirety in prior seasons or because their producers did not invite awards consideration, included “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” “All In: Comedy About Love,” “Bringer of Doom,” “Dead Outlaw,” “English,” “Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha,” “Invasive Species,” “Oh, Mary!,” “On Beckett” and “The Dead, 1904.” Due to rescheduling factors, “Grief Camp” and “Rheology” will be considered in the 2025-2026 season.
At this year’s ceremony, Gavin Creel posthumously received the Harold S. Prince Award for Lifetime Achievement and Brian Stokes Mitchell received the William Wolf Award.
The Drama Desk Awards are voted on and bestowed by critics, journalists, editors and publishers covering theater. The 2025 Drama Desk Awards were executive produced by Staci Levine and Jessica R. Jenen. David Barbour and Charles Wright are the Drama Desk’s co-presidents.
2025 Drama Desk winners can be found below, in bold and preceded by asterisks.
Outstanding Play
“Blood of the Lamb,” by Arlene Hutton
“Deep Blue Sound,” by Abe Koogler
“Grangeville,” by Samuel D. Hunter
“John Proctor Is the Villain,” by Kimberly Belflower
“Liberation,” by Bess Wohl
**“Purpose,” by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Outstanding Musical
“Boop! The Musical”
“Death Becomes Her”
“Just in Time”
**“Maybe Happy Ending”
“Music City”
Outstanding Revival of a Play
**“Eureka Day”
“Garside’s Career”
“Home”
“Wine in the Wilderness”
“Yellow Face”
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
“Cats: ‘The Jellicle Ball’”
“Floyd Collins”
**“Gypsy”
“Once Upon a Mattress”
“See What I Wanna See”
“Sunset Boulevard”
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play (two winners)
Betsy Aidem, “The Ask”
**Laura Donnelly, “The Hills of California”
Patsy Ferran, “A Streetcar Named Desire”
Danny J. Gomez, “All of Me”
Doug Harris, “Redeemed”
Patrick Keleher, “Fatherland”
Louis McCartney, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
Lily Rabe, “Ghosts”
Jay O. Sanders, “Henry IV”
**Sarah Snook, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
Paul Sparks, “Grangeville”
Olivia Washington, “Wine in the Wilderness”
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical (two winners)
Tatianna Córdoba, “Real Women Have Curves”
Darren Criss, “Maybe Happy Ending”
Sutton Foster, “Once Upon a Mattress”
Tom Francis, “Sunset Boulevard”
Jonathan Groff, “Just in Time”
Grey Henson, “Elf”
Jeremy Jordan, “Floyd Collins”
**Audra McDonald, “Gypsy”
**Jasmine Amy Rogers, “Boop! The Musical”
Nicole Scherzinger, “Sunset Boulevard”
Helen J Shen, “Maybe Happy Ending”
Jennifer Simard, “Death Becomes Her”
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play (two winners)
Greg Keller, “Pre-Existing Condition”
Julia Lester, “All Nighter”
Adrienne C. Moore, “The Blood Quilt”
Deirdre O’Connell, “Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.”
Maria-Christina Oliveras, “Cymbeline”
Maryann Plunkett, “Deep Blue Sound”
Michael Rishawn, “Table 17”
Jude Tibeau, “Bad Kreyòl”
Anjana Vasan, “A Streetcar Named Desire”
Frank Wood, “Hold On to Me Darling”
**Amalia Yoo, “John Proctor Is the Villain”
**Kara Young, “Purpose”
Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical (three-way tie)
**Brooks Ashmanskas, “Smash”
Nicholas Barasch, “Pirates! The Penzance Musical”
André De Shields, “Cats: ‘The Jellicle Ball’”
John El-Jor, “We Live in Cairo”
Jason Gotay, “Floyd Collins”
Gracie Lawrence, “Just in Time”
**Jak Malone, “Operation Mincemeat”
Lesli Margherita, “Gypsy”
Zachary Noah Piser, “See What I Wanna See”
Jenny Lee Stern, “Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song”
**Michael Urie, “Once Upon a Mattress”
Natalie Walker, “The Big Gay Jamboree”
Outstanding Solo Performance
David Greenspan, “I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan”
Ryan J. Haddad, “Hold Me in the Water”
Sam Kissajukian, “300 Paintings”
Mark Povinelli, “The Return of Benjamin Lay”
**Andrew Scott, “Vanya”
Outstanding Direction of a Play
David Cromer and Caitlin Sullivan, “The Antiquities”
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
Tyne Rafaeli, “Becoming Eve”
Jack Serio, “Grangeville”
**Danya Taymor, “John Proctor Is the Villain”
Whitney White, “Liberation”
Kip Williams, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
**Michael Arden, “Maybe Happy Ending”
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, “Cats: ‘The Jellicle Ball’”
Jamie Lloyd, “Sunset Boulevard”
Jerry Mitchell, “Boop! The Musical”
Alex Timbers, “Just in Time”
George C. Wolfe, “Gypsy”
Outstanding Choreography
Camille A. Brown, “Gypsy”
Warren Carlyle, “Pirates! The Penzance Musical”
Jakob Karr, “Ain’t Done Bad”
Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles, “Cats: ‘The Jellicle Ball’”
**Jerry Mitchell, “Boop! The Musical”
Sergio Trujillo, “Real Women Have Curves”
Outstanding Music
**Will Aronson and Hue Park, “Maybe Happy Ending”
David Foster, “Boop! The Musical”
Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, “Real Women Have Curves”
Zoe Sarnak, “The Lonely Few”
The Lazours, “We Live in Cairo”
Outstanding Lyrics
Gerard Alessandrini, “Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song”
**Will Aronson and Hue Park, “Maybe Happy Ending”
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts, “Operation Mincemeat”
Adam Gwon, “All the World’s a Stage”
Marla Mindelle and Philip Drennen, “The Big Gay Jamboree”
Luis Quintero, “Medea: Re-Versed”
Outstanding Book of a Musical
**Will Aronson and Hue Park, “Maybe Happy Ending”
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts, “Operation Mincemeat”
Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver, “Just in Time”
Bob Martin, “Boop! The Musical”
Marla Mindelle and Jonathan Parks-Ramage, “The Big Gay Jamboree”
Marco Pennette, “Death Becomes Her”
Outstanding Orchestrations
Will Aronson, “Maybe Happy Ending”
Doug Besterman, “Boop! The Musical”
Joseph Joubert and Daryl Waters, “Pirates! The Penzance Musical”
**Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, “Just in Time”
Michael Starobin, “All the World’s a Stage”
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, “Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.”
**Miriam Buether, Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
Rob Howell, “The Hills of California”
Johan Kølkjær, “Dark Noon”
Gabriel Hainer Evansohn and Grace Laubacher, “Life and Trust”
Matt Saunders, “Walden”
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical
Clifton Chadick, “Music City”
Rachel Hauck, “Swept Away”
**Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, “Maybe Happy Ending”
Derek McLane, “Just in Time”
David Rockwell and Finn Ross, “Boop! The Musical”
Outstanding Costume Design of a Play
Brenda Abbandandolo, “The Antiquities”
**Dede Ayite, “Our Town”
Christopher Ford, “The Beastiary”
Camilla Lind, “Dark Noon”
Karl Ruckdeschel, “Twelfth Night”
Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical
**Gregg Barnes, “Boop! The Musical”
Sarah Cubbage, “The Big Gay Jamboree”
Toni-Leslie James, “Gypsy”
Qween Jean, “Cats: ‘The Jellicle Ball’”
Paul Tazewell, “Death Becomes Her”
Catherine Zuber, “Just in Time”
Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play
Isabella Byrd, “Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.”
**Jon Clark, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
Natasha Katz, “John Proctor Is the Villain”
Tyler Micoleau, “The Antiquities”
Paul Whitaker, “Sumo”
Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, “Swept Away”
Adam Honoré, “Cats: ‘The Jellicle Ball’”
**Jack Knowles, “Sunset Boulevard”
Philip S. Rosenberg, “Boop! The Musical”
Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun, “Floyd Collins”
Outstanding Sound Design of a Play
**Paul Arditti, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
Johnny Gasper, “Two Sisters Find a Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods”
Matt Otto, All of Me”
Bray Poor, “Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.”
Clemence Williams, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
Fan Zhang, “Good Bones”
Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical
Adam Fisher, “Sunset Boulevard”
**Peter Hylenski, “Just in Time”
Scott Lehrer, “Gypsy”
Mick Potter, “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends”
Dan Moses Schreier, “Floyd Collins”
Outstanding Projection and Video Design
Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom, “Sunset Boulevard”
Jake Barton, “McNeal”
**David Bergman, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
Jesse Garrison, “The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [redux]”
Hana S. Kim, “Redwood”
Outstanding Wig and Hair
Alberto “Albee” Alvarado, “Sumo”
**Charles G. LaPointe, “Death Becomes Her”
Sabana Majeed, “Boop! The Musical”
Nikiya Mathis, “Cats: ‘The Jellicle Ball’”
Nikiya Mathis, “Liberation”
Outstanding Puppetry
Dorothy James, “Bill’s 44th”
Tom Lee, “See What I Wanna See”
Simple Mischief Studio, “Small Acts of Daring Invention”
**Amanda Villalobos, “Becoming Eve”
Kirjan Waage, “Dead as a Dodo”
Outstanding Fight Choreography
Drew Leary, “Romeo + Juliet”
Chelsea Pace and James Yaegashi, “Sumo”
*Rick Sordelet and Christian Kelly-Sordelet, “Pirates! The Penzance Musical”
Bret Yount, “King Lear”
Outstanding Adaptation
“Becoming Eve,” by Emil Weinstein
“Cymbeline,” by Andrea Thome
“Medea: Re-Versed,” by Luis Quintero
**“Pirates! The Penzance Musical,” by Rupert Holmes
“The Devil’s Disciple,” by David Staller
Outstanding Revue
**“Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song”
“Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now!”
“The Jonathan Larson Project”
“The World According to Micki Grant”
Unique Theatrical Experience
“Odd Man Out”
“The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [redux]”
**“The Picture of Dorian Gray”
“The Voices in Your Head”
“The Wind and the Rain: A story about Sunny’s Bar”
Special Awards
Ensemble Award
The ensemble of Roundabout Theatre Company's “Liberation” (Betsy Aidem, Audrey Corsa, Kayla Davion, Susannah Flood, Kristolyn Lloyd, Irene Sofia Lucio, Charlie Thurston and Adina Verson) for bringing to vibrant life the specific and universal stories of women staring across the social battle lines of the 1970s from their perch "somewhere in Ohio" in Bess Wohl's beautiful new play.
Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award
The incredibly versatile Stephen Michael Spencer for his electric and empathetic performances in two of this season’s strongest new Off-Broadway musicals. In “Medea: Re-Versed,” Spencer’s funny yet revelatory take on a character we all thought we knew allowed us the rare opportunity to actually understand Jason’s motivations. And then in “Music City,” Spencer was almost unrecognizable as TJ, a charismatic singer-songwriter who we couldn’t help but root for.
Other Special Awards
Pregones/PRTT: Pregones (founded in 1979) and the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (founded in 1967) merged in 2014 to become a powerhouse producer of Latinx shows on two NYC stages: one in Manhattan's Theater District, the other in the South Bronx, both evoking an atmosphere of warmth and inclusivity. This season brought the blazing world premiere of Matthew Barbot’s “the beautiful land i seek (la linda tierra que busco yo),” a history-inspired fantasia about two Puerto Rican freedom fighters that deftly explores colonialism while riffing on “Waiting for Godot,” plus dozens of one-offs showcasing Latinx artists and culture.
Lighting designer Stacey Derosier for her deeply intimate and consistently gorgeous work across this season’s Off-Broadway stages. Whether lighting the minimalist theatricality of “The Welkin” and “Grangeville,” or the rich naturalism of “The Counter” and “Danger and Opportunity,” Derosier shows us not only that less is often so much more, but also that just a single light can have such a profound impact in the darkness.
The team behind “Danger and Opportunity” — playwright Ken Urban, director Jack Serio, and ensemble Juan Castano, Julia Chan and Ryan Spahn — for their genuinely serious, deeply moving consideration of the messy implications of a three-way relationship, done in an imaginatively immersive way that made such a small-scale story feel like a meaningful event.
Productions with multiple wins
“Maybe Happy Ending” — 6
“Boop! The Musical” — 3
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” — 3
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” — 3
“Danger and Opportunity” — 2
“Gypsy” — 2
“John Proctor Is the Villain” — 2
“Just in Time” — 2
“Pirates! The Penzance Musical” — 2
“Purpose” — 2
