The Drama League held its annual awards ceremony on May 15 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City, hosted by Frank DiLella. The Drama League Awards recognize outstanding achievement on and Off-Broadway in a unique set of seven competitive categories, in addition to special honors. The 2026 Awards honor artistry in the 2025-2026 season.
Joshua Henry took home the coveted Distinguished Performance Award for his turn as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in the current revival of “Ragtime.” This award can only be won once in a performer’s lifetime.
Among the other top prizes: “Liberation” was named Outstanding Production of a Play and “Mexodus” was named Outstanding Production of a Musical. “Death of a Salesman” earned the title of Outstanding Revival of a Play and “Ragtime” won Outstanding Revival of a Musical. See the full list of winners and nominees below; winners are marked in bold and with an asterisk.
As previously announced, the first of the special awards went to “Ragtime” star Caissie Levy for Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater. Tony-winning director David Cromer took home the Founders Award for Excellence in Directing. Apollo Theater executive director Kamilah Forbes was named recipient of the Contribution to the Theater Award and Tony nominee, and Olivier Award winner Scott Ellis received the Gratitude Award for his work as interim artistic director of the Roundabout Theatre Company.
Outstanding Production of a Play
*“Liberation”
James Earl Jones Theatre
Written by Bess Wohl
Directed by Whitney White
Associate Director: Annabel Heacock
Produced by Daryl Roth, Eva Price, Rachel Sussman and Jenny Gersten; Co-Produced by Betsy Dollinger, FineWomen Productions, Craig Balsam / Broadway Women's Fund, Jessica Goldman Foung / Rachel Styne, Michelle Noh / Todd B. Rubin, Gold Sky Productions, MHSSP Productions, Creative Partners Productions, Sheri Henriksen, Hopkins Haffner Wright, Pam Hurst-Della Pietra, Ellie Hurwitz, Willette Klausner, Hilary Ley Jager, Los Angeles Media Fund, Jonathan Littman, Isabelle Mann, Practical Mayhem, Jenna Segal, Tracy Chutorian Semler, Marcy Syms and The Weisbrots; Presenting the production by the Roundabout Theatre Company (Scott Ellis, Interim Artistic Director; Sydney Beers, Executive Producer; Christopher Nave CFRE, Chief Advancement Director)
“The Balusters”
“Caroline”
“Cold War Choir Practice”
“Dog Day Afternoon”
“Giant”
“Kyoto”
“Marcel on the Train”
“The Monsters”
“Prince Faggot”
“Rheology”
“Spread”
Outstanding Revival of a Play
*“Death of a Salesman”
Winter Garden Theatre
Written by Arthur Miller
Directed by Joe Mantello
Associate Director: Lily Dyble
Produced by Scott Rudin, Barry Diller, Roy Furman, Composite Capital Partners, Cue to Cue Productions, Thomas Tuft, John Gore Organization, Peter May, The Shubert Organization, Jane Bergère, Corey Brunish & Spencer Dress, Lynee & Marvin Garelick, Bruce Robert Harris & Sean Nyberg, Alex Levy & Shari Redstone, Lloyd Tichio Productions, William C. Martin, Scott H. Mauro, Jeffrey Schoenberg, Emerald Drive, Al Nocciolino
“Anna Christie”
“Becky Shaw”
“The Brothers Size”
“Bug”
“Every Brilliant Thing”
“Fallen Angels”
“Gruesome Playground Injuries”
“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
“Proof”
“Twelfth Night”
“You Got Older”
Outstanding Production of a Musical
*“Mexodus”
Minetta Lane Theatre, Daryl Roth Theatre
Written and performed by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson
Directed by David Mendizábal
Associate Director: Irvin Mason Jr.
Produced by Audible Theater (Kate Navin, Artistic Producer) and P3 Productions (Ben Holtzman, Sammy Lopez, and Fiona Howe Rudin) in association with Gabrielle Palitz, Gina Maria Leonetti, Todd B. Rubin, Willette and Manny Klausner, Adam Zell & Co, MTTM Theatrics, Thompson Creative Group/Balsam Levitan, QM Productions / The Movement Theatre Company, Bright & Shiny Productions/DKIM Caldwell, Barzach Productions/Brian Guy, Erica Berger/Studebaker Theater, Drama Club/Rick Feldman.
“Beaches, A New Musical”
“Beau the Musical”
“Bigfoot”
“The Lost Boys”
“My Joy Is Heavy”
“Night Side Songs”
“Saturday Church”
“Schmigadoon!”
“The Seat of Our Pants”
“Titaníque”
“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
*“Ragtime”
Vivian Beaumont Theater
Book by Terrence McNally; Music by Stephen Flaherty; Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; Based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow
Directed by Lear deBessonet
Associate Director: Victoria Davidjohn
Assistant Director: Nathaniel P. Claridad
Produced by Lincoln Center Theater (Lear deBessonet, Kewsong Lee Artistic Director; Mike Schleifer, Managing Director); Produced in association with Tom Kirdahy, Kevin Ryan, Robert Greenblatt, Lamar Richardson, Thomas M. Neff, Roy and Jill Furman, Stephanie P. McClelland, Michael Page, Acton Rothschild Productions / Willette and Manny Klausner, Alexander-Taylor Deignan / Jay and Mary Sullivan, D'Angora Padgett Productions / Janet and Marvin Rosen, Maggio Lane / Rubin Bolosh, and Peter May / Coluzzi Cohen
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
“Bat Boy: The Musical”
“Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
“Chess”
“The Gospel at Colonus”
“Heathers the Musical”
“Masquerade”
“Oratorio for Living Things”
“Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”
“The Wild Party”
Outstanding Direction of a Play
*Joe Mantello, “Death of a Salesman”
Knud Adams, “Cold War Choir Practice”
Debbie Allen, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
Tatyana-Marie Carlo, “Spread”
Shayok Misha Chowdhury, “Prince Faggot”
David Cromer, “Caroline”
Trip Cullman, “Becky Shaw”
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, “Kyoto”
Joe Mantello, “Little Bear Ridge Road”
Marshall Pailet, “Marcel on the Train”
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
*Lear deBessonet, “Ragtime”
Michael Arden, “The Lost Boys”
Lili-Anne Brown, “The Wild Party”
Rachel Chavkin, “My Joy Is Heavy”
Lee Sunday Evans, “Oratorio for Living Things”
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Danny Mefford, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” & “Bigfoot”
David Mendizábal, “Mexodus”
Sam Pinkleton, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”
Leigh Silverman, “The Seat of Our Pants”
Alex Timbers, “Bat Boy: The Musical”
Distinguished Performance
*Joshua Henry, “Ragtime”
Caroline Aaron, “The Reservoir”
Christopher Abbott, “Death of a Salesman”
Shoshana Bean, “The Lost Boys”
Jon Bernthal, “Dog Day Afternoon”
Ali Louis Bourzgui, “The Lost Boys”
Marylouise Burke, “The Balusters”
Kerry Butler, “Bat Boy: The Musical”
Rose Byrne, “Fallen Angels”
Sara Chase, “Schmigadoon!”
Patrice Johnson Chevannes, “The Waterfall”
Nicholas Christopher, “Chess”
Justin Cooley, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
Carrie Coon, “Bug”
André De Shields, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Brandon J. Dirden, “Waiting for Godot”
Ayo Edebiri, “Proof”
Alden Ehrenreich, “Becky Shaw”
Luke Evans, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, “Tru”
Susannah Flood, “Liberation”
Ishmael Gonzalez, “Spread”
Sean Hayes, “The Unknown”
Grey Henson, “Bigfoot”
André Holland, “The Brothers Size”
Stephanie Hsu, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”
Alani iLongwe, “The Brothers Size”
Stephen Kunken, “Kyoto”
Caissie Levy, “Ragtime”
Lesley Manville, “Oedipus”
John McCrea, “Prince Faggot”
Laurie Metcalf, “Death of a Salesman” and “Little Bear Ridge Road”
Lea Michele, “Chess”
Marla Mindelle, “Titaníque”
Lizan Mitchell, “Cold War Choir Practice”
Aigner Mizzelle, “The Monsters”
Chloë Grace Moretz, “Caroline”
Lupita Nyong’o, “Twelfth Night”
Kelli O’Hara, “Fallen Angels”
Christiani Pitts, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Brian Quijada, “Mexodus”
Daniel Radcliffe, “Every Brilliant Thing”
Nygel D. Robinson, “Mexodus”
Jasmine Amy Rogers, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” and “The Wild Party”
Constantine Rousouli, “Titaníque”
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
Ethan Slater, “Marcel on the Train”
Ari'el Stachel, “Other”
B Noel Thomas, “Saturday Church”
Taylor Trensch, “Bat Boy: The Musical”
Brandon Uranowitz, “Ragtime”
Jessica Vosk, “Beaches, A New Musical”
Adrienne Warren, “The Wild Party”
Kara Young, “Gruesome Playground Injuries” and “Proof”
The Drama League also wishes to acknowledge the previous recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award who appeared in Broadway or Off-Broadway productions this season. As the Award can only be won once in a performer’s lifetime, they are ineligible to be nominated; however, their exemplary work is recognized and applauded.
Danny Burstein, “Marjorie Prime”
Neil Patrick Harris, “Art”
Hugh Jackman, “Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes”
Nathan Lane, “Death of a Salesman”
John Lithgow, “Giant”
A note on eligibility from the Drama League: Productions that have transferred or moved from Off-Broadway to Broadway in successive seasons have been permitted to be considered, under eligibility rules, in both iterations. This decision was made to highlight the best performances within a given season, and to not penalize shows that develop in certain processes. The transferring productions of “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” “Liberation” and “Titaníque” were deemed materially and significantly similar in their creative teams and production aspects to their Off-Broadway productions from previous seasons, and thus eligible in the Outstanding Production categories. This included the original director, cast, and most or all of the design team.
