The nominations for the 2018 Drama Desk Awards were announced April 25 by Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt duo Jane Krakowski and Tituss Burgess.
The 63rd annual ceremony, where the winners will be announced, will take place June 3 at Town Hall; Michael Urie returns to host.
Leading the pack this year were three Broadway musicals—the revival of Carousel with 12 nominations, SpongeBob SquarePants with 11, and Mean Girls with 10.
As the Drama Desks place Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions and artists in the same categories, some were dominated by Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway representation, including Outstanding Play, Outstanding Music, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play—allowing for little speculation for the May 1 Tony Award nominations announcement.
See below for the list of nominees:
Outstanding Play
Admissions
Mary Jane
Miles for Mary
People, Places and Things
School Girls, or, The African Mean Girls Play
Outstanding Musical
Desperate Measures
KPOP
Mean Girls
Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
SpongeBob SquarePants
Outstanding Revival of a Play
Angels in America
Hindle Wakes
In the Blood
Three Tall Women
Travesties
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Amerike – The Golden Land
Carousel
My Fair Lady
Once On This Island
Pacific Overtures
Outstanding Actor in a Play
Johnny Flynn, Hangmen
Andrew Garfield, Angels in America
Tom Hollander, Travesties
James McArdle, Angels in America
Paul Sparks, At Home at the Zoo
Outstanding Actress in a Play
Carrie Coon, Mary Jane
Denise Gough, People, Places & Things
Glenda Jackson, Three Tall Women
Laurie Metcalf, Three Tall Women
Billie Piper, Yerma
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Jelani Alladin, Frozen
Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady
Joshua Henry, Carousel
Evan Ruggiero, Bastard Jones
Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants
Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Gizel Jiménez, Miss You Like Hell
LaChanze, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Jessie Mueller, Carousel
Ashley Park, KPOP
Daphne Rubin-Vega, Miss You Like Hell
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Anthony Boyle, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Ben Edelman, Admissions
Brian Tyree Henry, Lobby Hero
Nathan Lane, Angels in America
David Morse, The Iceman Cometh
Gregg Mozgala, Cost of Living
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Jocelyn Bioh, In the Blood
Jamie Brewer, Amy and the Orphans
Barbara Marten, People, Places & Things
Deirdre O'Connell, Fulfillment Center
Constance Shulman, Bobbie Clearly
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Damon Daunno, The Lucky Ones
Alexander Gemignani, Carousel
Grey Henson, Mean Girls
Gavin Lee, SpongeBob SquarePants
Tony Yazbeck, Prince of Broadway
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Lindsay Mendez, Carousel
Kenita R. Miller, Once on This Island
Ashley Park, Mean Girls
Diana Rigg, My Fair Lady
Kate Rockwell, Mean Girls
Outstanding Director of a Play
Marianne Elliott, Angels in America
Jeremy Herrin, People, Places & Things
Joe Mantello, Three Tall Women
Lila Neugebauer, Miles for Mary
Simon Stone, Yerma
John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Christian Barry, Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
Teddy Bergman, KPOP
Jack O'Brien, Carousel
Tina Landau, SpongeBob SquarePants
Bartlett Sher, My Fair Lady
The LaDuca Award for Outstanding Choreography
Camille A. Brown, Once on This Island
Christopher Gattelli, SpongeBob SquarePants
Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls
Justin Peck, Carousel
Nejla Yatkin, The Boy Who Danced on Air
Outstanding Music
The Bengsons, The Lucky Ones
Ben Caplan, Christian Barry, Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
David Friedman, Desperate Measures
Erin McKeown, Miss You Like Hell
Helen Park, Max Vernon, KPOP
Outstanding Lyrics
Nell Benjamin, Mean Girls
Quiara Alegría Hudes/Erin McKeown, Miss You Like Hell
Peter Kellogg, Desperate Measures
Helen Park, Max Vernon, KPOP
Outstanding Book of a Musical
Tina Fey, Mean Girls
Kyle Jarrow, SpongeBob Squarepants
Peter Kellogg, Desperate Measures
Hannah Moscovitch, Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
Outstanding Orchestrations
Tom Kitt, SpongeBob SquarePants
Annmarie Milazzo and Michael Starobin (John Bertles and Bash the Trash, found instrument design), Once on This Island
Charlie Rosen, Erin McKeown, Miss You Like Hell
Jonathan Tunick, Pacific Overtures
Jonathan Tunick, Carousel
Outstanding Music in a Play
Imogen Heap, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Justin Hicks, Mlima's Tale
Amatus Karim-Ali, The Homecoming Queen
Justin Levine, A Midsummer Night's Dream
Adrian Sutton, Angels in America
The Hudson Scenic Studio Award for Outstanding Set Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, Three Tall Women
Bunny Christie, People, Places & Things
Lizzie Clachan, Yerma
Maruti Evans, Kill Move Paradise
Louisa Thompson, In the Blood
Outstanding Set Design for a Musical
Louisa Adamson, Christian Barry, Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
Beowulf Boritt, Prince of Broadway
Dane Laffrey, Once on This Island
Santo Loquasto, Carousel
David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants
Outstanding Costume Design for a Play
Dede M. Ayite, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play
Jonathan Fensom, Farinelli and the King
Katrina Lindsay, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Ann Roth, Three Tall Women
Emilio Sosa, Venus
Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical
Gregg Barnes, Mean Girls
Clint Ramos, Once on This Island
David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants
Catherine Zuber, My Fair Lady
Dede M. Ayite, Bella: An American Tall Tale
Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play
Neil Austin, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Natasha Chivers, 1984
Alan C. Edwards, Kill Move Paradise
Paul Gallo, Three Tall Women
Paul Russell, Farinelli and the King
Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical
Louisa Adamson, Christian Barry, Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
Amith Chandrashaker, The Lucky Ones
Jules Fisher, Peggy Eisenhauer, Once on This Island
Brian MacDevitt, Carousel
Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, KPOP
Outstanding Projection Design
David Bengali, Van Gogh's Ear
Andrezj Goulding, People, Places & Things
Peter Nigrini, SpongeBob SquarePants
Finn Ross and Adam Young, Mean Girls
Finn Ross and Ash J. Woodward, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Brendan Aanes, Balls
Gareth Fry, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Tom Gibbons, 1984
Tom Gibbons, People, Places & Things
Stefan Gregory, Yerma
Palmer Hefferan, Today is My Birthday
Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
Kai Harada, The Band's Visit
Scott Lehrer, Carousel
Will Pickens, KPOP
Dan Moses Schreier, Pacific Overtures
Outstanding Wig and Hair
Carole Hancock, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Campbell Young Associates, Farinelli and the King
Cookie Jordan, School Girls;, or The African Mean Girls Play
Charles G. LaPointe, SpongeBob SquarePants
Josh Marquette, Mean Girls
Outstanding Solo Performance
Billy Crudup, Harry Clarke
David Greenspan, Strange Interlude
Jon Levin, A Hunger Artist
Lesli Margherita, Who's Holiday!
Sophie Melville, Iphigenia in Splott
The Chase Award for Unique Theatrical Experience
Derren Brown: Secret
Master
Say Something Bunny!
Outstanding Fight Choreography
J. David Brimmer, Is God Is
Steve Rankin, Carousel
Unkle Dave's Fight House, Oedipus El Rey
Outstanding Puppet Design
Finn Caldwell, Nick Barnes, Angels in America
Michael Curry, Frozen
Charlie Kanev, Sarah Nolan, and Jonathan Levin, A Hunger Artist
Vandy Wood, The Artificial Jungle
The Drama Desk nominating committee determined that the Broadway production of The Band's Visit was ineligible this year after running Off-Broadway last season (and going on to win three Drama Desk Awards). Only elements new to the Broadway staging—such as Kai Harada's sound design—were considered eligible.
Special Awards
School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play – Outstanding Ensemble
Presented to Nabiyah Be, MaameYaa Boafo, Paige Gilbert, Zainab Jah, Nike Kadri, Abena Mensah-Bonsu, Mirirai Sithole, and Myra Lucretia Taylor
Juan Castano – Sam Norkin Award
For varied performances in Oedipus El Rey, A Parallelogram, and Transfers
Sean Carvajal and Edi Gathegi - Special Award
For last-minute entrances into Signature Theatre's Jesus Hopped the A Train
Productions with multiple nominations:
Carousel -12
SpongeBob SquarePants - 11
Mean Girls - 10
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - 8
Angels in America - 7
KPOP - 7
Once on This Island - 7
People, Places & Things - 7
Three Tall Women - 7
Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story - 6
Miss You Like Hell - 5
My Fair Lady - 5
Desperate Measures - 4
Yerma - 4
Farinelli and the King - 3
In the Blood - 3
The Lucky Ones - 3
Pacific Overtures - 3
School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play - 3
1984 - 2
Admissions - 2
Frozen - 2
A Hunger Artist - 2
Kill Move Paradise - 2
Mary Jane - 2
Miles for Mary - 2
Prince of Broadway - 2
