NYU's Skirball Center hosted the 2025 Drama Desk Awards on Sunday, June 1, marking the 69th annual presentation of these awards. 100% of net proceeds from the 2025 Drama Desk Awards benefited the Entertainment Community Fund.
In all categories, the Drama Desk nominators considered shows that opened on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway during the 2024-2025 season. Their keen eyes and ears picked up on the wizardry of the video design by David Bergman for The Picture of Dorian Gray and Peter Hylenski's cool sounds of the 60s with Jonathan Groff channeling Bobby Darin in Just In Time. The Netflix series, Stranger Things, has come to life as a Broadway play, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, with wins for its scenic design by Miriam Buether, Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher, lighting by Jon Clark, and sound by Paul Arditti.
And the winners are (in bold):
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
A special award was presented to 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," per the Drama Desk website.
All Drama Desk Award winners: dramadeskaward.com/winners