The Coast of Utopia, Tom Stoppard’s epic trilogy of 19th century Russia, won seven awards, including Outstanding Drama, to head the list of 2006/2007 Drama Desk Award winners at the 52nd Annual Drama Desk Awards, hosted by Kristin Chenoweth, held tonight at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center. Spring Awakening, a rock musical based on the 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind about sexually anguished teenagers coming of age, followed with four Awards, including Outstanding Musical.
In the design categories, Bob Crowley and Scott Pask (The Coast of Utopia) won for Outstanding Set Design of a Play, and Bob Crowley won his second Drama Desk Award of the night for his Outstanding Set Design of a Musical for his creative contributions to Mary Poppins.
The Outstanding Costume Design award was presented to Catherine Zuber (The Coast of Utopia). Kenneth Posner, Brian MacDevitt and Natasha Katz (The Coast of Utopia) won for Outstanding Lighting Design and Gregory Clarke (Journey’s End) was honored for his Outstanding Sound Design.
The 52nd Annual Drama Desk Awards was videotaped and will be broadcast as a two-hour special on NYC TV Channel 25 on Thursday, May 24 at 8pm and Saturday, May 26 at 10pm, as well as on Thirteen/WNET on Sunday, May 27, at 12:30pm. The television special will also be broadcast on many PBS stations across the US starting in June. The Drama Desk Awards were webcast with live streaming video from 9pm to its conclusion by TheaterMania.com and, for the first time, was broadcast live in its entirety on XM Satellite Radio’s Theatre Channel 28.
The Drama Desk, which presented its first awards in 1955, is the only theatre organization whose award nominations honor Broadway, Off Broadway, Off Off Broadway and not-for-profit theatre productions equally in multiple categories. The Drama Desk membership includes over 140 voting theatre critics, reporters, and editors.
2006/2007 Drama Desk Award Winners:
Outstanding Set Design of a Play:
Bob Crowley and Scott Pask (The Coast of Utopia)
Outstanding Set Design of a Musical:
Bob Crowley (Mary Poppins)
Outstanding Costume Design:
Catherine Zuber (The Coast of Utopia)
Outstanding Lighting Design:
Kenneth Posner, Brian MacDevitt, Natasha Katz (The Coast of Utopia)
Outstanding Sound Design:
Gregory Clarke (Journey’s End)