Drama Desk Nominations Announced
May 8, 2025
The nominations are here for the Drama Desk Awards. The Drama Desk Awards are the only major New York City theatre awards for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same categories. They are voted on and bestowed by theatre critics, journalists, editors, and publishers covering theatre, and honor all aspects of New York's professional theatre.
USITT sends special congratulations to *USITT Member and lighting designer Tyler Micoleau, *USITT Member and sound designer Fan Zhang, **2019 Distinguished Achievement Award winner for Education, Toni-Leslie James, **2021 Distinguished Achievement Award winner for Costume Design, Paul Tazewell, and *USITT21 Virtually Anywhere keynote speaker Adam Honore on their Drama Desk Award nominations!
The design nominees are:
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.
Miriam Buether, and Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher (illusions and visual effects), Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Johan Kolkjær, Dark Noon
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 (includes video design)
Derek McLane, Just in Time
David Rockwell and Finn Ross (projections), 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 Blvd.
Philip S. Rosenberg, BOOP! The Musical
Scott Zielinski and Ruey-Horng Sun (projections), 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 Blvd.
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 Blvd.
Jake Barton, McNeal
David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Jesse Garrison, The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [redux]
Hana S. Kim, Redwood
Leading the nominations overall are BOOP!, with 11, Just in Time, and Maybe Happy Ending, with nine each, and Cats: "The Jellicle Ball", Gypsy, and Sunset Blvd., with seven apiece. This year's awards will be held on June 1 at NYU Skirball, 556 LaGuardia Place. Staci Levine and Jessica R. Jenen are the event's executive producers.