Theater News

Christian Borle and Ari Graynor Win Clarence Derwent Awards

New York City
Christian Borle of Monty Python’s Spamalot and Ari Graynor of Brooklyn Boy have won the 60th annual Clarence Derwent Awards honoring “the most promising female and male performers on the New York metropolitan scene.” Each will receive $2,000 and an engraved crystal trophy.

Graynor made her Broadway debut in Donald Margulies’ drama as Alison, the literary groupie who tries to bed author Eric Weiss (played by Adam Arkin). Her film and television credits include Mystic River and The Sopranos. Borle has several roles in Spamalot, including the Historian, Not Dead Fred, and Prince Herbert. He was previously seen on Broaday in Footloose, Amour, and Thoroughly Modern Millie, in which he played opposite his real-life girlfriend Sutton Foster.

The Derwent Awards were established in 1944 by actor and former Actors’ Equity Association president Clarence Derwent; past recipients include Annette Bening, Kristin Chenoweth, Calista Flockhart, Dana Ivey, John Malkovich, George C. Scott, and Frances Sternhagen. This year’s judges were Betty Corwin, director of Special Projects, Theatre on Film & Tape Archive of the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts; Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press; Patrick Quinn, president of Actors’ Equity; David Rosenberg of Back Stage; Michael Sommers of The Star Ledger; Douglas Watt, former chief theater critic for The Daily News; and Carl Harms.