Actors’ Equity Honors Annaleigh Ashford, Michael Urie, Kristine Nielsen, and Lewis J. Stadlen With Clarence Derwent and Richard Seff Awards

Annaleigh Ashford and Michael Urie are the two recipients of the Derwent Award, given to the New York theater season’s most promising female and male performers. Ashford was recognized for her current Tony- and Drama Desk Award-nominated performance in Broadway’s Kinky Boots as well as her performance in the off-Broadway musical Dogfight. Her other notable credits include Broadway appearances in Hair, Wicked, and the original cast of Legally Blonde, as along with a Drama League Award-nominated performance in off-Broadway’s Rent. Michael Urie was acknowledged for his Drama Desk Award-nominated performance in the Rattlestick Playwrights-produced solo show Buyer & Cellar. Urie has also appeared on Broadway in the 2011 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and is best known for his portrayal of Marc St. James on the long-running ABC television series Ugly Betty. He won a Lucille Lortel Award and a Theatre World Award in 2010 for the acclaimed drama The Temperamentals.

Kristine Nielsen and Lewis J. Stadlen are this year’s recipients of the Actors’ Equity Richard Seff Award, honoring a veteran female and male character actor for the best performance in a supporting role in a Broadway or off-Broadway production. Nielsen was recognized for her performance as Sonia in Christopher Durang’s comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, for which she is also nominated for a Tony Award. Her other Broadway credits include Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, To Be or Not to Be, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Spring Awakening, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Green Bird, Jackie, and The Iceman Cometh. Stadlen, meanwhile, was cited for his performances in the Lincoln Center Theater production of The Nance and his performance in the off-Broadway production of Checkers. Stadlen has been nominated for two Tony Awards for his performances in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Candide. His other Broadway credits include The Producers, The People in the Picture, 45 Seconds from Broadway, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, The Female Odd Couple, The Sunshine Boys, and Minnie’s Boys.

The four honorees will be presented with their awards at Equity’s Eastern Regional Board meeting at 2pm on Tuesday, June 11 at the Equity offices, 165 West 46th Street.