Theater News

Ana Villafañe, Danielle Brooks, Cynthia Erivo, and More Receive 2016 Theatre World Awards

Find out who will take home the annual honor.

On Your Feet! star Ana Villafañe is among this year's Theatre World Award winners.
On Your Feet! star Ana Villafañe is among this year's Theatre World Award winners.
(© Matthew Murphy)

The Theatre World Awards board of directors has announced the recipients of this year's honors. The event will take place May 23 at Circle in the Square Theatre, home of the current 2015 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Fun Home.

The recipients are as follows:

Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
Carmen Cusack, Bright Star
Khris Davis, The Royale
Daniel Durant, Spring Awakening
Cynthia Erivo, The Color Purple
John Krasinski, Dry Powder
Sarah Charles Lewis, Tuck Everlasting
Austin McKenzie, Spring Awakening
Lupita Nyong'o, Eclipsed
Mark Strong, A View From the Bridge
Ben Whishaw, The Crucible
Ana Villafañe, On Your Feet!

In addition, Nicholas Barasch, currently playing Arpad Lazslo in She Loves Me, will receive the 8th Annual Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theater. As previously announced, three-time Tony winner Bernadette Peters will be honored with the fourth annual John Willis Award at the 72nd annual ceremony.

First presented in 1945, the Theatre World Awards, founded by John Willis, are given for outstanding Broadway and off-Broadway debut performances. Hosted by theater journalist Peter Filichia, the 72nd Annual Theatre World Awards ceremony will be produced by Theatre World Awards, Inc. Board of Directors.