Six and Kimberly Akimbo Lead the 2022 Drama Desk Nominations

Actor and Internet personality George Takei announced the nominations for the 2022 Drama Desk Awards on NY1 today. The Broadway musical Six leads the pack with 10 nominations and a special award for the entire ensemble. The off-Broadway (and Broadway-bound) musical Kimberly Akimbo is a close second with 9 noms. The Broadway revival of Company, the new opera Intimate Apparel, and MJ (Broadway's Michael Jackson musical) were also lavished with nominations.

The nominators considered 115 productions in New York, with the season beginning with the first live and in-person performances to return to New York in summer 2021, and ending on May 1, 2022. Only live performances were eligible – if performances were also available for streaming, 21 or more unique live performances were required.

In determining eligibility of the Broadway productions of A Strange Loop, For Colored Girls, Hangmen, Is This a Room, Skeleton Crew, The Lehman Trilogy which had recent Off-Broadway runs in previous seasons, the nominating committee considered only those elements that constituted new work. A Strange Loop is the winner of the 2020 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical, for the off-Broadway run at Playwrights Horizons. Mary-Louise Parker, David Morse, and Johanna Day were all considered for their performances in the 1997 off-Broadway run of How I Learned to Drive at the Vineyard Theatre.

Additional productions on and off Broadway not eligible as they were considered in their entirety in prior seasons included Beyond Babel, Coal Country, Dana H., Get On Your Knees, Girl from the North Country, The Patsy, and What to Send Up When It Goes Down.

Trouble in Mind was considered a revival due to its Drama Desk eligible 1955 off-Broadway production.

Here is a full list of the nominees:

Outstanding Play
Cullud Wattah, by Erika Dickerson-Despenza, The Public Theater
English, by Sanaz Toossi, Atlantic Theater Company and Roundabout Theatre Company
Prayer for the French Republic, by Joshua Harmon, Manhattan Theatre Club
Sanctuary City, by Martyna Majok, New York Theatre Workshop
Selling Kabul, by Sylvia Khoury, Playwrights Horizons
The Chinese Lady, by Lloyd Suh, The Public Theater and Ma-Yi Theater Company

Outstanding Musical
Harmony, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene
Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company
Six
The Hang, HERE

Outstanding Revival of a Play
for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf
How I Learned to Drive
Lackawanna Blues
Skeleton Crew
Trouble in Mind
Twilight: Lost Angeles, 1992, Signature Theatre

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Assassins, Classic Stage Company
Baby, Out of the Box Theatrics
Caroline, or Change
Company

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Brandon J. Dirden, Skeleton Crew
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Take Me Out
Jacob Ming-Trent, Merry Wives, The Public Theater Free Shakespeare in the Park
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues
John Douglas Thompson, The Merchant of Venice, Theatre for a New Audience

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Tala Ashe, English, Atlantic Theater Company
Ruth Negga, Macbeth
Andrea Patterson, Cullud Wattah, The Public Theater
Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew
Shannon Tyo, The Chinese Lady, The Public Theater and Ma-Yi Theater Company
Michelle Wilson, Confederates, Signature Theatre

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Billy Crystal, Mr. Saturday Night
Myles Frost, MJ
Rob McClure, Mrs. Doubtfire
Jaquel Spivey, A Strange Loop
Chip Zien, Harmony, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Kearstin Piper Brown, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Victoria Clark, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company
Sharon D Clarke, Caroline, or Change
Jeanna de Waal, Diana
Joaquina Kalukango, Paradise Square

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Joshua Boone, Skeleton Crew
Chuck Cooper, Trouble in Mind
Daniel K. Isaac, The Chinese Lady, The Public Theater and Ma-Yi Theater Company
Billy Eugene Jones, On Sugarland, New York Theatre Workshop
Ron Cephas Jones, Clyde's

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Francis Benhamou, Prayer for the French Republic, Manhattan Theatre Club
Stephanie Berry, On Sugarland, New York Theatre Workshop
Sonnie Brown, what you are now, Ensemble Studio Theatre
Page Leong, Out of Time, NAATCO and The Public Theater
Kenita R. Miller, for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf
Kara Young, Clyde's

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Justin Austin, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company
Matt Doyle, Company
Jared Grimes, Funny Girl
Tavon Olds-Sample, MJ

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Judy Kuhn, Assassins, Classic Stage Company
Tamika Lawrence, Black No More, The New Group
Patti LuPone, Company
Bonnie Milligan, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company
Jennifer Simard, Company

Outstanding Director of a Play
Knud Adams, English, Atlantic Theater Company
Saheem Ali, Merry Wives, The Public Theater Free Shakespeare in the Park
Rebecca Frecknall, Sanctuary City, New York Theatre Workshop
Taibi Magar, Twilight: Lost Angeles, 1992, Signature Theatre
Whitney White, On Sugarland, New York Theatre Workshop

Outstanding Director of a Musical
John Doyle, Assassins, Classic Stage Company
Marianne Elliott, Company
Lucy Moss & Jamie Armitage, Six
Bartlett Sher, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Jessica Stone, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company

Outstanding Choreography presented by LaDuca Dance Shoes
Ayodele Casel (tap choreography), Funny Girl
Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, Six
Bill T. Jones, Garrett Coleman & Jason Oremus (Irish and Hammerstep), Gelan Lambert & Chloe Davis
(associates), Paradise Square
Liam Steel, Company
Christopher Wheeldon, Michael Balderrama (associate), Rich and Tone Taleuega (Michael Jackson
Movement), MJ

Outstanding Music Presented by Music Theatre International
Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss, Six
Jason Howland, Paradise Square
Matt Ray, The Hang, HERE
Carrie Rodriguez, ¡Americano!, New World Stages
Jeanine Tesori, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company

Outstanding Lyrics Presented by Music Theatre International
Amanda Green, Mr. Saturday Night
Taylor Mac, The Hang, HERE
Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss, Six
David Lindsay-Abaire, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company
Lynn Nottage, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Shaina Taub, Suffs, The Public Theater

Outstanding Book of a Musical Presented by Music Theatre International
Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel, Mr. Saturday Night
Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss, Six
Lynn Nottage, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Bruce Sussman, Harmony, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene

Outstanding Orchestrations
Tom Curran, Six
Greg Jarrett, Assassins, Classic Stage Company
Mark Hartman & Yasuhiko Fukuoka, The Streets of New York, Irish Repertory Theatre
Jason Michael Webb & David Holcenberg, MJ

Outstanding Music in a Play
Te'La & Kamauu, Thoughts of a Colored Man
Bill Sims Jr., Lackawanna Blues
Michael Thurber & Farai Malianga (drum compositions), Merry Wives, The Public Theater Free
Shakespeare in the Park

Outstanding Scenic Design for a Play
Beowulf Boritt, Merry Wives, The Public Theater Free Shakespeare in the Park
Wilson Chin, Pass Over
Marsha Ginsberg, English, Atlantic Theater Company
Takeshi Kata, Clyde's
Junghyun Georgia Lee, Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, New York Theatre Workshop

Outstanding Scenic Design for a Musical Presented by Hudson Scenic
Emma Bailey, Six
Beowulf Boritt, Flying Over Sunset
Bunny Christie, Company
David Zinn, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company

Outstanding Costume Design for a Play
Linda Cho, The Chinese Lady, The Public Theater and Ma-Yi Theater Company
Gregory Gale, Fairycakes, Greenwich House Theater
Tilly Grimes, The Alchemist, Red Bull Theater
Qween Jean, On Sugarland, New York Theatre Workshop
Jennifer Moeller, Clyde's

Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical Presented by Production Resource Group
Machine Dazzle, The Hang, HERE
Susan Hilferty, Funny Girl
Santo Loquasto, The Music Man
Gabriella Slade, Six
Catherine Zuber, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play
Christopher Akerlind, Clyde's
Reza Behjat, English, Atlantic Theater Company
Isabella Byrd, Sanctuary City, New York Theatre Workshop
Amith Chandrashaker, Prayer for the French Republic, Manhattan Theatre Club
Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, Cullud Wattah, The Public Theater

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical
Natasha Katz, Diana
Natasha Katz, MJ
Bradley King, Flying Over Sunset
Jennifer Tipton, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater

Outstanding Projection Design
59 Productions, Flying Over Sunset
David Bengali, Twilight: Lost Angeles, 1992, Signature Theatre
Stephania Bulbarella & Alex Basco Koch, Space Dogs, MCC Theater
Shawn Duan, The Chinese Lady, The Public Theater and Ma-Yi Theater Company
Sven Ortel, Thoughts of a Colored Man

Outstanding Sound Design for a Play
Tyler Kieffer, Seven Deadly Sins, Tectonic Theater Project & Madison Wells Live
Hidenori Nakajo & Ryan Rumery, Autumn Royal, Irish Repertory Theatre
Ben & Max Ringham, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Jamie Lloyd company at Brooklyn Academy of Music
Mikaal Sulaiman, Sanctuary City, New York Theatre Workshop
Lee Kinney, Selling Kabul, Playwrights Horizons

Outstanding Sound Design for a Musical
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Company
Paul Gatehouse, Six
Kai Harada, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company
Gareth Owen, MJ

Outstanding Wig and Hair
Matthew B. Armentrout, Paradise Square
David Brian Brown, Mrs. Doubtfire
Paul Huntley, Diana
Charles LaPointe, MJ

Outstanding Solo Performance
Alex Edelman, Just for Us, The Cherry Lane Theatre
Arturo Luís Soria, Ni Mi Madre, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
Kristina Wong, Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, New York Theatre Workshop

The Chase Award for Unique Theatrical Experience
Seven Deadly Sins, Tectonic Theater Project & Madison Wells Live

Outstanding Adaptation
Merry Wives, by Jocelyn Bioh, The Public Theater Free Shakespeare in the Park
The Alchemist, by Jeffrey Hatcher, Red Bull Theater

Outstanding Puppet Design
Amanda Villalobos, Wolf Play, Soho Rep.
James Ortiz, The Skin of Our Teeth
Rockefeller Productions, Winnie the Pooh, The Hundred Acre Theatre at Theatre Row

Harold Prince Lifetime Achievement Award: In four decades as playwright, novelist, actor, and director, Alice Childress (1912-1994) challenged racism with engrossing stories and memorable characters. When a New York producer demanded revisions to soften the impact of Trouble in Mind, Childress withdrew the script. Sixty-five years later, the Drama Desk celebrates the long-delayed Broadway premiere of this timeless masterpiece and
salutes Childress as a towering figure in contemporary theater history.

Ensemble Award: In Six, Adrianna Hicks, Andrea Macasaet, Brittney Mack, Abby Mueller, Samantha Pauly, and Anna Uzele bring to musical life the women who married England's King Henry VIII. The fanciful result is a buoyant dramatization of their individually purposeful and collectively empowering journeys.

The Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award: This season, as a woman hiding her brother from the Taliban in Sylvia Khoury's Selling Kabul and an English instructor straddling two very different cultures in Sanaz Toossi's English, Marjan Neshat embodied disparate characters so fully that it was hard to recognize the single actor in the two roles. Whether in drama or comedy, Neshat mines the playwright's text for a vast panoply of emotions that yield vivid, intricate portrayals of the parts she undertakes.

Additional Special Awards:

Dede Ayite seems to have costumed half the actors of this theater season with her designs for Merry Wives, Seven Deadly Sins, The Last of the Love Letters, Chicken and Biscuits, Slave Play, Nollywood Dreams, American Buffalo, and How I learned to Drive. Whether dressing working-class Marylanders of the 1960s, amateur criminals of the 1970s, or West African immigrants in today's Harlem, Ayite has a knack for conveying characters' means, values, and aspirations before the actors utter a word.

Adam Rigg devised wildly varying scenic designs this season including: a house in wood, shadow, and reflective glass that draws the audience into the Flint, Michigan water crisis in Cullud Wattah; a community cul-de-sac where trauma and history are celebrated in On Sugarland; and the falling walls, flower-covered hillsides, and functional seaside fun ride of The Skin of Our Teeth.

With the category-defying Oratorio for Living Things, Heather Christian aims to encompass all human existence in a single inventive and startlingly beautiful work. In times of pandemic, war, and social upheaval, Christian's work (directed by Lee Sunday Evans and brought to life by a superb cast and creative team) is an awe-inspiring reminder that, even in the darkest times, there will always be artistic peaks to scale.

Winners of the 2022 Drama Desk Awards will be announced the week of June 6. The Awards will be presented during a small ceremony at Sardi's on Tuesday, June 14.