Winners have been named for the 2024 Drama Desk Awards, which recognize outstanding productions

June 2024 – New York City

The Drama Desk Awards has consistently offered a clue as to who might win a Tony a week later.

NYC VIBE on the red carpet at the NYU Skirball Center recognizes the best of Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway, with Stereophonic emerging as the most winning production of the season. The play, which premiered at Playwrights Horizons last year before transferring to Broadway this spring, took seven categories, including Outstanding Play for playwright David Adjmi and Playwrights Horizons.

Outstanding Musical went to Audible Theater’s Dead Outlaw, though Water for Elephants, with its four total wins, was the most awarded musical of the ceremony.

David Adjmi’s play Stereophonic, currently playing on Broadway, won the most awards with seven, including Outstanding Play and a special award. The Broadway musical Water for Elephants, based on the bestselling novel, came in second with four wins, including Best Direction of a Musical for Jessica Stone.

The Outsiders, Suffs, Hell’s Kitchen, The Great Gatsby, Illinois, An Enemy of the People, starring Jeremy Strong were among the other currently running Broadway shows recognized.

Special awards given out included the Ensemble Award for the Stereophonic cast; the Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award for Cole Escola, the writer and star of the Off-Broadway hit Oh Mary! Which is coming to Broadway this summer.

Tony-winning actor Nathan Lane was honored with the Harold S. Prince Award, named for the late, legendary director-producer, the award is a lifetime achievement honor that the Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway honors have bestowed since the 2020 ceremony.