The Drama Desk Awards have revealed that two-time Tony Award nominee Kathleen Turner will announce the awards body’s 2024 nominations. As previously announced, the nominations will be named on April 29 at 11:30am on NBC’s “New York Live.” The 68th annual ceremony will take place on June 10 at NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in Manhattan.
Turner received Best Actress in a Play Tony nominations for her turns in the 1990 revival of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and the 2005 revival of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” the latter for which she also received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Play. Turner’s additional credits include replacing in 1977’s “Gemini” and originating roles in 1995’s “Indiscretions,” 2002’s “The Graduate” and 2011’s “High.” Across the country, Turner was seen in “Woolf” as well as in the solo piece “Tallulah.”
“We extend our gratitude to Kathleen Turner, a legendary actor who has performed both on Broadway and off, for kicking off what we know will be an exciting Drama Desk Awards period,” said Drama Desk co-presidents David Barbour and Charles Wright in a joint statement. “The sheer number of noteworthy performances this season is extraordinary.”
The Drama Desk Awards honor achievement in theater across Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway. To be eligible for this year’s honors, productions must have opened by April 25.
For the second year in a row, the Drama Desk Awards will acknowledge performers in four gender-free categories: Outstanding Leading Performance in a Play, Outstanding Leading Performance in a Musical, Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play and Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical. Each category will have two winners.
“We are particularly honored to executive-produce this year’s Drama Desk Awards, which celebrates the tremendous abundance of creativity gracing our New York stages,” noted co-executive producers Staci Levine and Jessica R. Jenen. “It has been a remarkable season on Broadway and Off, and we are thrilled to honor all nominees who grace our New York stages in this theater industry-inclusive event.”
Founded in 1949, the Drama Desk encompasses theater writers, journalists and critics.
The 2023-2024 Drama Desk nominating committee includes Martha Wade Steketee, Linda Armstrong, Daniel Dinero, Peter Filichia, Kenji Fujishima, Margaret Hall and Wright.
