David Alan Grier, in the meantime, is shortlisted in the Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play category for 'A Soldier's Play', and 'Soft Power' leads the nominations with 11 counts.

• Apr 23, 2020

AceShowbiz - Rose Byrne, Ruth Negga and David Alan Grier are among the theater stars to land top acting nominations for the 65th annual Drama Desk Awards.

Byrne and Negga will face off for Outstanding Actress in a Play for their respective productions of "Medea" and "Hamlet", while Grier is shortlisted in the Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play category for "A Soldier's Play", which is also mentioned in the outstanding revival category.

"Soft Power", created by David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori, leads the nominations with 11, including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Book of a Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical for Leigh Silverman, Outstanding Actor in a Musical for Francis Jue, and featured acting nods for Conrad Ricamora and Alyse Alan Louis.

Fellow musicals "The Wrong Man" and "Octet", and the play "Halfway B**ches Go Straight to Heaven" were also among the top nominees for the 2020 event, which celebrates productions both on and Off Broadway.

The eligibility period for the annual awards ended on March 11, a week before the coronavirus pandemic forced the shutdown of all New York theatres.

The winners will be announced on May 31. Details about the ceremony, which will likely be staged online, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Complete List of Nominees for the 65th Annual Drama Desk Awards:

Outstanding Play

• "The Inheritance", by Matthew Lopez
• "Heroes of the Fourth Turning", by Will Arbery, Playwrights Horizons
• "Cambodian Rock Band", by Lauren Yee, Signature Theatre
• "Greater Clements", by Samuel D. Hunter, Lincoln Center Theater
• "Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven", by Stephen Adly Guirgis, Atlantic Theater Company/LAByrinth Theater Company

Outstanding Musical

• "A Strange Loop", Playwrights Horizons/Page 73 Productions
• "Octet", Signature Theatre
• "The Secret Life of Bees", Atlantic Theater Company
• "Soft Power", The Public Theater
• "The Wrong Man", MCC Theater

Outstanding Revival of a Play

• "Fefu and Her Friends", The Public Theater
• "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf", The Public Theater
• "Mac Beth", Red Bull Theater/Hunter Theater Project
• "Much Ado About Nothing", The Public Theater
• "A Soldier's Play", Roundabout Theatre Company

Outstanding Revival of a Musical

• "Little Shop of Horrors"
• "The Unsinkable Molly Brown", Transport Group
• "West Side Story"

Outstanding Actor in a Play

• Kyle Soller, "The Inheritance"
• Charles Busch, "The Confession of Lily Dare"
• Edmund Donovan, "Greater Clements"
• Raul Esparza, "Seared"
• Francis Jue, "Cambodian Rock Band"
• Triney Sandoval, "72 Miles to Go..."

Outstanding Actress in a Play

• Rose Byrne, "Medea"
• Liza Colon-Zayas, "Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven"
• Emily Davis, "Is This A Room"
• April Matthis, "Toni Stone"
• Ruth Negga, "Hamlet"

Outstanding Actor in a Musical

• Larry Owens, "A Strange Loop"
• David Aron Damane, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"
• Chris Dwan, "Enter Laughing"
• Joshua Henry, "The Wrong Man"
• Francis Jue, "Soft Power"

Outstanding Actress in a Musical

• Adrienne Warren, "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical"
• Tammy Blanchard, "Little Shop of Horrors"
• Beth Malone, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"
• Saycon Sengbloh, "The Secret Life of Bees"
• Elizabeth Stanley, "Jagged Little Pill"

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play

• Paul Hilton, "The Inheritance"
• Victor Almanzar, "Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven"
• Esteban Andres Cruz, "Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven"
• David Alan Grier, "A Soldier's Play"
• Chris Perfetti, "Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow"

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play

• Lois Smith, "The Inheritance"
• Patrice Johnson Chevannes, "runboyrun & In Old Age"
• Kristina Poe, "Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven"
• Belange Rodriguez, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao"
• Elizabeth Rodriguez, "Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven"

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical

• George Abud, "Emojiland"
• Christian Borle, "Little Shop of Horrors"
• Jay Armstrong Johnson, "Scotland, PA"
• Conrad Ricamora, "Soft Power"
• Ryan Vasquez, "The Wrong Man"

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical

• Lauren Patten, "Jagged Little Pill"
• Yesenia Ayala, "West Side Story"
• Paula Leggett Chase, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"
• LaChanze, "The Secret Life of Bees"
• Alyse Alan Louis, "Soft Power"

Outstanding Director of a Play

• Stephen Daldry, "The Inheritance"
• Jessica Blank, "Coal Country"
• John Ortiz, "Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven"
• Tina Satter, "Is This A Room"
• Erica Schmidt, "Mac Beth"

Outstanding Director of a Musical

• Stephen Brackett, "A Strange Loop"
• Thomas Kail, "The Wrong Man"
• Kathleen Marshall, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"
• Leigh Silverman, "Soft Power"
• Annie Tippe, "Octet"

Outstanding Choreography

• Camille A. Brown, "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf"
• Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, "West Side Story"
• Keone Madrid and Mari Madrid, "Beyond Babel"
• Kathleen Marshall, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"
• Sonya Tayeh, "Moulin Rouge!"
• Travis Wall, "The Wrong Man"

Outstanding Music

• Michael R. Jackson, "A Strange Loop"
• Ross Golan, "The Wrong Man"
• Dave Malloy, "Octet"
• Joshua Rosenblum, "Einstein's Dreams"
• Duncan Sheik, "The Secret Life of Bees"
• Jeanine Tesori, "Soft Power"

Outstanding Lyrics

• Susan Birkenhead, "The Secret Life of Bees"
• Adam Gwon, "Scotland, PA"
• Michael R. Jackson, "A Strange Loop"
• Joanne Sydney Lessner and Joshua Rosenblum, "Einstein's Dreams"
• Dave Malloy, "Octet"
• Mark Saltzman, "Romeo & Bernadette"

Outstanding Book of a Musical

• David Henry Hwang, "Soft Power"
• Michael R. Jackson, "A Strange Loop"
• Dave Malloy, "Octet"
• Lynn Nottage, "The Secret Life of Bees"
• Mark Saltzman, "Romeo & Bernadette"
• Dick Scanlan, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"

Outstanding Orchestrations

• Tom Kitt, "Jagged Little Pill"
• Alex Lacamoire, "The Wrong Man"
• Or Matias and Dave Malloy, "Octet"
• Danny Troob, John Clancy, and Larry Hochman, "Soft Power"
• Jonathan Tunick, "West Side Story"

Outstanding Music in a Play

• Steve Earle, "Coal Country"
• Frightened Rabbit, "Square Go"
• Jim Harbourne, "Feral"
• Martha Redbone, "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf"
• Adam Seidel, Jane Bruce, and Daniel Ocanto, "Original Sound"

Outstanding Scenic Design for a Play

• Catherine Cornell, "Mac Beth"
• Clint Ramos, "Grand Horizons"
• Adam Rigg, "Fefu and Her Friends"
• Paul Steinberg, "Judgment Day"
• B.T. Whitehill, "The Confession of Lily Dare"

Outstanding Scenic Design for a Musical

• Julian Crouch, "Little Shop of Horrors"
• Anna Louizos, "Scotland, PA"
• Derek McLane, "Moulin Rouge!"
• Clint Ramos, "Soft Power"
• Amy Rubin and Brittany Vasta, "Octet"

Outstanding Costume Design for a Play

• Asa Benally, "Blues for an Alabama Sky"
• Montana Levi Blanco, "Fefu and Her Friends"
• Toni-Leslie James, "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf"
• Antony McDonald, "Judgment Day"
• Rachel Townsend and Jessica Jahn, "The Confession of Lily Dare"
• Kaye Voyce, "Coriolanus"

Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical

• Vanessa Leuck, "Emojiland"
• Jeff Mahshie, "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice"
• Mark Thompson, "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical"
• Anita Yavich, "Soft Power"
• Catherine Zuber, "Moulin Rouge!"

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play

• Isabella Byrd, "Heroes of the Fourth Turning"
• Oona Curley, "Dr. Ride's American Beach House"
• Heather Gilbert, "The Sound Inside"
• Mimi Jordan Sherin, "Judgment Day"
• Yi Zhao, "Greater Clements"

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical

• Betsy Adams, "The Wrong Man"
• Jane Cox, "The Secret Life of Bees"
• Herrick Goldman, "Einstein's Dreams"
• Bruno Poet, "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical"
• Justin Townsend, "Moulin Rouge!"

Outstanding Projection Design

• David Bengali, "Einstein's Dreams"
• Julia Frey, "Medea"
• Luke Halls, "West Side Story"
• Lisa Renkel and POSSIBLE, "Emojiland"
• Hannah Wasileski, "Fires in the Mirror"

Outstanding Sound Design for a Play

• Paul Arditti and Christopher Reid, "The Inheritance"
• Justin Ellington, "Heroes of the Fourth Turning"
• Mikhail Fiksel, "Dana H."
• Palmer Hefferan, "Fefu and Her Friends"
• Lee Kinney and Sanae Yamada, "Is This A Room"

Outstanding Sound Design for a Musical

• Tom Gibbons, "West Side Story"
• Kai Harada, "Soft Power"
• Peter Hylenski, "Moulin Rouge!"
• Hidenori Nakajo, "Octet"
• Nevin Steinberg, "The Wrong Man"

Outstanding Wig and Hair Design

• Campbell Young Associates, "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical"
• Cookie Jordan, "Fefu and Her Friends"
• Nikiya Mathis, "STEW"
• Tom Watson, "The Great Society"
• Bobbie Zlotnik, "Emojiland"

Outstanding Solo Performance

• David Cale, "We're Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time"
• Kate del Castillo, "the way she spoke"
• Laura Linney, "My Name is Lucy Barton"
• Jacqueline Novak, "Get on Your Knees"
• Deirdre O'Connell, "Dana H."

Unique Theatrical Experience

• "Beyond Babel", Hideaway Circus
• "Feral", Tortoise in a Nutshell/Cumbernauld Theatre/59E59
• "Is This a Room", Vineyard Theatre
• "Midsummer: A Banquet", Food of Love Productions/Third Rail Projects

Outstanding Fight Choreography

• Vicki Manderson, "Square Go"
• Thomas Schall, "A Soldier's Play"
• UnkleDave's Fight House, "Halfway B***hes Go Straight to Heaven"

Outstanding Adaptation

• "A Christmas Carol", by Jack Thorne
• "Judgment Day", by Christopher Shinn
• "Mojada", by Luis Alfaro
• "Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow", by Halley Feiffer