DRAMA LEAGUE AWARDS

I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The Drama League Awards strive to:

  1. Increase positive public and media awareness of the professional theatre community of New York City;
  2. Engage Drama League members and New York theatre audiences in a meaningful conversation regarding quality and critical awareness of the theatre art form;
  3. Empower artists by recognizing excellence and innovation.

II. AWARDS

The Drama League will annually honor achievements in the New York theatrical season by bestowing the following awards, to be nominated by committee and chosen by the theatregoing audiences that comprise the members of The Drama League:

  1. Distinguished Production of a Play
  2. Distinguished Production of a Musical
  3. Distinguished Revival of a Play
  4. Distinguished Revival of a Musical
  5. Distinguished Performance

No production will be nominated in more than one category; in the Distinguished Performance category, no production will be represented by more than two (2) performers.

In addition, the Awards Committee (comprised of staff and board) of The Drama League may, at their discretion, choose to honor achievements in three additional categories:

  1. Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre
  2. Unique Contribution to the Theatre
  3. The Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing

III. ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for nomination consideration in the Annual Drama League Awards, a production must:

  1. Not have been previously evaluated for awards consideration;
  2. Be presented for professional, public theatrical performance within the environs of New York City by a producing or presenting organization which has legally acquired the rights to present said production and is in accordance with all legal and union regulations for said production;
  3. Produce and present a run of no less than four weeks of performances (including previews) in a venue holding at least 140 seats, running between May and April (of the following year)
  4. Provide and schedule a minimum of six (6) pairs of tickets to accommodate the attendance of the Drama League Awards Nominating Committee during the production’s early performances for evaluation purposes;
  5. Provide press materials to The Drama League that include a minimum of producer, director, cast, design, and crew information.

The Drama League will not consider collegiate, cabaret, community, workshop, or other non-professional productions, and will exclude presentations in related performing arts genres (opera, dance, etc.), unless otherwise deemed appropriate by the Awards Committee.

For the Distinguished Performance Award, only actors who perform on the opening night performance will be eligible for consideration. The Distinguished Performance Award can be won only once in a performer’s lifetime; while previous recipients may be honored for their work during a given season, they will be ineligible to win a second time.

In rare cases, the Award Committee may, at their discretion, designate a “white knight” casting replacement for consideration.

IV. COMMITTEE STRUCTURE

The Drama League Awards will have three (3) standing committees: the Awards Committee, the Nominating Committee, and the Members.

  1. AWARDS COMMITTEE: The Awards Committee governs the nominator selection, evaluation, and event procedures, and serves as final arbiter in any questions regarding the Awards. They also serve as members of the Nominating Committee.
  2. NOMINATING COMMITTEE: The Nominating Committee is a cross-section of the theatrical community who attend and evaluate theatrical productions for the purpose of recommending distinguished productions and performances to the voting Members.
  3. MEMBERS: The current Members of The Drama League will vote on the selections of the Nominating Committee to select the final winners.

V. NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE

A pool of thirty (30) Drama League Nominators will be chosen, invited, and secured by the staff and board of The Drama League. The Nominators will consist of a cross-section of the larger Drama League community:

  1. 20% Industry professionals and other persons
  2. 20% Directors Project alumni
  3. 20% Drama League board members
  4. 20% Drama League staff
  5. 20% Drama League members (not included in the sections above)
  6. Nominators will serve for a term of one (1) year.
  7. Nominators will sign a letter of agreement committing to an annual process of attending performances and carefully evaluating them using the Production Evaluation Form.
  8. No nominator will be assigned to evaluate a production where there is a conflict of interest or the appearance thereof, including but not limited to financial involvement or close personal acquaintance with any persons involved in said production.

VI. AWARDS COMMITTEE

  1. The Awards Committee, who also sit as part of the Nominating Committee, will meet in December and April to assess nomination scores and to review final selections of category nominees.
  2. The Awards Committee will include its Chairperson, the President of the Board, the Executive Director, the Nomination Coordinator, the Special Events Manager, and any other persons deemed appropriate by the committee.
  3. At their discretion, the Awards Committee will choose the recipients of the special awards: Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre, Unique Contribution to the Theatre, and the Julia Hansen Award for Excellence in Directing.

VII. NOMINATION COMMITTEE - EVALUATION

In each award category, Nominators will evaluate each production on a scale of 1 to 400 as follows:

  1. CONCEPT – the strength and clarity of the underlying ideas and dramatic action presented on stage (25%)
  2. COMPOSITION – the integration and effectiveness of design, technical, directorial, visual, and aural elements of the production (25%)
  3. EXECUTION – the success, as determined by the viewer, by which ideas and elements of the production were presented (25%)
  4. OVERALL QUALITY – the intangible elements which affected the viewer’s overall response to the performance (25%)

VIII. DETERMINATION OF NOMINATIONS

  1. At their December and April meetings, The Awards Committee will tabulate the scores from the Nominators. In each of the four criteria, the highest and lowest ranking of the six scores will be dropped. The remaining four scores will serve as a production’s Final Scores.
  2. The Awards Committee, using the Final Scores from the Nomination Committee, will determine the Nominees.
  3. The nominees for the Distinguished Performance Award will be determined annually according to Final Scores, but will always be approximately fifty (50).
  4. In the case of a tie, the Awards Committee Chairperson will serve as the tie-breaking vote.

IX. MEMBERS and VOTING

  1. All members of The Drama League current on April 20th of the awards year are eligible to vote by paper, fax, or email balloting. Only ballots with valid, readable votes in all five categories will be counted. Duplicate and anonymous ballots will be discarded. Only one vote per membership.
  2. In the case of a tie, the Awards Committee Chairperson will serve as the tie-breaking vote.

X. RECIPIENT ELIGIBILITY

  1. To win a Drama League Award, the recipient must be present at the annual Awards Luncheon Ceremony, unless given special dispensation by the Awards Committee Chairperson.
  2. For the awards received by productions, the lead producer or their representative must be present at the annual Awards Luncheon Ceremony, unless given special dispensation by the Awards Committee Chairperson.