Joel Grey, Stephen Daldry & WNET to be Honored at 2015 Drama League Awards

The Drama League will recognize three outstanding stage luminaries at this year's 81st Annual Drama League Awards, set for Friday afternoon, May 15, 2015 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square (1535 Broadway).

The 2015 recipients are as follows: Tony, and Oscar Award winner Joel Grey will receive the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award; WNET: Neal Shapiro and David Horn will receive the Unique Contribution to the Theater Award for their vital work in bringing New York theater to viewers across America; and Tony, Drama Desk, Olivier Award winner and Oscar nominee Stephen Daldry will receive The Founders Award for Excellence in Directing.

These Special Recognition Honors are in addition to the five competitive categories. The 2015 Drama League Nominees for Outstanding Play, Outstanding Revival of a Play, Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Revival of a Musical, and the much-coveted Distinguished Performance Award will be announced on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at Sardi's, and will be streamed live via BroadwayWorld.com. The Nominee Announcement will be hosted by National Life Group, a longstanding Drama League partner and supporter of the arts. Since 1848, National Life has lived its corporate values of do good, be good, and make good by offering financial solutions to those it serves.

The 81st Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon includes a nominees cocktail reception, luncheon, and awards presentation and will be held at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in the Broadway Ballroom (1535 Broadway) on Friday, May 15, 2015 beginning at 12:00 p.m. The Awards Ceremony will begin at 1:00pm sharp.

Official sponsors for the 81st Annual Drama League Awards include Delta Air Lines, the Official Airline of The Drama League; MAC Cosmetics, the Official Makeup Partner of The Drama League; National Life Group; and GenSpring Family Offices.

For more information about the Drama League Awards, please call (212) 244-9494 or by visiting www.dramaleague.org.

"Although we are technically the ones bestowing these honors, it feels like they are actually honoring us," remarked Executive Director Gabriel Shanks. "We are thrilled to welcome Stephen Daldry back to Broadway with Skylight and The Audience, two decades after he made his Tony-winning debut with An Inspector Calls. WNET is America's window into our art form; with Great Performances, NYC Arts, Shakespeare Uncovered, and Theatre Close-Up, among many others, they bring New York theatre into the living rooms of millions across the country. I'm perhaps most thrilled, however, to honor our dear friend, the legendary Joel Grey. Take your pick: Cabaret, George M!, Chicago, Wicked, Anything Goes, The Normal Heart, or his many other Broadway triumphs. Mr. Grey is indisputably one of the greats of the American theatre."

First awarded in 1922 and formalized in 1935, The Drama League Awards are the oldest theatrical honors in America. The Drama League Awards recognize distinguished productions, performances, and exemplary career achievements. The first Drama League Award was presented to Katharine Cornell in 1935; since then, the Distinguished Performance Award has been accorded to a roster of theatre legends such as Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, Liam Neeson, Hugh Jackman, Patti LuPone, Glenn Close, Liev Schreiber, Sir John Gielgud, Harvey Fierstein, Cherry Jones, Alec Guinness, James Earl Jones, Helen Hayes, Jeremy Irons, Mary-Louise Parker, Sir Ian McKellen, Bernadette Peters, and Christopher Plummer.

National Life Group is a trade name of National Life Insurance Company, Montpelier, VT, Life Insurance Company of the Southwest (LSW), Addison, TX and their affiliates. Each company of NLGroup is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. LSW is not an authorized insurer in New York and does not conduct insurance business in New York.