Drama Desk Award Nominations To Be Announced 4/28

 Nominations for the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards will be announced on Monday, April 28, 2008, at 9:45 AM at the New York Friars Club, 57 East 55th Street, in Manhattan. A continental breakfast will be available at 9:00 AM. Friars Bebe Neuwirth and Len Cariou, both multi-award-winning stage, screen and television actors, will announce the nominations in the various categories. In addition, there will be remarks by Drama Desk President William Wolf, Drama Desk Awards Executive Producer Robert R. Blume, Nominating Committee Chairperson Barbara Siegel and Randie Levine-Miller, Drama Desk Director of Special Events, who has produced this event at the Friars Club for the past 12 years.

Ms. Neuwirth, who won the Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical in 1997 for Chicago, is also the recipient of two Tony Awards (Chicago and Sweet Charity), two Primetime Emmy Awards (Cheers).  She was also nominated for a Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical for Sweet Charity.  She hosted the 45th Annual Drama Desk Awards in 2000.

Mr. Cariou is a three-time Tony nominee, for Applause, A Little Night of Music and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and a Tony and Drama Desk Award-winner as Outstanding Actor for the latter. 

The Drama Desk, which was organized in 1949 and presented its first awards in 1955, is the only organization of professional theater critics, writers and editors that bestows awards with Broadway, Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway productions competing in the same categories.
The 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards will be held Sunday, May 18, 2008 in the LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center. The awards show will be webcast live for the sixth year in a row by TheaterMania.com. Negotiations are being finalized to broadcast the ceremony live in its entirety on satellite radio's XM - 28 On Broadway for the second consecutive year.

Drama Desk nominees will receive their Official Nomination Certificates at a Cocktail Reception on Thursday, May 1, 4:00 to 7:00 PM, at Arte Cafe, 106 West 73rd Street, between Broadway and Columbus Avenue.

The 2007/2008 Nominating Committee for the Drama Desk Awards is composed of: Barbara Siegel (TalkinBroadway.com, TheaterMania.com), Chairperson; Dan Bacalzo (TheaterMania.com); Robert Cashill (New York Theater News and Live Design); Celia Ipiotis (Eye on the Arts); Tony Phillips (Edge New York); Gerard Raymond (Back Stage and The Advocate), and Richard Ridge (broadwaybeat.com).

Robert R. Blume is Executive Producer of the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards and Blume Media Group Ltd is the producing company. Lauren Class Schneider is Producer and Jeff Kalpak is Director of the Awards ceremony. For the awards production, Les Schecter is Director of Publicity and Promotions; Elias El-Hage is the General Manager; and Corine Dana Cohen is Advertising Director. Roy A. Somlyo serves as Consulting Producer.

Randie Levine-Miller is Special Events Director for the Drama Desk organization and producer of the celebrity luncheons and special events at the NY Friars Club.

The Board of Directors of the Drama Desk is composed of: William Wolf, President; Leslie (Hoban) Blake, Vice President; Charles Wright, Treasurer and 2nd Vice President; Joyce Hauser, Secretary; Ellis Nassour; Michael Bracken; David Kaufman; Sam Norkin; Barbara Siegel, and Elyse Sommer.