New York Drama Critics' Circle Explains 2019 Awards Selections

Just yesterday, the New York Drama Critics' Circle today named The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth best play of the 2018-19 season. The award for best musical went to Tootsie. What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck was named best American play. The selections were made at the organization's 84th annual voting meeting.

The NYDCC has now explained how the selections were made:

On the first ballot for Best Play, no play received a majority among the 18 active members voting this year. A second vote was then taken to determine whether an award would be given at all. Having agreed that one should, the Circle moved to a weighted third ballot, with 26 points required to win. The Ferryman cleared that threshold with 27 points; What the Constitution Means to Me placed a close second with 24 points.

Having awarded Best Play to a work by a foreign author, the Circle then considered an award for Best American Play. What the Constitution Means to Me received 9 votes on the first ballot. just shy of the 10 required for a majority. After agreeing to give an award in this category, the Circle moved to a third ballot, which What the Constitution Means to Me won handily with 34 points, besting Fairview (12 points), To Kill a Mockingbird (11 points) and Dance Nation (9 points).

No show received more than 5 votes on the first ballot for Best Musical. After agreeing that an award should be given in this category, the Circle moved to a weighted third ballot, on which Tootsie earned 25 points, just below the 26 points it needed to win. The top four vote-getters then proceeded to a weighted fourth ballot. With the proxy voters no longer voting, only 11 members cast ballots, lowering the winning threshold to 17 points. Tootsie won with 25 points, followed by The Prom (14 points), Girl from the North Country (14 points) and Twelfth Night (13 points).

The Circle also voted to award three Special Citations: to the Irish Repertory Theatre; to Page 73; and to National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's revival of Fiddler on the Roof.

The awards will be presented at a private cocktail reception on Monday, May 13.