Drama League's Distinguished performance Award 2020

[JBroadway]

The Drama League nominations were supposed to be announced tomorrow, and based on their website, it sounds like they have delayed the announcement, but still plan to do something digitally at some point? It's sort of unclear. The Drama Leagues are fun because of the coveted Distinguished Performances Award - and I think it would be fun to discuss what might happen, or what WOULD have happened with this award this year, based on the performances we've seen. 

A few reminders, since these questions seem to come up every year: 

1. You can only win the DPA once in your lifetime, so the following people are INELIGIBLE this year, even though they performed in something: 

Mary-Louise Parker 
Audra McDonald 
Patti LuPone
Harvey Fierstein 
Eileen Atkins 

2. People CAN be nominated more than once for the same performance in different years, so if something transferred from Off-Broadway from last season, people can be nominated again.

3. I might be wrong about this, but I believe there's a limit of 2 (?) acting nominations per show.

4. In my list below, I'm not including actors from shows that were in previews when the theatres shut down. Obviously the actors for Hangmen and Virginia Woolf wouldn't be eligible, but for now I'm also excluding actors from Diana, Company, Lehman, The Minutes, Doubtfire, Six, etc. 

Here are some people I think are either contenders to be nominated, or people who I at least HOPE will be nominated (it's sort of a mix of both) 

Jane Alexander - Grand Horizons
Stephanie Barry - Frankenstein 
Christian Borle - Little Shop 
Danielle Brooks - Much Ado
Danny Burstein - Moulin Rouge 
Arnie Burton - Timon of Athens 
Rose Byrne - Medea 
Grantham Coleman - Much Ado 
Liza Colon-Zayas - Halfway Bitches 
Brian Cox - Great Society 
Charlie Cox - Betrayal
James Cromwell - Grand Horizons
Emily Davis - Is This a Room
Edmund Donovan - Greater Clements
David Alan Grier - Soldier's Play 
Jake Gyllenhaal - Sea Wall / A Life
Gus Halper - Sing Street 
Joshua Henry - The Wrong Man 
John Benjamin Hickey - Inheritance 
Tom Hiddleston - Betrayal
Kathryn Hunter - Timon of Athens & Why 
Judith Ivey - Greater Clements 
LaChanze - Secret Life of Bees
Laura Linney - Lucy Barton 
Beth Malone - Unsinkable Molly Brown 
Emily Cass McDonell - The Thin Place
Kate Mulgrew - Half-Life of Marie Curie
Ruth Negga - Hamlet 
Dierdre O'Connell - Dana H 
Brenock O'Connor - Sing Street
Larry Owens - A Strange Loop
Lauren Patten - Jagged Little Pill 
Shereen Pimintel - West Side Story
Isaac Powell - West Side Story
Jonathan Pryce - Height of the Storm 
Saycon Senglboh - Secret Life of Bees 
Michael Shannon - Frankie and Johnnie 
Kyle Soller - Inheritence
Corey Stoll - Macbeth 
Tom Sturridge - Sea Wall / A Life 
Marisa Tomei - Rose Tattoo
Blair Underwood - Soldier's Play
Adrienne Warren - Tina
Michael Benjamin Washington - Fires in the Mirror
Mare Winningham - North Country 
Kara Young - All The Natalie Portmans & Halfway Bitches 

 

Any obvious contenders that I missed? 

As for who might win? I really don't know. I don't think there's a clear winner at all. Some of the strongest contenders are in the cancelled/delayed shows, and the people who might be my personal favorites to win aren't necessarily performances that garnered enough attention to win. So who has? Danny Burstein? Isaac Powell? Adrienne Warren? 
 

[Jarethan]

Pretty unimpressive list, given half the shows were excluded.  A lot of solid performances, but best of the season. Has anyone ever won for a supporting role? The most praised to me seem to be Warren, Winningham and Burstein, the latter two in supporting roles. That would give the advantage to Warren IMO. I do not remember Corey Stoll’s or Rose Byrne’s reviews.

Where is Slave Play represented?  At a minimum, I would expect the woman whose name I can not pronounce a lock...she gave the best performance I saw this season (maybe even last), albeit in a featured role.

[ChildofEarth]

Of the list, I’d love to see Christian Borle get it.

[JBroadway]

Ah yes I forgot about Slave Play. I saw it in previews on NYTW, and truth be told, none of the performances stuck out to me. So that's why I didn't think to include anyone from it. 

Keep in mind that, while I tried to include some obvious contenders regardless of my opinion, it's also just my own list, very much influenced by my subjective opinions and memory. I would love to see other people come up with a different list! 

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

I'd have to think Joaquina Kalukango from Slave Play would make it in. And perhaps one of the men, Paul Nolan or Ato Blankson-Wood. 

I would actually list two different Inheritance men: Paul Hilton and Andrew Burnap. Two utterly fascinating performances with a high level of difficulty. 

As for who wins...it would totally be Mary Louise Parker if she hadn't already won the prize. The most obvious one to me, given the shortened list of contenders, is Adrienne Warren. Yet they do not often give this award to someone so young. I would look Off-Broadway to Larry Owens being a strong contender too. I think Jake Gyllenhaal was sensation in A Life, but not sure that production made a big enough splash to be remembered among more recent shows. Christian Borle or Lauren Patten would be fantastic choices, but its difficult to win this award with a supporting role. Yet they both had two of the absolute best moments of the season.

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Oh! Also realized you've left off Ian Barford and Sally Murphy from Linda Vista, who should definitely be included. 

And speaking of the Hayes, we can keep in Jane Alexander from Grand Horizons. But Cromwell's character wasn't as explosive as those around him. Ashley Park is a much more likely second nominee from that show.

[broadway213]

I would add Campbell Scott (A Christmas Carol) to this list. 

If the awards happen I could see them giving it to Laura Linney- who was excellent in her one woman show, and has quite the broadway resume. I think it is rare they give it to someone who is not a big star unless it is the absolute most iconic/breakout role of the season (i.e. Ben Platt) or a celebrity like NPH. 

[Wayman_Wong]

As much as I enjoyed Danny Burstein in ''Moulin Rouge!,'' I think it's unlikely that he'd be its only nominee. I believe it's likelier the Drama League would nominate the show's leads, Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo, instead. I also doubt they would leave out the ever-popular Jonathan Groff. And it's been a good season for terrific Asian-American talent, so I'd hope to see Conrad Ricamora from ''Soft Power'' on the list. The Lucille Lortels just nominated him and his-co-star, Francis Jue, along with Ken Narasaki (''Greater Clements'' ) and Aaron Yoo (''The Headlands'' ).

[Stephen75]

Metcalf totally would have won this in an alternate reality....

[billis2]

I think the winner will be either Christian Borle or Danny Burstein as a kind of "lifetime achievement award."  The only other two possibilities are Adrienne Warren and Laura Linney, but I think they are much less likely.

My guess is Burstein, because his performance will have been seen by many more people than Borle's.

I agree with others that Karen Olivo, Joaquina Kalukango, Jonathan Groff, Ian Barford, and Conrad Ricamora will get nominated.

[Jarethan]

billis2 said: "I think the winner will be either Christian Borle or Danny Burstein as a kind of "lifetime achievement award." The only other two possibilities are Adrienne Warren and Laura Linney, but I think they are much less likely.

My guess is Burstein, because his performance will have been seen by many more people than Borle's.

I agree with others that Karen Olivo, Joaquina Kalukango, Jonathan Groff, Ian Barford, and Conrad Ricamora will get nominated."

I don’t think either one will get it.  I just don’t see supporting roles being awarded.  But, who knows...these are strange times.

[CityLights3]

Laura Linney makes the most sense to me from your very well thought out list.

[bjh2114]

I agree that Linney and Warren make the most sense. Ugh, I'm such an unapologetic Linney fan, but I can't believe this is the role she has the best chance at winning a bunch of awards for. She was good, but that play... woof.

[JBroadway]

Nominations announced:

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Drama-League-Announces-2020-Nominations-20200430

[JBroadway]

Some notable names missing from the performance list:

--Laura Linney (interesting, given people in this thread predicted her as one of the only viable winners lol)

--Beth Malone 

--Emily Davis - Is This a Room

--Joshua Henry - Wrong Man 

--Secret Life of Bees cast

--Mare Winningham - North Country 

 

The Best Play category is pretty strange. Here are some notable titles missing: 

--Is This a Room?

--The Sound Inside 

--Halway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven

--Heroes of the Fourth Turning

--Greater Clements

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Surprising, but very cool that SIX and Brittney Mack was eligible!

[bjh2114]

Also no Elizabeth Stanley. This is a very bizarre list.

[mikem]

The Drama League rarely has surprising omissions because so many people get nominated, but this year's list is strange.  In addition to the ones already noted:

- no Joaquina Kalukango

- only one person nominated from The Inheritance (Paul Hilton), so no Kyle Soller or Lois Smith

- no Francis Jue, who was double nominated by both the Lortel Awards and the Drama Desk this year for Cambodian Rock Band and Soft Power

- no one from Soft Power or Girl from the North Country got nominated at all (although each production was nominated for Best Musical)

JBroadway's list in the first message in this thread seems like a better list than the actual one!

[Brave Sir Robin2]

The lack of Kalukango and Stanley is a bummer....

[Wayman_Wong]

I agree with MikeM about the omission of Francis Jue and Conrad Ricamora, both of whom were nominated for ''Soft Power'' by the Lucille Lortel Awards and the Drama Desk Awards.

Also surprised by the omissions of: Joaquina Kalukango, Mary Louise Parker, Elizabeth Stanley and Mare Winningham.

The Drama League limits two nominations per show, so they went with Danny Burstein and Karen Olivo for ''Moulin Rouge!,'' but that left out Aaron Tveit. That sucks doubly because when the Drama League announced their 2020 Gratitude Awards, they elicited video nominations from a handful of Broadway stars, and Tveit graciously taped one for them. Talk about INgratitude!

 

[quizking101]

I’m not surprised Tveit got bumped as his role is far less flashy and theatrical than Olivo or Burstein.

I’m quite surprised by the lacking Broadway entries (with the understanding we are missing half the season). However, I am THRILLED for Paul Hilton because he was the biggest standout in The Inheritance for me and people often steamrolled my opinion of him in favor of Andrew Burnap

[Jordan Levinson]

Not really surprised at the noms, but I think Nolan, Kalukango, and Winningham were inexplicably left out. Tveit cannot act if it kills him, and Stanley is merely a less effective Alice Ripley in Next to Normal, just with MJ's drug overdose taking the place of Diana's bipolar disorder.

[matt1982]

Did Mary Louise Parker win before?  

Of these nominations, i wonder if the award will go to one of the NYC mainstays like Christian Borle or Danny Burstein.  Or perhaps Gyllenhaal?  

Unlike in other years, no one is jumping out at me.  

 

 

[raddersons]

Calling Medea a revival is insane. It was a completely new text.

[ACL2006]

Brave Sir Robin2 said: "The lack of Kalukango and Stanley is a bummer...."

 

really dumbfounding neither got nominated.