Columbia Alumni and Faculty Win Big at 2019 Drama Desk Awards
The 64th Annual Drama Desk Awards presented by Broadway News were announced June 2, 2019 at The Town Hall in New York City. The 2019 winners include many School of the Arts alumni and faculty. The annual Drama Desk Awards honor outstanding achievement by professional theater artists on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway. The Drama Desk Awards are voted on and bestowed by theater critics, journalists, editors, publishers and broadcasters covering theater. The Drama Desk Awards reflect enthusiasm for all aspects of New York's professional theater.
Previous winners include Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bernadette Peters, Cynthia Erivo, Nathan Lane, Kevin Kline, Laura Linney, Bette Midler, Danny DeVito, Cynthia Nixon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Helen Mirren as well as Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer (lighting design) Tina Landau (director), Tina Fey (book writer), Warren Carlyle (choreography), Jason Robert Brown (orchestrations), Ivo van Hove (director), Philip Glass (music), Ed Sylvanus Iskandar (director), Beth Wohl (playwright), and many others.
Columbia School of the Arts alumni and faculty won awards as listed below:
Usual Girls, written by Ming Peiffer ‘16 and directed by Tyne Rafaeli ‘14, for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Director of a Play.
Hadestown, directed by Rachel Chavkin '08, for Outstanding Director of a Musical.
Lewiston/Clarkson, on which Jack Calk '19 assisted the playwright, for Outstanding Play.
What the Constitution Means to Me, produced by Theatre Fellow Aaron Glick, co-produced by Jon Bierman ’83 along with Theatre Fellow Rachel Sussman, associate directed by Tatiana Pandini ‘16, and general managed by Danielle Karliner ’13 for Outstanding Play.
Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine ,by faculty member Lynn Nottage, for Outstanding Revival of a Play.
Oklahoma!, assistant directed by Mikhaela Mahony ‘19, for Outstanding Revival of a Musical.
Fiddler on the Roof, assistant directed by Max Sterling '17 and co-produced by faculty member Steven Chaikelson, for Outstanding Revival of a Musical.
The Cher Show, stage managed by faculty member Michael Passaro, for Outstanding Orchestrations.
By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, by faculty member Lynn Nottage and featuring faculty member Manoel Felciano and alum Heather Alicia Simms ‘96, for Outstanding Costume Design for a Play and Outstanding Projection Design.
The Sam Norkin Award went to two artists associated with Columbia faculty: Montana Levi Blanco, costume designer, for Fabulation, Or the Re-Education of Undine by Lynn Nottage, and Mia Katigbak, actor, in Recent Alien Abductions, produced by The Play Company under the direction of Kate Loewald.
Congratulations to all of this year’s awardees!