Two Columbia alumni have been nominated for the 2016 Drama Desk Awards. The ceremony will be held at The Town Hall June 5th, 2016, and will be hosted by Michael Urie. This is the 61st Drama Desk Awards, which are presented annually to honor outstanding achievement by professional theatre artists on Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway. The awards are voted on and bestowed by theatre critics, journalists, editors and publishers covering theatre.
Acting alumnus Andrew Garman ’00 received a nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Play for his role in The Christians at Playwrights Horizons. The show received stunning reviews at both the Humana Festival and at Playwrights Horizons. The New York Times called his work a “forcefully moving performance,” while Vulturecommented, “As Paul, Andrew Garman walks a difficult line perfectly: oily and theatrical enough to have gotten the job, but honest and self-doubting enough to risk losing it.”
Directing alumna Rachel Chavkin ’08 was also nominated for Outstanding Director of a Play for The Royale at Lincoln Center Theater. She was also been nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Director for the production. Chavkin has had a remarkable year of achievements, including a production of Anne Washburn’sIphigenia in Aulis at Classic Stage Company, and the upcoming Hadestown: A Folk Opera, with singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell, at New York Theatre Workshop. Chavkin is also slated to direct the Broadway production of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, which she has shepherded to great success at various theatres since 2012. The much-acclaimed musical, with music and libretto by Dave Malloy, will go into previews in October.