News & Views from the Drama Desk
March 12, 2004
For Immediate Release
49 TH ANNUAL DRAMA DESK AWARDS CEREMONY TO BE HELD ON SUNDAY. MAY 16, 2004AT LaGUARDIA CONCERT HALL AT LINCOLN CENTER
Awards Show to be Webcast By TheaterMania.comNew York , NY -- The 49 TH ANNUAL DRAMA DESK AWARDS, celebrating excellence in all sectors of New York ’s theatre world, will be held on Sunday, May 16, 2004 at 9:00 PM , at the LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center, it was announced by William Wolf, President of the Drama Desk, and Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the awards ceremony.
Nominations for the 2003/2004 Drama Desk Awards will be announced on Thursday, April 29, 2004 , at 8:30 AM at The New York Friars Club . Awards will be presented in multiple categorieshonoring excellence during the 2003/2004 New York theatre season. The Drama Desk is the only major theatre award which honors Broadway, Off and Off-Off Broadway equally in all its multiple categories. The Drama Desk membership is made up of more than 140 voting theatre critics, reporters and editors.
A Cocktail Reception for Drama Desk nominees will be held at St. JohnBoutique, 665 Fifth Avenue , on Thursday, May 6, 2004, 5:00 to 7:00 PM.
For the second consecutive year, the awards ceremony will be webcast by TheaterMania (www.theatermania.com), the fastest growing theatre portal on the Internet today, which will also be a major sponsor. TheaterMania.com, which registers over 850,000 visitors a month and covers more than 40 theatre markets worldwide, will exclusively handle all ticketing, including the sale of the limited number allocated to the public.
“We are happy that TheaterMania continues as a major sponsor and will webcast the awards show,” Blume said. “Theatre lovers all over the globe will be able to follow the awards presentations live on the webcast as they happen, and special video highlights of the Drama Desk Awards show, available at all times.”
“The Drama Desk is delighted that TheaterMania.com is involved in the awards show again this year,” said Drama Desk President William Wolf. “It will provide national and global coverage of the awards, expanding our outreach to theatre-loving communities everywhere.”
“The 49 th Annual Drama Desk Awards deserve to be seen by theatre lovers around the world,” said Gretchen Shugart, TheaterMania’s chief executive. “The awards reflect what’s best in New York professional theatre, regardless of production or venue size, Webcasting this important event is another way in which we bring New York ’s diverse theatre scene to life for a national and international audience. Last year, people from all over the world watched the webcast. ”
Each year the Drama Desk Awards honors creative artists and stage productions in multiple categories. The awards will be presented by celebrities from the world of theatre and the ceremony will be hosted by a major personality yet to be named. In recent years, the hosts have included Bernadette Peters, Bebe Neuwirth, Lily Tomlin,Rue McClanahan, and Chita Rivera.
The ceremony features musical numbers from nominated musicals performed by cast members of those musicals. At the ceremony, the Drama Desk Awards also announces the recipients of scholarships presented each year to two worthy seniors in the Drama Department of the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts who are planning careers in the theatre.
Members of the Nominating Committee include: Barbara Siegel, TheaterMania.com and Siegel Entertainment Syndicate, chairperson; William Wolf, WolfEntertainmentGuide.com, Drama Desk President; Andy Buck, Playbill; Arlene Epstein Nassau Herald; David Finkle, TheaterMania.com; Edward Karam, The Guardian (UK); and Richard Ridge, Broadway Beat TV.
The Board of Directors of the Drama Desk is composed of: William Wolf, President; Leslie (Hoban) Blake, Vice President; Charles Wright, Treasurer and Second Vice President; Ellis Nassour, Secretary; and Members-at-Large: Michael Bracken, David Kaufman, Sam Norkin, Barbara Siegel, and Elyse Sommer.
Robert R. Blume is Executive Producer of the 49 th Annual Drama Desk Awards. Lauren Class Schneider is Producer and Jeff Kalpak is Director. Associate Producers are Sarah Galvin, Corine Dana Cohen and Les Schecter who is also Director of Publicity and Promotions. Felicia M. Lopes is the General Manager. Randie Levine-Miller is Director of Drama Desk Special Events.
For the third consecutive year, the Drama Desk Awards will enlist personal sketches from this year’s nominated performers and creative talent for its Art*Kive program created by Associate Producer Sarah Galvin. This annual program -- unique to the Drama Desk Awards -- invites the nominees to render a sketch that is relevant to the role or stage production that helped them achieve their nomination. The sketches will be displayed at the awards ceremony.
Press Contact: |
Les Schecter/Matthew Donohue |
| Tel: | 212/586-2600 |
| E-mail: | lester.schecter@verizon.net or matthew_p._donoghue@worldnet.att.net |
presented by
56TH ANNUAL DRAMA DESK AWARDS
TO BE TELEVISED NATIONALLY ON OVATION CREATING LARGE NATIONAL FOOTPRINT FOR THE AWARDS AND ALL OF NEW YORK THEATERS
Click here for details
Also Sponsored by:
For Sponsorship Information:
Christopher Raphael 845-987-0303
For Awards Program Advertising:
Allison H. Cohen 212-354-5124
For further information on this Ceremony and Events.
Go to www.DramaDeskAwards.com
