Drama Desk Nominations Announced

The nominations are in for the Drama Desk Awards. The awards cover Broadway, Off Broadway, and Off Off Broadway, and are voted on by the organization's members, who are critics, journalists, and editors covering New York's professional theatre scene.

The design nominees are:

Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play
Harry Feiner, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men
Soutra Gilmour, Waiting for Godot
Tatiana Kahvegian, Meet the Cartozians
Chloe Lamford, Death of a Salesman
Derek McLane, The Adding Machine
Derek McLane, The Balusters

Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical
Daniel Allen, Beau the Musical
dots, The Rocky Horror Show
Rachel Hauck, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Dane Laffrey, The Lost Boys
Arnulfo Maldonado, Goddess
Jason Sherwood, The Baker's Wife

Outstanding Costume Design of a Play
Kindall Almond, Initiative
Enver Chakartash, Meet the Cartozians
Enver Chakartash, Tartuffe (New York Theatre Workshop)
Qween Jean, Oh Happy Day!
Emilio Sosa, The Balusters
Paul Tazewell, Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical
Qween Jean, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Qween Jean, Saturday Church
David I. Reynoso, The Rocky Horror Show
Kaye Voyce, The Seat of Our Pants
Catherine Zuber, The Baker's Wife

Outstanding Lighting Design of a Play
Isabella Byrd, Prince Faggot
Jeff Croiter, The Adding Machine
Stacey Derosier, Well, I'll Let You Go
Jack Knowles, Death of a Salesman
Kate McGee, without mirrors
Studio Luna, Marcel on the Train

Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical
Mextly Couzin, Mexodus
Adam Honore, Amahl and the Night Visitors
Adam Honore and Donald Holder, Ragtime
Japhy Weideman, Beau the Musical
Bradley King, The Baker's Wife
Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, The Lost Boys

Outstanding Sound Design of a Play
Angela Baughman, Initiative
Caroline Eng, The Unknown
Tom Gibbons, Oedipus
Kieran Lucas, Weather Girl
Nevin Steinberg, Anna Christie
Giles Thomas, Kenrex

Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical
Jordana Abrencia, Beau the Musical
Jason Crystal, The Baker's Wife
Mikhail Fiskel, Mexodus (includes looping systems architecture)
Kai Harada, Ragtime
Alex Hawthorn and Drew Levy, Lights Out: Nat "King" Cole

Outstanding Projection and Video Design
David Bengali, My Joy is Heavy
Akhila Krishnan, Kyoto
Johnny Moreno, Mexodus
Tal Yarden, Oedipus

Outstanding Wig and Hair
Alberto "Albee" Alvarado, The Rocky Horror Show
David Brian Brown, The Lost Boys
David Brian Brown and Victoria Tinsman, Fallen Angels
Nikiya Mathis, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Robert Pickens, Tartuffe (New York Theatre Workshop)

Outstanding Puppetry
Axtell Expressions, Amaze
Emily Batsford (creator) and Yuliya Tsukerman (puppet design), Julian Crouch, Goddess Monkey Boys Productions, The Burning Cauldron of Fiery Fire

Leading the nominations are the Off-Broadway musicals Beau and Mexodus, with ten apiece; The Seat of Our Pants, another Off-Broadway musical, in this case adapted from Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth, with nine; and, with eight apiece, two Broadway productions: A revival of the musical Ragtime and the satirical comedy The Balusters.

For the full list of nominations, go to playbill.com/article/beau-mexodus-lead-2026-drama-desk-award-nominations-read-the-full-list-here.