Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play

The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play was an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. The award was one of eight new acting awards first presented in 1975, when Drama Desk retired an earlier award that had made no distinction between work in plays and musicals, nor between actors and actresses, nor between lead performers and featured performers.

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play
Awarded for	Outstanding Actress in a Play
Location	New York City
Country	United States
Presented by	Drama Desk
First award	1975
Final award	2022
Website	dramadesk.org (defunct)

After the 2022 ceremony, all eight acting categories introduced in 1975 were retired. The award for Outstanding Actress in a Play, along with Outstanding Actor in a Play, were replaced in 2023 with the gender neutral category of Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play.

Winners and nominees

1970s

Year	Actress	Play	Character
1975
	Ellen Burstyn	Same Time, Next Year	Doris
	Elizabeth Ashley	Cat on a Hot Tin Roof	Maggie
	Female Ensemble	Women Behind Bars	Female Ensemble
	Tovah Feldshuh	Yentl	Yentl
	Rita Moreno	The Ritz	Googie Gomez
	Diana Rigg	The Misanthrope	Celimene
	Maggie Smith	Private Lives	Amanda Prynne
	Liv Ullmann	A Doll's House	Nora Helmer
1976
	Rosemary Harris	The Royal Family	Julie Cavendish
	Fran Brill	What Every Woman Knows	Maggie Wylie
	Tovah Feldshuh	Yentl	Yentl
	Lois Nettleton	They Knew What They Wanted	Amy
	Meryl Streep	27 Wagons Full of Cotton, A Memory of Two Mondays, Secret Service and Trelawny of the 'Wells'	Various Characters
1977
	Irene Worth	The Cherry Orchard	Ranevskaya
	Trazana Beverley	For Colored Girls	Lady in Red
	Blythe Danner	The New York Idea	Cynthia Karslake
	Cara Duff-MacCormick	The Philanderer	Julia Craven
	Diane Ladd	Lu Ann Hampton Laverly	Lu Ann Hampton
	Sofia Landon	Peg o' My Heart	Peg
	Dorothy McGuire	The Night of the Iguana	Hannah
1978
	Jessica Tandy	The Gin Game	Fonsia Dorsey
	Helen Burns	Catsplay	Mrs. Bela Orban
	Patricia Elliott	Tartuffe	Dorine
	Tammy Grimes	Tartuffe	Elmire
	Carol Mayo Jenkins	Zinnia	Zinnia
	Shirley Knight	Landscape of the Body	Betty
1979
	Constance Cummings	Wings	Emily Stilson
	Carole Shelley	The Elephant Man	Madge Kendal
	Kate Reid	Bosoms and Neglect	Henny
	Frances Sternhagen	On Golden Pond	Ethel Thayer
	Susan Stevens	The Price of Genius	Unknown

1980s

Year	Actress	Play	Character
1980
	Pat Carroll	Gertrude Stein	Gertrude Stein
	Blythe Danner	Betrayal	Emma
	Phyllis Frelich	Children of a Lesser God	Sarah Norman
	Mary Tyler Moore	Whose Life Is it Anyway?	Claire
	Susan Sarandon	A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking	Maude Mix
1981
	Joan Copeland	The American Clock	Rose Baum
	Eva Le Gallienne	To Grandmother's House We Go	Grandie
	Mary Beth Hurt	Crimes of the Heart	Meg MaGrath
	Amanda Plummer	A Taste of Honey	Josephine
	Elizabeth Taylor	The Little Foxes	Regina Giddens
1982
	Zoe Caldwell	Medea	Medea
	Barbara Bryne	Entertaining Mr Sloane	Kath
	Constance Cummings	The Chalk Garden	Mrs. St. Maugham
	Elizabeth Franz	Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You	Sister Mary Ignatius
	Bernadette Peters	Sally and Marsha	Sally
1983
	Jessica Tandy	Foxfire	Annie Nations
	Suzanne Bertish	Skirmishes	Jean
	Colleen Dewhurst	Queen and the Rebels	Argia
	Thuli Dumakude	Poppie Nongena	Poppie
	Christine Estabrook	Win/Lose/Draw	Various Characters
	Susan Sarandon	Extremities	Marjorie
1984
	Joan Allen	And a Nightingale Sang	Hellen Stott
	Rosemary Harris	Heartbreak House	Hesione Hushabye
	Kate Nelligan	A Moon for the Misbegotten	Josie Hogan
	Natsuko Ohama	Sound and Beauty	Woman
	Marilyn Rockafellow	Open Admissions	Ginny Carlsen
	Irene Worth	The Golden Age	Isabel Hastings Hoyt
1985
	Rosemary Harris	Pack of Lies	Barbara Jackson
	Stockard Channing	A Day in the Death of Joe Egg	Sheila
	Roxanne Hart	Digby	Faye
	Lynn Redgrave	Aren't We All?	Mrs. W. Tatham
	Elizabeth Wilson	Salonika	Enid
1986
	Lily Tomlin	The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe	Various Characters
	Joan Allen	The Marriage of Bette and Boo	Bette Brennan
	Stockard Channing	The House of Blue Leaves	Bunny Flingus
	Judith Ivey	Precious Sons	Bea
	Swoosie Kurtz	The House of Blue Leaves	Bananas Shaughnessy
	Kathryn Pogson	Aunt Dan and Lemon	Lemon
1987
	Linda Lavin	Broadway Bound	Kate Jerome
	Robin Bartlett	The Early Girl	Jean
	Lindsay Duncan	Les Liaisons Dangereuses	Marquise de Merteuil
	Dana Ivey	Driving Miss Daisy	Daisy Werthan
	Amy Madigan	The Lucky Spot	Sue Jack
	Dianne Wiest	Hunting Cockroaches	Anka
1988
	Stockard Channing	Woman in Mind	Susan
	Kathy Bates	Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune	Frankie
	Amy Irving	The Road to Mecca	Elsa
	Glenda Jackson	Macbeth	Lady Macbeth
	E. Katherine Kerr	Laughing Wild	Woman
	Gordana Rashovich	Shayna Maidel	Luisa
1989
	Pauline Collins	Shirley Valentine	Shirley Valentine
	Joan Allen	The Heidi Chronicles	Heidi Holland
	Robin Bartlett	Reckless	Rachel
	Colleen Dewhurst	Long Day's Journey into Night	Mary Cavan Tyrone
	Gloria Foster	The Forbidden City	Miss Molly Hoffenburg
	Nancy Marchand	The Cocktail Hour	Ann

1990s

Year	Actress	Play	Character
1990
	Geraldine James	The Merchant of Venice	Portia
	Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	Twelfth Night	Viola
	S. Epatha Merkerson	The Piano Lesson	Berniece
	Mary-Louise Parker	Prelude to a Kiss	Rita Boyle
1991
	Mercedes Ruehl	Lost in Yonkers	Bella Kurnitz
	Stockard Channing	Six Degrees of Separation	Ouisa Kittredge
	Angela Goethals	The Good Times Are Killing Me	Edna Arkins
	Audra Lindley	About Time	Old Woman
1992
	Laura Esterman	Marvin's Room	Bessie
	Jane Alexander	The Visit	Claire Zachanassian
	Glenn Close	Death and the Maiden	Paulina Salas Escobar
	Deborah Hedwall	Sight Unseen	Patricia
1993
	Jane Alexander	The Sisters Rosensweig	Sara Goode
	Juliana Carneiro da Cunha	Les Atrides	Clytemnestra
	Christine Lahti	Three Hotels	Barbara Hoyle
	Debra Monk	Redwood Curtain	Geneva Riordan
	Natasha Richardson	Anna Christie	Anna Christopherson
1994
	Myra Carter	Three Tall Women	A
	Kathleen Chalfant	Angels in America: Perestroika	Various Characters
	Amy Irving	Broken Glass	Sylvia Gellburg
	Diana Rigg	Medea	Medea
	Joan Rivers	Sally Marr...and Her Escorts	Sally Marr
	Harriet Walter	Three Birds Alighting on a Field	Biddy
1995
	Cherry Jones	The Heiress	Catherine Sloper
	Mary Alice	Having Our Say	Bessie Delany
	Stockard Channing	Hapgood	Mother
	Linda Lavin	Death Defying Acts	Dorothy / Carol
	Helen Mirren	A Month in the Country	Natalia Petrovna
	Mercedes Ruehl	The Rose Tattoo	Serafina Delle Rose
1996
	Zoe Caldwell	Master Class	Maria Callas
	Catherine Byrne	Molly Sweeney	Molly
	Uta Hagen	Mrs. Klein	Mrs. Klein
	Lisa Gay Hamilton	Valley Song	Veronica
	Rosemary Harris	A Delicate Balance	Agnes
	Sarah Jessica Parker	Sylvia	Sylvia
1997
	Janet McTeer	A Doll's House	Nora Helmer
	Jayne Atkinson	The Skriker	The Skriker
	Frances Conroy	The Rehearsal	The Countess
	Shirley Knight	The Young Man From Atlanta	Lily Dale Kidder
	Vanessa Redgrave	Antony and Cleopatra	Cleopatra
	Lia Williams	Skylight	Kyra Hollis
1998
	Cherry Jones	Pride's Crossing	Mabel
	Edie Falco	Side Man	Terry
	Marie Mullen	The Beauty Queen of Leenane	Maureen Folan
	J. Smith-Cameron	As Bees In Honey Drown	Alexa
	Frances Sternhagen	Long Day's Journey into Night	Mary Cavan Tyrone
1999
	Kathleen Chalfant	Wit	Vivian Bearing
	Judi Dench	Amy's View	Esme Allen
	Lindsay Duncan	Ashes to Ashes	Rebecca
	Elizabeth Franz	Death of a Salesman	Linda Loman
	Swoosie Kurtz	The Mineola Twins	Myra / Myrna
	Zoë Wanamaker	Electra	Electra

2000s

Year	Actress	Play	Character
2000
	Eileen Heckart	The Waverly Gallery	Gladys Green
	Sinéad Cusack	Our Lady of Sligo	Mai O'Hara
	Linda Lavin	The Tale of the Allergist's Wife	Marjorie
	Claudia Shear	Dirty Blonde	Jo / Mae West
	Lynne Thigpen	Jar the Floor	Lola
	Charlayne Woodard	In the Blood	Hester, La Negrita
2001
	Mary-Louise Parker	Proof	Catherine
	Eileen Atkins	The Unexpected Man	Woman
	Janie Dee	Comic Potential	Jacie Triplethree
	Mary Beth Fisher	Boys Get Girl	Caroline
	Marian Seldes	The Play About the Baby	The Woman
	Lili Taylor	The Dead Eye Boy	Shirley / Diane
2002
	Lindsay Duncan	Private Lives	Amanda Prynne
	Robin Bartlett	Everett Beekin	Sophie
	Anna Paquin	The Glory of Living	Lisa
	Sarah Jessica Parker	Wonder of the World	Cass
	Mercedes Ruehl	The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?	Stevie
	Meryl Streep	The Seagull	Arkadina
2003
	Vanessa Redgrave	Long Day's Journey into Night	Mary Cavan Tyrone
	Jayne Atkinson	Enchanted April	Lotty Wilton
	Marylouise Burke	Kimberly Akimbo	Kimberly
	Claire Higgins	Vincent in Brixton	Ursula Loyler
	Dael Orlandersmith	Yellowman	Alma
	Fiona Shaw	Medea	Medea
2004
	Viola Davis	Intimate Apparel	Esther
	Phylicia Rashad	A Raisin in the Sun	Lena Younger
	Eileen Atkins	The Retreat from Moscow	Alice
	Shannon Cochran	Bug	Agnes White
	Lizan Mitchell	The Trojan Women	Hecuba
	J. Smith-Cameron	Sarah, Sarah	Sarah
2005
	Cherry Jones	Doubt	Sister Aloysius Beauvier
	Veanne Cox	Last Easter	June
	Judy Kaye	Souvenir	Florence Foster Jenkins
	Laura Linney	Sight Unseen	Patricia
	Frances Sternhagen	Echoes of the War	Mrs. Dowey
	Kathleen Turner	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	Martha
2006
	Lois Smith	The Trip to Bountiful	Carrie Watts
	Margaret Colin	Defiance	Margaret
	Cherry Jones	Faith Healer	Grace
	Jennifer Jason Leigh	Abigail's Party	Beverly
	Jan Maxwell	Entertaining Mr Sloane	Kath
	Julie White	The Little Dog Laughed	Diane
2007
	Eve Best	A Moon for the Misbegotten	Josie Hogan
	Orlagh Cassidy	The Field	Maimie Flanagan
	Blythe Danner	Suddenly, Last Summer	Mrs. Venable
	Jennifer Mudge	Dutchman	Lula
	Sandra Oh	Satellites	Nina
	Annie Parisse	The Internationalist	Sara
	Meryl Streep	Mother Courage and Her Children	Mother Courage
2008
	Deanna Dunagan	August: Osage County	Violet Weston
	Sinéad Cusack	Rock 'n' Roll	Eleanor / Esme
	Frances McDormand	The Country Girl	Georgie Elgin
	Amy Morton	August: Osage County	Barbara Weston Fordham
	Fiona Shaw	Happy Days	Winnie
	Julie White	From Up Here	Grace
2009
	Janet McTeer	Mary Stuart	Mary Stuart
	Saidah Arrika Ekulona	Ruined	Mama Nadi
	Jane Fonda	33 Variations	Katherine Brandt
	Marcia Gay Harden	God of Carnage	Veronica
	Elizabeth Marvel	Fifty Words	Jan
	Jan Maxwell	Scenes from an Execution	Galactia

2010s

Year	Actress	Play	Character
2010
	Jan Maxwell	The Royal Family	Julie Cavendish
	Ayesha Antoine	My Wonderful Day	Winnie Barnstairs
	Melissa Errico	Candida	Candida
	Anne Hathaway	Twelfth Night	Viola
	Kristen Johnston	So Help Me God!	Lily Darnley
	Laura Linney	Time Stands Still	Sarah Goodwin
2011
	Frances McDormand	Good People	Margie Walsh
	Nina Arianda	Born Yesterday	Emma 'Billie' Dawn
	Stockard Channing	Other Desert Cities	Polly Wyeth
	Laurie Metcalf	The Other Place	Juliana Smithton
	Michele Pawk	A Small Fire	Emily Bridges
	Lily Rabe	The Merchant of Venice	Portia
2012
	Tracie Bennett	End of the Rainbow	Judy Garland
	Sanaa Lathan	By the Way, Meet Vera Stark	Vera Stark
	Linda Lavin	The Lyons	Rita Lyons
	Jennifer Lim	Chinglish	Xi Yan
	Kim Martin-Cotten	A Moon for the Misbegotten	Josie Hogan
	Carey Mulligan	Through a Glass Darkly	Karin
	Joely Richardson	Side Effects	Lindy
2013
	Cicely Tyson	The Trip to Bountiful	Carrie Watts
	Maria Dizzia	Belleville	Abby
	Amy Morton	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	Martha
	Julia Murney	Falling	Tami
	Vanessa Redgrave	The Revisionist	Maria
	Miriam Silverman	Finks	Natalie
2014
	Audra McDonald	Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill	Billie Holiday
	Barbara Andres	I Remember Mama	Mama
	Tyne Daly	Mothers and Sons	Katharine Gerard
	Laurie Metcalf	Domesticated	Judy Pulver
	J. Smith-Cameron	Juno and the Paycock	Juno Boyle
	Harriet Walter	Julius Caesar	Brutus
2015
	Helen Mirren	The Audience	Queen Elizabeth II
	Brooke Bloom	You Got Older	Mae
	Kathleen Chalfant	A Walk in the Woods	Irina Botvinnik
	Kristin Griffith	The Fatal Weakness	Ollie Espenshade
	Jan Maxwell	The City of Conversation	Hester Ferris
	Carey Mulligan	Skylight	Kyra Holis
	Tonya Pinkins	Rasheeda Speaking	Jaclyn Spaulding
2016
	Jessica Lange	Long Day's Journey into Night	Mary Tyrone
	Georgia Engel	John	Mertis
	Mamie Gummer	Ugly Lies the Bone	Jess
	Marin Ireland	Ironbound	Darja
	Nicola Walker	A View from the Bridge	Beatrice Carbone
2017
	Laura Linney	The Little Foxes	Regina Giddens
	Cate Blanchett	The Present	Anna Petrovna
	Laurie Metcalf	A Doll's House, Part 2	Nora Helmer
	Amy Ryan	Love, Love, Love	Sandra
	Harriet Walter	The Tempest	Prospero
2018
	Glenda Jackson	Three Tall Women	A
	Carrie Coon	Mary Jane	Mary Jane
	Denise Gough	People, Places and Things	Emma
	Laurie Metcalf	Three Tall Women	B
	Billie Piper	Yerma	Her
2019
	Elaine May	The Waverly Gallery	Gladys
	Midori Francis	Usual Girls	Kyeoung
	Zainab Jah	Boesman and Lena	Lena
	Laurie Metcalf	Hillary and Clinton	Hillary Clinton
	Heidi Schreck	What the Constitution Means to Me	Heidi

2020s

Year	Actress	Play	Character
2020
	Liza Colón-Zayas	Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven	Sarge
	Rose Byrne	Medea	Medea
	Emily Davis	Is This a Room	Reality Winner
	April Matthis	Toni Stone	Toni Stone
	Ruth Negga	Hamlet	Hamlet
2021	No awards: New York theatres shuttered, March 2020 to September 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City[1]
2022
	Phylicia Rashad	Skeleton Crew	Faye
	Tala Ashe	English	Elham
	Ruth Negga	Macbeth	Lady Macbeth
	Andrea Patterson	Cullud Wattah	Ainee
	Shannon Tyo	The Chinese Lady	Afong Moy
	Michelle Wilson	Confederates	Sandra

Multiple wins

3 wins

• Cherry Jones

2 wins

• Zoe Caldwell
• Rosemary Harris
• Janet McTeer
• Phylicia Rashad
• Jessica Tandy

See also

• Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress
• Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play