Drama Desk Special Award

The Drama Desk Special Award is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements by an individual or an organization that has made a significant contribution to the theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway or off-off-Broadway productions in New York City.

Drama Desk Special Award
Awarded for	Special Award
Location	New York City
Country	United States
Presented by	Drama Desk
First award	1976
Website	dramadesk.org (defunct)

The award was first presented in 1976; in 2012, the Drama Desk Award Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award was added as a component of the Special Award, and those award winners are included in this article.

Winners and nominees

1970s

Year	Recipient and Contribution
1976
	Hartman Theatre Company
	Outstanding Contribution by a New Theatre Company
	Queens Theatre in the Park
	Outstanding Contribution by a New Theatre Company
1977	—
1978
	Off-Off Broadway Theatre Movement
	Outstanding Contribution to Theatre

1980s

Year	Recipient and Contribution
1980
	La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
	Performances by International Companies
1981	—
1982
	Jonathan Tunick
	—
	Ridiculous Theatrical Company
	—
	The Royal Shakespeare Company
	The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
1983
	WPA Theatre
	—
	Douglas Watt
	Distinguished Achievement
	Richard Wilbur
	His English Translation of The Misanthrope
1984
	Alan Schneider
	Serving a Wide Range of Playwrights
	Michael Bennett, Joseph Papp and the Shubert Organization
	The 3,389th Performance of A Chorus Line
	B. H. Barry
	Consistent Excellence in Fight Staging
	Equity Library Theatre
	Showcasing Theater Professionals
	InterArt Theater
	Nurturing Female Theater Artists
1985
	Gerard Alessandrini
	Forbidden Broadway
	Ridiculous Theatrical Company
	Quick Change Wizardry in The Mystery of Irma Vep
	Claudette Colbert and Rex Harrison
	The Continuing Pleasure of Their Company
	Veterans Ensemble Theater Company
	Giving Voice to Trauma of Vietnam
1986
	Thomas Z. Shepard
	Preserving Musical Theatre Heritage on Record
	Agnes de Mille
	Her Enduring Legacy of Cherished Choreography
	Joyce Theater
	The American Theater Exchange Program
	The New Amsterdam Theater Company
	Distinguished Concert Productions
	Donald Pippin
	Musical Direction and Commitment to Theater
	Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn
	Their Continuing Theatrical Partnership
1987
	Stanley Lebowsky
	Musical Direction and Commitment to Theater
	Paul Davis and Frank Verlizzo
	Inspired Art Work for Theatrical Productions
	Henry Cohen, Donald Rose and Robert Kimball
	Rescuing Classic Broadway Scores
1988
	Actors' Equity
	75 years of Championing the Professional Actor
	Theatre on Film and Tape Archive (TOFT)
	The Preservation of Our Theatrical Heritage
	Yale Repertory Theatre
	Nurturing Plays of Significance
	Michael Feinstein
	Celebrating American Musical Theater Songs
1989
	Paul Gemignani
	—
	Bernard Gersten
	—
	Manhattan Theatre Club
	—
	John A. McGlinn
	—
	Gregory Mosher
	—
	Jerome Robbins
	—

1990s

Year	Recipient and Contribution
1990
	The Fund for New American Plays
	Support of American Playwrights and Theaters
	Jule Styne
	A Lifetime of Glorious Theater Music
	Kevin Haney
	His Makeup for Tru and Other Shows
1991
	Brooklyn Academy of Music
	Bringing International Productions to New York
	James McMullan
	Consistently Inspired Art Work for Theater
	New Dramatists
	Decades of Nurturing American Playwrights
	Harold Rome
	His Distinctive Contribution to Musical Theatre
1992	—
1993
	Early Stages
	—
	The Public Theater / New York Shakespeare Festival
	Puppetry at the Public Theater
	RCA Victor Records
	—
1994
	John A. Willis
	Fifty Years of Devotion to Theater and its Artists
	Janet Hayes Walker
	Twenty-Five Years at the York Theatre Company
1995
	Eileen Atkins
	—
	Otis Guernsey Jr.
	—
	The Non-Traditional Casting Project
	—
	Barrow Group
	Off-Off Broadway Excellence
1996
	George C. Scott
	Lifetime Devotion to Theatre
	Repertorio Español
	Providing Spanish-Language Entertainment
	Signature Theatre Company
	The Concept of Annually Serving One Playwright
	Theatreworks USA
	Thirty-Five Years of Entertaining Children and Parents
1997
	The Moscow Sovremennik Theatre Company
	Into the Whirlwind and Three Sisters
1998
	Vineyard Theatre
	Quality Work and the New S.P.A.C.E. Program
	Arthur Miller
	Lifetime Achievement in the Theater
1999
	Al Hirschfeld
	Lifetime Achievement
	Sony Classical
	Its Columbia Broadway Masterworks Series
	The Actors' Fund of America
	—

2000s

Year	Recipient and Contribution
2000
	Alexander H. Cohen (posthumously), Barnard Hughes and Helen Stenborg
	Lifetime Achievement
2001
	Reba McEntire
	Her Performance in Annie Get Your Gun
	Seán Campion and Conleth Hill
	Their Performances in Stones in His Pockets
2002
	Paul Huntley
	Lifetime Achievement
	Billy Rosenfield
	Preserving Musical Theatre Recordings
	Mint Theater Company
	Presenting and Preserving Little Known Classics
	Worth Street Theater Company
	Its Stage Door Canteen Shows at Ground Zero
2003
	Brooklyn Academy of Music
	Bringing International Works to New York
2004
	The Flea Theater
	—
	Classical Theatre of Harlem
	—
	Dakin Matthews
	Henry IV
2005
	Keen Company
	Plays That Build Upon Our Theatrical Heritage
	The Public Theater / New York Shakespeare Festival
	Fifty Years of Exceptional Theater Contributions
2006
	BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop
	Nurturing, Developing and Promoting New Talent for the Musical Theater
	York Theatre Company
	Its Vital Contributions to Theater by Developing and Presenting New Musicals
	Sh-K-Boom Records / Ghostlight Records
	Dedication to the Preservation of Musical Theater Through Cast Recordings
2007
	John Kander and Fred Ebb
	Forty-Two Years of Excellence in Advancing the Art of the Musical Theatre
	Austin Pendleton
	A Renaissance Man of the American Theatre
	Transport Group
	Its Breadth of Vision and its Presentation of Challenging Productions
	Folksbiene (National Yiddish Theatre)
	Preserving for Ninety-Two Consecutive Seasons the Cultural Legacy of Yiddish theatre in America
2008
	Edward Albee
	His Provocative Plays, Including This Season's Peter and Jerry, Which Enrich the American Theater
	James Earl Jones
	A Commanding Force on the Stage for Nearly Half a Century
	Playwrights Horizons
	Ongoing Support to Generations of Theater Artists and Undiminished Commitment to Producing New Work
	59E59 Theaters
	Whose Imaginative Curatorial Vision Has Created a Stimulating Environment to Nurture a Diverse Range of Artists
2009
	Liza Minnelli
	Her Enduring Career of Sustained Excellence, and Her Performance in Liza's at The Palace...!
	Atlantic Theater Company and artistic director Neil Pepe
	Exceptional Craftsmanship, Dedication to Excellence and Productions That Engage, Inspire and Enlighten
	TADA! Youth Theater
	Providing an Invaluable Contribution to the Future of the Theater.
	Forbidden Broadway
	Its Satire and Celebration of Broadway

2010s

Year	Recipient and Contribution
2010
	The Cast, Creative Team and Producers of Horton Foote's The Orphans' Home Cycle
	The Breadth of Vision, Which Inspired the Exceptional Direction, Performances, Sets, Lighting, Costumes, Music and Sound That Made it the Theatrical Event of This Season
	Jerry Herman
	Enchanting and Dazzling Audiences with His Exuberant Music and Heartfelt Lyrics for More Than Half a Century
	Godlight Theatre Company
	Consistent Originality and Excellence in Dramatizing Modern Literature, and Especially for the Vibrant Theatricality of its Innovative Productions
	Ma-Yi Theater Company
	More Than Two Decades of Excellence and for Nurturing Asian-American Voices in Stylistically Varied and Engaging Theater
2011
	A. R. Gurney
	His Enduring, Keenly Observed Portraits of American Life Over a Prolific Four-Decade-Long Career
	Reed Birney
	Versatile and Finely Nuanced Performances Over the Past 35 Years, and for His Exceptional Work This Season in Tigers Be Still, A Small Fire and The Dream of the Burning Boy
	The New Group and Artistic Director Scott Elliott
	Presenting Contemporary New Voices and for Uncompromisingly Raw and Powerful Productions
	The Pearl Theatre Company
	Notable Productions of Classic Plays and Nurturing a Stalwart Resident Company of Actors
	Creative Team of War Horse
	Thrilling Stagecraft
2012
	Mary Testa
	Over Three Decades of Consistently Outstanding Work, Including Her Tour-de-Force Performance in This Season's Queen of the Mist
	Nick Westrate
	His Versatility in Unnatural Acts, Love's Labor's Lost, and Galileo was a Highlight of the Season
	New Victory Theater
	Providing Enchanting, Sophisticated Children's Theater That Appeals to the Child in All of Us, and for Nurturing a Love of Theater in Young People
	Stephen Karam (Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award)
	The Profoundly Moving Sons of the Prophet Confirmed His Status as One of the Most Promising Playwrights of His Generation
2013
	The New York Musical Theatre Festival and Isaac Robert Hurwitz
	A Decade of Creating and Nurturing New Musical Theater, Ensuring the Future of This Essential Art Form
	Wakka Wakka Productions
	Sophisticated Puppet Theater, as Represented by This Season's SAGA, That Explores with Wit, Imagination, and Insight Serious Issues of Our Times
	Jayne Houdyshell
	Her Artistry as an Exceptionally Versatile and Distinctive Broadway and Off-Broadway Performer
	Samuel D. Hunter
	His Emphatic and Indelible The Whale Affirms His Arrival as a Distinguished Dramatist Who Depicts the Human Condition
	Maruti Evans (Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award)
	His Ingenious Lighting Designs, Reflecting an Exquisite and Bold Theatrical Aesthetic. This Season's The Pilo Family Circus and Tiny Dynamite Confirm His Incandescent Creativity
2014
	Soho Rep
	Nearly Four Decades of Artistic Distinction, Innovative Production and Provocative Play Selection
	Veanne Cox
	Her Ability to Express the Eccentricities, Strengths and Vulnerabilities of a Range of Characters, and Notably for her Comedic Flair as Evidenced in This Season's The Old Friends and The Most Deserving
	Ed Sylvanus Iskandar (Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award)
	His Visionary Directorial Excellence. This Season's The Golden Dragon and The Mysteries Exemplify His Bold and Strikingly Original Imagination
2015
	Bess Wohl (Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award)
	Her writing expresses sensitivity, compassion, and humor with a sure hand.
	John Douglas Thompson
	His exceptional versatility in Tamburlaine the Great and The Iceman Cometh
	Ensemble Studio Theatre
	Unwavering commitment to producing new works by American playwrights since 1968, and enriching this season with productions of When January Feels Like Summer, Winners, and Five Times in One Night. Its Youngblood program fostered and nurtured Hand to God, setting Tyrone off on his devilish path to Broadway
	Andy Blankenbuehler
	His inspired and heart-stopping choreography in Hamilton
2016
	Sheldon Harnick
	Camp Broadway
	Danai Gurira (Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award)
2017
	Phil LaDuca
	Lila Neugebauer (Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award)
2018
2019

2020s

Year	Recipient and Contribution
2020
	Mary Bacon (Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award)
	Continued her versatile career of compassionate, searing work with numerous companies, with two of Off-Broadway's most humane performances this season in Coal Country and Nothing Gold Can Stay
	The Actors Fund, Seth Rudetsky, and James Wesley
	Connecting members of the theater community and lifting spirits during the coronavirus crisis.
	The Public Theater's Mobile Unit
	The current Mobile Unit tours free Shakespeare throughout the five boroughs, including prisons, homeless shelters, and community centers, reminding audiences new and old that the play really is the thing.
	WP Theater and Julia Miles
	The largest, most enduring American company (and its founder) that nurtures and produces works by female-identified creators
	Claire Warden
	For her pioneering work as an intimacy choreographer on recent productions, and her leadership in the rapidly emerging movement of intimacy direction. Co-founder of Intimacy Directors International, contributing to theater experiences that are safer for performers and more authentic for contemporary audiences.
2021	No awards: New York theatres shuttered, March 2020 to September 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City[1]
2022
	Dede Ayite
	Dede Ayite seems to have costumed half the actors of this theater season with her designs for Merry Wives, Seven Deadly Sins, The Last of the Love Letters, Chicken and Biscuits, Slave Play, Nollywood Dreams, American Buffalo, and How I learned to Drive. Whether dressing working-class Marylanders of the 1960s, amateur criminals of the 1970s, or West African immigrants in today’s Harlem, Ayite has a knack for conveying characters’ means, values, and aspirations before the actors utter a word.
	Heather Christian
With the category-defying Oratorio for Living Things, Heather Christian aims to encompass all human existence in a single inventive and startlingly beautiful work. In times of pandemic, war, and social upheaval, Christian’s work (directed by Lee Sunday Evans and brought to life by a superb cast and creative team) is an awe-inspiring reminder that, even in the darkest times, there will always be artistic peaks to scale.
2023	No award presented.
2024
	How to Dance in Ohio's Authentic Autism Access Team
	Sammi Cannold, Nicole D'Angelo, Becky Leifman, Ava Xiao-Lin Rigelhaupt, Liz Weber, and Jeremy Wein – for their steadfast support of autistic theatermakers, and their strides toward true accessibility for neurodiverse individuals both on and offstage.
	Isabella Byrd
During this season, Byrd illuminated two Broadway shows done in the round, An Enemy of the People and Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club. Off Broadway, her spotlight on quiet, small-scale stories both enchanted us in Primary Trust and mesmerized us in Infinite Life, with a parking-lot sky that marked the passage of time.
2025
	Ensemble of Liberation
	The ensemble of Roundabout Theatre Company's Liberation (Betsy Aidem, Audrey Corsa, Kayla Davion, Susannah Flood, Kristolyn Lloyd, Irene Sofia Lucio, Charlie Thurston, and Adina Verson) for bringing to vibrant life the specific and universal stories of women staring across the social battle lines of the 1970s from their perch "somewhere in Ohio" in Bess Wohl's beautiful new play.
	Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater
	Pregones (founded in 1979) and the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (founded in 1967) merged in 2014 to become a powerhouse producer of Latinx shows on two NYC stages: one in Manhattan's Theater District, the other in the South Bronx, both evoking an atmosphere of warmth and inclusivity. This season brought the blazing world premiere of Matthew Barbot’s the beautiful land i seek (la linda tierra que busco yo), a history-inspired fantasia about two Puerto Rican freedom fighters that deftly explores colonialism while riffing on Waiting for Godot, plus dozens of one-offs showcasing Latinx artists and culture.
	Stacey Derosier
	For her deeply intimate and consistently gorgeous work across this season’s Off-Broadway stages. Whether lighting the minimalist theatricality of The Welkin and Grangeville, or the rich naturalism of The Counter and Danger and Opportunity, Derosier shows us not only that less is often so much more, but also that just a single light can have such a profound impact in the darkness.
Danger and Opportunity
The team behind Danger and Opportunity – playwright Ken Urban, director Jack Serio, and ensemble Juan Castano, Julia Chan, and Ryan Spahn – for their genuinely serious, deeply moving consideration of the messy implications of a three-way relationship, done in an imaginatively immersive way that made such a small-scale story feel like a meaningful event.

See also

• Society of London Theatre Special Award
• Special Tony Award