New York Drama Critics' Circle

While discussions about forming an association of local critics were initiated as early as 1927, the group was not officially organized until 1935. No small part of the impetus at that time came from dissatisfaction with the drama selections of the Pulitzer Prize committee. The first winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award was Winterset. In later years the group added other awards, including those for best foreign play and best musical. The Circle also holds regular meetings to examine problems of contemporary theatre. It should be noted that in many years a foreign play was selected as the overall best play and that some of the American entries won awards only after a clear majority could not decide, and so a “weighted” ballot was taken. All of the American plays and musicals that won a NYDCC Award have their own entries. The complete list of winners and the year the award was given follows. 1936: Winterset; 1937: High Tor; 1938: Of Mice and Men, Shadow and Substance; 1939: The White Steed; 1940: The Time of Your Life; 1941: Watch on the Rhine, The Corn Is Green; 1942: Blithe Spirit; 1943: The Patriots; 1944: Jacobowsky and the Colonel; 1945: The Glass Menagerie; 1946: Carousel; 1947: All My Sons, No Exit, Brigadoon; 1948: A Streetcar Named Desire, The Winslow Boy; 1949: Death of a Salesman, South Pacific, The Madwoman of Chaillot; 1950: The Member of the Wedding, The Consul, The Cocktail Party; 1951: Darkness at Noon, Guys and Dolls, The Lady's Not for Burning; 1952: I Am a Camera, Pal Joey, Venus Observed; 1953: Picnic, Wonderful Town, The Love of Four Colonels; 1954: Teahouse of the August Moon, The Golden Apple, Ondine; 1955: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Saint of Bleecker Street, Witness for the Prosecution; 1956: The Diary of Anne Frank, My Fair Lady, Tiger at the Gates; 1957: Long Day's Journey into Night, The Most Happy Fella, The Waltz of the Toreadors; 1958: Look Homeward, Angel, The Music Man, Look Back in Anger; 1959: A Raisin in the Sun, The Visit, La Plume de Ma Tante; 1960: Toys in the Attic, Fiorello!, Five Finger Exercise; 1961: All the Way Home, Carnival!, A Taste of Honey; 1962: The Night of the Iguana, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, A Man for All Seasons; 1963: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Beyond the Fringe; 1964: Hello, Dolly!, Luther; 1965: The Subject Was Roses, Fiddler on the Roof; 1966: Man of La Mancha, Marat/Sade; 1967: Cabaret, The Homecoming; 1968: Your Own Thing, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead; 1969: The Great White Hope, 1776; 1970: The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man‐in‐the‐Moon Marigolds, Company, Borstal Boy; 1971: The House of Blue Leaves, Follies, Home; 1972: That Championship Season, The Screens, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Sticks and Bones; 1973: The Hot l Baltimore, A Little Night Music, The Changing Room; 1974: Candide, The Contractor, Short Eyes; 1975: A Chorus Line, Equus, The Taking of Miss Janie; 1976: Streamers, Pacific Overtures, Travesties; 1977: American Buffalo, Annie, Otherwise Engaged; 1978: Ain't Misbehavin', Da; 1979: Sweeney Todd, The Elephant Man; 1980: Talley's Folly, Betrayal, Evita; 1981: Crimes of the Heart, A Lesson from Aloes; 1982: A Soldier's Play, The Life & Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby; 1983: Brighton Beach Memoirs, Plenty, Little Shop of Horrors; 1984: Glengarry Glen Ross, The Real Thing, Sunday in the Park with George; 1985: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom; 1986: A Lie of the Mind, Benefactors; 1987: Fences, Les Liasons Dangereuses, Les Misérables; 1988: Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Into the Woods, The Road to Mecca; 1989: The Heidi Chronicles, Aristocrats; 1990: The Piano Lesson, Privates on Parade, City of Angels; 1991: Six Degrees of Separation, The Will Rogers Follies, Our Country's Good; 1992: Two Trains Running, Dancing at Lughnasa; 1993: Angels in America, Millennium Approaches, Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, Kiss of the Spider Woman; 1994: Three Tall Women; 1995: Love! Valor! Compassion!, Arcadia; 1996: Seven Guitars, Rent, Molly Sweeney; 1997: How I Learned to Drive, Violet, Skylight; 1998: Pride's Crossing, Art, The Lion King; 1999: Wit, Parade, Closer; 2000: Jitney, James Joyce's The Dead, Copenhagen; 2001: Proof, The Producers, The Invention of Love; 2002: The Goat; 2003: Take Me Out, Hairspray, Talking Heads.

For other uses, see Critics' Circle.

New York Drama Critics' Circle logo and insignia

The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 20 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area.^[1] The organization was founded in 1935 at the Algonquin Hotel by a group that included Brooks Atkinson, Walter Winchell, and Robert Benchley.

Contents 1 Member affiliations 2 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award 3 Theatre awards and citation winners 3.1 Best Play 3.2 Best Foreign Play 3.3 Best American Play 3.4 Best Musical 3.5 Special awards and citations 4 See also 5 References 6 Notes 7 External links

Member affiliations

^[1]

Associated Press Back Stage Bergen Record Bloomberg News

Entertainment Weekly New York Daily News New York Observer New York Post

Newsday The New Yorker Time Time Out New York

USA Today Variety Village Voice Wall Street Journal

New York Drama Critics' Circle Award

The New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, awarded every year to the best new play of the season, with additional awards for musicals and foreign or American plays as well as citations for special achievement, is the United States' second oldest theatre award, after the Pulitzer Prize for drama. The first was awarded to Winterset by Maxwell Anderson, who won the following year as well for High Tor.

The award for Best Play carries with it a cash prize of US$2,500, and US$1,000 goes to the playwright who receives the award for best American or foreign play. The awards are made possible by a grant from the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

The critics of the New York Times, are not members of the Drama Critics' Circle. In 1989, the newspaper's executive editor decreed that their critics could no longer participate in any awards. The Times critics served as non-voting members of the Drama Critics' Circle until 1997, when the newspaper reversed its policy and allowed its critics to resume voting for the awards. In 2003, the permission was again revoked, and the Times critics were asked to withdraw from the Circle.

Theatre awards and citation winners

Best Play

1938: Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck 1939: The Time of Your Life – William Saroyan 1945: The Glass Menagerie – Tennessee Williams 1947: All My Sons – Arthur Miller 1948: A Streetcar Named Desire – Tennessee Williams 1949: Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller 1953: Picnic – William Inge 1955: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – Tennessee Williams 1957: Long Day's Journey into Night – Eugene O'Neill 1959: A Raisin in the Sun – Lorraine Hansberry 1962: The Night of the Iguana – Tennessee Williams 1963: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – Edward Albee 1967: The Homecoming – Harold Pinter 1968: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead – Tom Stoppard 1973: The Changing Room – David Storey 1978: Da – Hugh Leonard 1983: Brighton Beach Memoirs – Neil Simon 1984: The Real Thing – Tom Stoppard 1985: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – August Wilson 1986: A Lie of the Mind – Sam Shepard 1987: Fences – August Wilson

1988: Joe Turner's Come and Gone – August Wilson 1989: The Heidi Chronicles – Wendy Wasserstein 1990: The Piano Lesson – August Wilson 1991: Six Degrees of Separation – John Guare 1992: Dancing at Lughnasa – Brian Friel 1993: Angels in America: Millennium Approaches – Tony Kushner 1994: Three Tall Women – Edward Albee 1995: Arcadia – Tom Stoppard 1996: Seven Guitars – August Wilson 1997: How I Learned To Drive – Paula Vogel 1998: Art – Yasmina Reza 1999: Wit – Margaret Edson 2000: Jitney – August Wilson 2001: Proof – David Auburn 2002: The Goat: or, Who is Sylvia? – Edward Albee 2003: Take Me Out – Richard Greenberg 2004: Intimate Apparel – Lynn Nottage 2005: Doubt – John Patrick Shanley 2006: The History Boys – Alan Bennett 2007: The Coast of Utopia – Tom Stoppard 2008: August: Osage County – Tracy Letts 2009: Ruined – Lynn Nottage

Best Foreign Play 1941: The Corn is Green – Emlyn Williams 1942: Blithe Spirit – Noel Coward 1957: No Exit – Jean-Paul Sartre 1950: The Cocktail Party – T. S. Eliot 1955: Witness for the Prosecution – Agatha Christie 1957: The Waltz of the Toreadors – Jean Anouilh 1958: Look Back in Anger – John Osborne 1961: A Taste of Honey – Shelagh Delaney 1980: Betrayal – Harold Pinter 1983: Plenty – David Hare 1989: Aristocrats – Brian Friel 1996: Molly Sweeney – Brian Friel 1997: Skylight – David Hare 1999: Closer – Patrick Marber 2000: Copenhagen – Michael Frayn 2003: Talking Heads – Alan Bennett 2005: The Pillowman – Martin McDonagh 2009: Black Watch – Gregory Burke

Best American Play 1960: Toys in the Attic - Lillian Hellman 1971: The House of Blue Leaves – John Guare 1973: Hot L Baltimore – Lanford Wilson 1977: American Buffalo – David Mamet 1981: Crimes of the Heart – Beth Henley 1992: Two Trains Running – August Wilson 1995: Love! Valour! Compassion! – Terrence McNally 1998: Pride's Crossing – Tina Howe 2001: Proof – David Auburn 2007: Radio Golf – August Wilson

Best Musical

• 1946: Carousel – Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
• 1951: Guys and Dolls – Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling,
• 1956: My Fair Lady – Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner
• 1957: The Most Happy Fella – Frank Loesser
• 1958: The Music Man – Meredith Willson
• 1960: Fiorello! – Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, George Abbott and Jerome Weidman
• 1965: Fiddler on the Roof – Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein
• 1967: Cabaret – John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff
• 1969: 1776 – Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone
• 1970: Company – Stephen Sondheim and George Furth
• 1971: Follies – Stephen Sondheim and William Goldman
• 1972: Two Gentlemen of Verona – Galt MacDermot, John Guare and Mel Shapiro
• 1973: A Little Night Music – Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler
• 1974: Candide – Leonard Bernstein, Richard Wilbur, Hugh Wheeler and John La Touche
• 1975: A Chorus Line – Marvin Hamlisch, James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante
• 1976: Pacific Overtures – Stephen Sondheim, John Weidman and Hugh Wheeler
• 1977: Annie – Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin and Thomas Meehan
• 1978: Ain't Misbehavin' – Fats Waller and Richard Maltby, Jr.
• 1979: Sweeney Todd – Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler
• 1980: Evita – Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
• 1983: Little Shop of Horrors – Alan Menken and Howard Ashman
• 1984: Sunday in the Park with George – Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine
• 1987: Les Misérables – Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil and Herbert Kretzmer
• 1988: Into the Woods – Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine
• 1990: City of Angels – Larry Gelbart, Cy Coleman, and David Zippel
• 1991: The Will Rogers Follies – Cy Coleman, Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Peter Stone
• 1993: Kiss of the Spider Woman – John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Terrence McNally
• 1996: Rent – Jonathan Larson
• 1997: Violet – Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley
• 1998: The Lion King – Elton John, Tim Rice, Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi
• 1999: Parade – Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry
• 2000: James Joyce's The Dead – Shaun Davey and Richard Nelson
• 2001: The Producers – Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
• 2003: Hairspray – Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell
• 2006: The Drowsy Chaperone – Bob Martin, Don McKellar, Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
• 2007: Spring Awakening – Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater
• 2008: Passing Strange – Stew and Heidi Rodewald
• 2009: Billy Elliot the Musical – Elton John and Lee Hall

Special awards and citations

• 1963: Beyond the Fringe – Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller and Dudley Moore
• 1964: The Trojan Women – Euripides
• 1966: Hal Holbrook – Mark Twain Tonight
• 1971: Sticks and Bones by David Rabe and Old Times by Harold Pinter
• 1980: Peter Brook's Le Centre International de Créations Théâtricales at La Mama
• 1981: Lena Horne for Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music and New York Shakespeare Festival's [The Pirates of Penzance]
• 1983: Young Playwrights Festival
• 1984: Samuel Beckett for the body of his work
• 1986: The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe – Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner
• 1989: Largely New York – Bill Irwin
• 1992: Eileen Atkins – A Room of One's Own
• 1994: Anna Deavere Smith – Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
• 1994: Signature Theatre Company's Horton Foote season
• 1997: Chicago revival — Encores!
• 1998: Cabaret – Roundabout Theatre Company
• 1999: David Hare
• 2002: Elaine Stritch – Elaine Stritch At Liberty
• 2004: Barbara Cook
• 2006: John Doyle, Sarah Travis – Sweeney Todd and Christine Ebersole – Grey Gardens
• 2007: Journey's End - Broadway revival
• 2009: Angela Lansbury; Matthew Warchus and the cast of The Norman Conquests; Gerard Alessandrini for Forbidden Broadway

See also

• Tony Awards
• Drama Desk Awards
• Obie Awards

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Jones, Kenneth.Passing Strange and August: Osage County Win 2007-08 NY Drama Critics Circle Award",playbill.com, May 12, 2008

Notes

• "Performing Arts Awards: New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards". Infoplease.com. 2008. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0153612.html. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
• Kenneth Jones (11 May 2006). "NY Drama Critics' Circle Awards Go to History Boys, Drowsy Chaperone, Sweeney Todd and Ebersole". Playbill. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/99653.html. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
• Andrew Gans; Ernio Hernandez (7 May 2006). "New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards Go to Utopia, Spring, Golf and Journey's End". Playbill. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/107902.html. Retrieved 2008-06-19. 
• Andrew Gans (4 May 2009). "Ruined, Billy Elliot and Black Watch Win New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards". Playbill. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/128920.html. Retrieved 2009-05-04. 

External links

• New York Drama Critics' Circle official site

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