The Drama League Awards 2026: Nominations and Snubs

By The Recs SCD - Steve Coats-Dennis 6 months ago

Just like Moira Rose, The Recs’ favourite season is…Awards

The Drama League Awards, the oldest theatrical honours in America, have just announced their nominations for 2026 – and it’s certainly an interesting selection, not just for who gets a nod – but also for some very telling omissions. 

Outstanding Production of a Play

The Balusters
Caroline
Cold War Choir Practice (Recs Review)
Dog Day Afternoon
Giant
Kyoto
Liberation (Recs Review)
Marcel on the Train 
The Monsters (Recs Review)
Prince Faggot
Rheology
Spread

The Recs’ Take: Delighted that Liberation, Cold War Choir Practice and The Balusters made the cut but where is Punch?

Outstanding Revival of a Play

Anna Christie 
Becky Shaw
The Brothers Size (Recs Review)
Bug (Recs Review)
Death of a Salesman
Every Brilliant Thing (Recs Review)
Fallen Angels
Gruesome Playground Injuries (Recs Review)
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Proof
Twelfth Night
You Got Older

The Recs’ Take: Happy to see The Brothers Size, Bug, and Becky Shaw included – what can we say – we like Revivals beginning with B. Bit sad that Marjorie Prime is omitted.

Outstanding Production of a Musical

Beaches, a New Musical
Beau the Musical (Recs Review)
Bigfoot! (Recs Review)
The Lost Boys
Mexodus
My Joy is Heavy (Recs Review)
Night Side Songs (Recs Review)
Saturday Church
Schmigadoon!
The Seat of Our Pants
Titaníque (Recs Review)
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) (Recs Review)

The Recs’ Take: In what is collectively acknowledges as a poor year for musicals, the lack of any coronation for Queen of Versailles is a big snub – and we can’t say we disagree. (Although a nom for Beaches has got to hurt). Speaking of “got to”, where is the terrific Gotta Dance?

Outstanding Revival of a Musical

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Bat Boy: The Musical (Recs Review)
Cats: The Jellicle Ball (Recs Review)
Chess
The Gospel at Colonus
Heathers the Musical
Masquerade
Oratorio for Living Things
Ragtime
The Rocky Horror Show
The Wild Party (Recs Review)

The Recs’ Take: We’ll give flowers to Ragtime and The Wild Party, but this editor’s bias is revealed above. 

Distinguished Performance

Caroline Aaron, The Reservoir
Christopher Abbott, Death of a Salesman
Shoshana Bean, The Lost Boys
Jon Bernthal, Dog Day Afternoon
Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Lost Boys
Marylouise Burke, The Balusters
Kerry Butler, Bat Boy: The Musical
Rose Byrne, Fallen Angels
Sara Chase, Schmigadoon!
Patrice Johnson Chevannes, The Waterfall
Nicholas Christopher, Chess
Justin Cooley, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Carrie Coon, Bug
André De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Brandon J. Dirden, Waiting For Godot
Ayo Edebiri, Proof
Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw
Luke Evans, The Rocky Horror Show
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Tru
Susannah Flood, Liberation
Ishmael Gonzalez, Spread
Sean Hayes, The Unknown
Joshua Henry, Ragtime
Grey Henson, Bigfoot!
André Holland, The Brothers Size
Stephanie Hsu, The Rocky Horror Show
Alani iLongwe, The Brothers Size
Stephen Kunken, Kyoto
Caissie Levy, Ragtime
Lesley Manville, Oedipus
John McCrea, Prince Faggot
Laurie Metcalf, Death of a Salesman and Little Bear Ridge Road
Lea Michele, Chess
Marla Mindelle, Titaníque
Lizan Mitchell, Cold War Choir Practice
Aigner Mizzelle, The Monsters
Chloë Grace Moretz, Caroline
Lupita Nyong’o, Twelfth Night
Kelli O’Hara, Fallen Angels
Christiani Pitts, Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York)
Brian Quijada, Mexodus
Daniel Radcliffe, Every Brilliant Thing
Nygel D. Robinson, Mexodus
Jasmine Amy Rogers, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and The Wild Party
Constantine Rousouli, Titaníque
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Ethan Slater, Marcel on the Train
Ari’el Stachel, Other
B Noel Thomas, Saturday Church
Taylor Trensch, Bat Boy: The Musical
Brandon Uranowitz, Ragtime
Jessica Vosk, Beaches, A New Musical
Adrienne Warren, The Wild Party
Kara Young, Gruesome Playground Injuries and Proof

The Recs’ Take: A great list but there are some glaring and egregious omissions. 

Sam Tutty Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York) – He IS the show – this is a shocker.

June Sqibb and Cynthia Nixon Marjorie Prime – both exquisite, deeply moving performances

Victoria Clark Punch – The beating heart of an extraordinary emotive show. 

Layton Williams Titaníque – If Ragtime can have three noms, so can Titaníque. Layton woz robbed, signed Outraged of the UK

Other snubs we can live with: 

Keanu Reeves Waiting For Godot

James Corden Art

Adrien Brody The Fear of 13

Winners will be named at a 15 May ceremony at the Ziegfeld Ballroom.

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The Recs SCD - Steve Coats-Dennis