Nominees will be announced at 9:45 AM ET at the New York Friars Club, which is located in Manhattan at 57 East 55th Street.
Drama Desk nominees will receive their Official Nomination Certificates at a cocktail reception May 1 at Arte Cafe.
As previously announced, the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards will be held May 18 at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. The ceremony, which will be webcast on theatermania.com, will begin at 9 PM. Negotiations are also being finalized to broadcast the ceremony live on satellite radio's XM - 28 On Broadway.
The Drama Desk is an organization of theatre critics, writers and editors that honors excellence in all areas of New York theatre: Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway and not-for-profit.
The 2007-2008 Drama Desk nominating committee comprises Barbara Siegel (TalkinBroadway.com, TheaterMania.com), chairperson; Dan Bacalzo (TheaterMania.com); Robert Cashill (New York Theater News and Live Design); Celia Ipiotis (Eye on the Arts); Tony Phillips (Edge New York); Gerard Raymond (Back Stage and The Advocate); and Richard Ridge (broadwaybeat.com). Robert R. Blume is executive producer of the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards.
The Drama Desk, organized in 1949, presented its first awards in 1955.
Bebe Neuwirth received Tony Awards for her performances in the revivals of Sweet Charity and Chicago. Her other Broadway credits include roles in A Chorus Line, Little Me, Dancin', Damn Yankees and Fosse. Known around the world for her Emmy Award-winning role as Lilith on the NBC series "Cheers," Neuwirth has also been seen on screen in "Summer of Sam," "Celebrity," "Liberty Heights," "The Associate," "Jumanji," "Bugsy," "The Paint Job," "Getting to Know You" and "Wild Palms." Neuwirth also starred in a limited engagement of Here Lies Jenny, a musical event exploring the works of Kurt Weill at Off-Broadway's Zipper Theatre.
Len Cariou won a Tony Award for his performance in the title role of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. He also received Tony nominations for his work in Applause and A Little Night Music. Cariou’s other Broadway credits include Proof, The Dinner Party, Teddy & Alice, Dance a Little Closer, Cold Storage, Don’t Call Back, Night Watch and King Henry V.
