Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play

The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play was first awarded at the 1974–1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since. Before the 21st Drama Desk Awards, directing awards were given without making distinctions between straight plays and musicals.

Award winners and nominations

1970s

1975: John Dexter – Equus Frank Dunlop – Sherlock Holmes Athol Fugard – Sizwe Banzi Is Dead / The Island Peter H. Hunt – Goodtime Charlie Ron Link – Women Behind Bars Gene Saks – Same Time, Next Year 1976: Ellis Rabb – The Royal Family Edward Albee – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Arvin Brown – Dual Bill Mike Nichols – Streamers Stephen Porter – They Knew What They Wanted Tom Signorelli – Lamppost Reunion 1977: Mike Nichols – Comedians and Alan Schneider – A Texas Trilogy Frank Dunlop – The New York Idea Tony Giordano – G.R. Point Ulu Grosbard – American Buffalo Oz Scott – For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf

1978: Melvin Bernhardt – Da Joseph Chaikin – The Dybbuk Peter Bennett – Dracula Mike Nichols – The Gin Game Steven Robman – Uncommon Women Garland Wright – K 1979: Jack Hofsiss – The Elephant Man Alan Ayckbourn – Bedroom Farce John Madden – Wings Stephen Porter – Man and Superman Horacena J. Taylor – Nevis Mt. Dew Ted Weiant – The Miracle Worker

1980s 1980: Vivian Matalon – Morning's at Seven 1981: Peter Hall – Amadeus 1982: Tommy Tune – Cloud Nine 1983: Trevor Nunn – All's Well That Ends Well 1984: Michael Blakemore – Noises Off 1985: John Malkovich – Balm in Gilead 1986: Jerry Zaks – The Marriage of Bette & Boo and The House of Blue Leaves 1987: Howard Davies – Les Liaisons dangereuses 1988: John Dexter – M. Butterfly 1989: Jerry Zaks – Lend Me a Tenor

1990s 1990: Frank Galati – The Grapes of Wrath 1991: Jerry Zaks – Six Degrees of Separation 1992: Patrick Mason – Dancing at Lughnasa 1993: George C. Wolfe – Angels in America: Millennium Approaches 1994: Stephen Daldry – An Inspector Calls 1995: Gerald Gutierrez – The Heiress 1996: Gerald Gutierrez – A Delicate Balance 1997: Mark Brokaw – How I Learned to Drive 1998: Michael Mayer – A View From the Bridge and Side Man 1999: Trevor Nunn – Not about Nightingales

2000s

2000: Michael Blakemore – Copenhagen Thomas Hulce and Jane Jones – The Cider House Rules (Part One) Marion McClinton – Jitney Daniel J. Sullivan – Dinner with Friends James Lapine – Dirty Blonde Michael Mayer – Uncle Vanya 2001: Jack O'Brien – The Invention of Love Mark Brokaw – Lobby Hero Michael Greif – Dogeaters Philip Seymour Hoffman – Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train Jonathan Kent – Richard II Matthew Warchus – The Unexpected Man 2002: Mary Zimmerman – Metamorphoses Carl Forsman – The Voice of the Turtle Neil LaBute – The Shape of Things Bartlett Sher – Cymbeline Howard Davies – Private Lives Richard Eyre – The Crucible 2003: Robert Falls – Long Day's Journey into Night Philip Seymour Hoffman – Our Lady of 121st Street Sam Mendes – Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya Deborah Warner – Medea Joe Mantello – Take Me Out 2004: Jack O'Brien – Henry IV Hilary Adams – Moby Dick Dexter Bullard – Bug Edward Hall – A Midsummer Night's Dream Kenny Leon – A Raisin in the Sun Moisés Kaufman – I Am My Own Wife

2005: Doug Hughes – Doubt: A Parable Josh Carlebach – Frankenstein Scott Elliott – Hurlyburly Edward Hall – Rose Rage Joe Mantello – Glengarry Glen Ross Scott Ellis – Twelve Angry Men 2006: Nicholas Hytner – The History Boys Alan Ayckbourn – Private Fears in Public Places Gisela Cardenas – Agamemnon Daniel J. Sullivan – Stuff Happens Robert Wilson – Peer Gynt Jerry Zaks – The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial 2007: Jack O'Brien – The Coast of Utopia Declan Donnellan – Twelfth Night Ciaran O'Reilly – The Hairy Ape Tom Ridgely – Marco Millions (based on lies) Michael Grandage – Frost/Nixon Doug Hughes – Inherit the Wind 2008: Anna D. Shapiro – August: Osage County David Schweizer – Horizon Leigh Silverman – From Up Here Jonathan Silverstein – The Dining Room Matthew Warchus – Boeing-Boeing Deborah Warner – Happy Days 2009: Matthew Warchus – The Norman Conquests Sarah Benson – Blasted Michael Blakemore – Blithe Spirit Garry Hynes – The Cripple of Inishmaan Terry Kinney – reasons to be pretty Kate Whoriskey – Ruined

2010s

2010: Michael Grandage – Red Jonathan Bank – So Help Me God! Jack Cummings III – The Boys in the Band Sam Gold – Circle Mirror Transformation Michael Grandage – Hamlet Ethan Hawke – A Lie of the Mind 2011: Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe – The Normal Heart Trip Cullman – A Small Fire Moisés Kaufman – Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo Davis McCallum – A Bright New Boise Daniel Sullivan – The Merchant of Venice Kirjan Waage and Gwendolyn Warnock – Baby Universe See also Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play References "Drama Desk Award for Direction of a Play". Internet Broadway Database. 2008. http://www.ibdb.com/advSearchAwards.php. Retrieved 2008-08-21.  External links Drama Desk official website