Good for You! Ben Platt Becomes Youngest Actor Ever to Win Drama League Distinguished Performance Award

Ben Platt made history on May 19 when he became the youngest actor ever to win the Drama League's Distinguished Performance Award. The 23-year-old actor wins for his Tony-nominated and Broadway.com Audience Choice Award-winning portrayal of the title role in Dear Evan Hansen. The acclaimed musical was also presented with the Outstanding Production of a Musical award by the Drama League in a ceremony held at the Marriott Marquis Times Square.

The full list of winners can be found below, identified in bold and preceded by an asterisk.

NOTE: This season’s revival of Sunday in the Park with George was not considered for awards eligibility, at the producers’ request.

Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play
A Doll’s House, Part 2
Caught
Everybody
If I Forget
Indecent
A Life
*Oslo
The Play That Goes Wrong
Sweat
Tell Hector I Miss Him
The Wolves

Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play
A Doll’s House/The Father
The Beauty Queen of Leenane
*Jitney
The Little Foxes
Master Harold and the Boys
Othello
Present Laughter
The Price
Six Degrees of Separation
Troilus and Cressida

Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical
Amélie
Anastasia
Bandstand
Come From Away
*Dear Evan Hansen
Groundhog Day
Hadestown
Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Ride the Cyclone
War Paint

Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical
Cats
Falsettos
*Hello, Dolly!
Miss Saigon
Sunset Boulevard
Sweeney Todd
Sweet Charity

Note: The Drama League also wishes to acknowledge the 2017 recipient of the Award for Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater, Bette Midler. As an honoree, Ms. Midler is ineligible for nomination for her performance this year.

Nominees for the Distinguished Performance Award
Denée Benton, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Reed Birney, Man From Nebraska
Cate Blanchett, The Present
Ato Blankson-Wood, The Total Bent
Christian Borle, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Falsettos
Leon Addison Brown, Master Harold and the Boys
Kate Burton, Present Laughter
Daniel Craig, Othello
Johanna Day, Sweat
Marcia DeBonis, Small Mouth Sounds
Danny DeVito, The Price
Jennifer Ehle, Oslo
Carson Elrod, The Liar
Michael Emerson, Wakey, Wakey
Sally Field, The Glass Menagerie
Sutton Foster, Sweet Charity
Gideon Glick, Significant Other
Josh Groban, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Harriet Harris, The Roads to Home
Corey Hawkins, Six Degrees of Separation
Allison Janney, Six Degrees of Separation
Rachel Bay Jones, Dear Evan Hansen
Sarah Jones, Sell/Buy/Date
Andy Karl, Groundhog Day
Kevin Kline, Present Laughter
John Leguizamo, Latin History for Morons
Kecia Lewis, Marie and Rosetta
Judith Light, All the Ways to Say I Love You
Laura Linney, The Little Foxes
Jefferson Mays, Oslo
Simon McBurney, The Encounter
Laurie Metcalf, A Doll’s House, Part 2
Joe Morton, Turn Me Loose
Cynthia Nixon, The Little Foxes
Eva Noblezada, Miss Saigon
Caroline O’Connor, Anastasia
Laura Osnes, Bandstand
Aisling O’Sullivan, The Beauty Queen of Leenane
David Hyde Pierce, A Life & Hello, Dolly!
*Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen
Daniel Radcliffe, Privacy
Amy Ryan, Love, Love, Love
Nora Schell, Spamilton
Jeremy Secomb, Sweeney Todd
Anna Deveare Smith, Notes from the Field
John Douglas Thompson, Jitney, A Doll’s House & The Father
Kate Walsh, If I Forget
Michelle Wilson, Sweat

Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre
Bette Midler

Unique Contribution to the Theatre
Bill Berloni

Founders Award for Excellence in Directing
Michael Greif

The Drama League also recognizes previous recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award who appeared on the New York stage this season:
Glenn Close, Sunset Boulevard
Christine Ebersole, War Paint
Harvey Fierstein, Gently Down the Stream
Nathan Lane, The Front Page
Patti LuPone, War Paint
Mary-Louise Parker, Heisenberg
Liev Schreiber, Les Liaisons Dangereuses