Glenda Jackson Wins Drama League Distinguished Performance Award; Band's Visit, Cursed Child Also Triumph

Glenda Jackson, Tony-nominated star of Edward Albee's Three Tall Women, was named the winner of the Drama League's Distinguished Performance Award at the 84th annual Drama League Awards ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Times Square on May 18. Jackson's win was announced along with winners in the Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding Revival of a Play, Outstanding Production of a Musical and Outstanding Revival of a Musical categories—which went to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Angels in America, The Band's Visit and My Fair Lady, respectively. The event was hosted by Mean Girls stars Ashley Park, Taylor Louderman and Kate Rockwell. 

Jackson triumphed in a category that included 55 Distinguished Performance nominees. Her acclaimed turn in the Broadway premiere production of Albee's Pulitzer-winning Three Tall Women marks her first Broadway role in three decades. Jackson's past main-stem credits include Tony-nominated performances in Macbeth, Strange Interlude, Rose and The Persecution and Assassination of Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade. Jackson is a two-time Oscar winner for Women in Love and A Touch of Class.

As previously announced, the Drama League's 2018 Special Recognition Awards went to Wicked Tony winner Idina Menzel—star of the upcoming Skintight—who received the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award; Tony winner Casey Nicholaw—currently represented on Broadway by Mean Girls, Aladdin and The Book of Mormon—honored with The Founders Award for Excellence in Directing; and the National Endowment for the Arts, which received the Unique Contribution to the Theater Award.

First awarded in 1922 and formalized in 1935, The Drama League Awards are the oldest theatrical honors in America. They are the only major theater awards chosen by a cross-section of the theater community—specifically, by the industry professionals, producers, artists, audiences and critics who are Drama League members nationwide.

The full list of 2018 Drama League Award winners can be found below in bold and preceded by an asterisk.

Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play
Animal
Hangmen
*Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
In the Body of the World
Is God Is
Meteor Shower
Oedipus El Rey
School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play
Until the Flood

Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play
*Angels in America
Children of a Lesser God
Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo
Hamlet (directed by Sam Gold, The Public Theater)
The Iceman Cometh
Lobby Hero
Saint Joan
Three Tall Women
Torch Song
Travesties
Yerma

Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical
*The Band's Visit
Bella: An American Tall Tale
Frozen
Hundred Days
KPOP
Mean Girls
SpongeBob SquarePants
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie

Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical
Carousel
*My Fair Lady
Once On This Island
Pacific Overtures

Nominees for the Distinguished Performance Award
Jelani Alladin, Frozen
Lauren Ambrose, My Fair Lady
Annaleigh Ashford, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Laura Benanti, Meteor Shower
MaameYaa Boafo, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play
Anthony Boyle, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Juan Castano, Oedipus El Rey
Billy Crudup, Harry Clarke
Eisa Davis, Kings
Ariana DeBose, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Noma Dumenzweni, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Deanna Dunagan, The Treasurer
Eve Ensler, In the Body of the World
Chris Evans, Lobby Hero
Johnny Flynn, Hangmen
Alfie Fuller, Is God Is
Andrew Garfield, Angels in America
Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady
Rebecca Hall, Animal
Harriet Harris, The Low Road
Brian Tyree Henry, Lobby Hero
Joshua Henry, Carousel
Tom Hollander, Travesties
Oscar Isaac, Hamlet
Chukwudi Iwuji, The Low Road
*Glenda Jackson, Three Tall Women
Joshua Jackson, Children of a Lesser God
Hailey Kilgore, Once On This Island
LaChanze, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Katrina Lenk, The Band’s Visit
Robert Sean Leonard, Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo
Taylor Louderman, Mean Girls
Elizabeth Marvel, Julius Caesar
James McArdle, Angels in America
Laurie Metcalf, Three Tall Women
Jessie Mueller, Carousel
Patti Murin, Frozen
Alex Newell, Once On This Island
Sahr Ngaujah, Mlima’s Tale
Seth Numrich, Travesties
Deirdre O’Connell, Fulfillment Center
Ashley Park, Mean Girls and KPOP
Billie Piper, Yerma
Karen Pittman, Pipeline
Condola Rashad, Saint Joan
Lauren Ridloff, Children of a Lesser God
Roslyn Ruff, X: Or, Betty Shabazz v. The Nation
Amy Schumer, Meteor Shower
Tony Shalhoub, The Band’s Visit
Paul Sparks, Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo
Katy Sullivan, Cost of Living
John Douglas Thompson, Julius Caesar
Michael Urie, Torch Song and The Government Inspector
Denzel Washington, The Iceman Cometh
Dianne Wiest, Happy Days

The Drama League acknowledges previous recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award who appeared in Broadway or off-Broadway productions this season. As the award can only be won once in a performer's lifetime, they are ineligible to be nominated again.

Norbert Leo Butz, My Fair Lady and The Whirligig
Kathleen Chalfant, For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday
Nathan Lane, Angels in America
John Lithgow, John Lithgow: Stories by Heart
Bernadette Peters, Hello, Dolly!
Mark Rylance, Farinelli and the King

Special Recognition (previously announced)
Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater: Idina Menzel
Founders Award for Excellence in Directing: Casey Nicholaw
Unique Contribution to the Theater: The National Endowment for the Arts