Jeremy Irons and Cynthia Nixon to Co-Host Drama League Awards

Tony Award winners Jeremy Irons, star of the new Broadway play Impressionism, and Cynthia Nixon, currently headlining the off-Broadway comedy Distracted, will serve as co-hosts of the 75th annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon. The event will be held on May 15 in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Marquis Hotel.

The Drama League Awards honor the season’s best performances and includes both Broadway and off-Broadway shows. A total of 60 to 70 stars gather on a dais and are introduced by the hosts. Fun fact: Irons and a teenage Nixon appeared on Broadway together in The Real Thing in 1984. At the end of the festive luncheon, one performer is presented the Distinguished Performance Award, as voted on by the Drama League's 3,000 members.

In addition to The Distinguished Performance Award, awards are presented for Distinguished Production of a Play, Distinguished Production of a Musical, Distinguished Revival of a Play and Distinguished Revival of a Musical. Nominations for thesefive awards will be announced on April 21.

Last year's Distinguished Performance Award was presented to Gypsy star Patti LuPone. Previous winners have included Christopher Plummer, Sir Ian McKellen, Bernadette Peters, James EarlJones, John Lithgow, Stockard Channing, Glenn Close, Bebe Neuwirth, Cherry Jones, Mary-Louise Parker, Liam Neeson, Harvey Fierstein, Norbert Leo Butz and Christine Ebersole.