Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience
Encyclopedia
The Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience was created to honor those Broadway
, off-Broadway
, off-off-Broadway
, and legitimate not-for-profit theater productions which, due to their unusual nature, cannot be categorized in the regular musical and play categories. The first recipient of the award was the 1974 Broadway revival of London Assurance
, an 1841 play by Dion Boucicault
.
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
, off-off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway theatrical productions in New York City are those in theatres that are smaller than Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres. Off-Off-Broadway theaters are often defined as theaters that have fewer than 100 seats, though the term can be used for any show in the New York City area that...
, and legitimate not-for-profit theater productions which, due to their unusual nature, cannot be categorized in the regular musical and play categories. The first recipient of the award was the 1974 Broadway revival of London Assurance
London Assurance
London Assurance is a five-act comedy by Dion Boucicault. It was the second play that he wrote, but his first to be produced. Its first production, from March 4, 1841 at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden was Boucicault's first major success...
, an 1841 play by Dion Boucicault
Dion Boucicault
Dionysius Lardner Boursiquot , commonly known as Dion Boucicault, was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the most successful actor-playwright-managers then in the...
.
Winners
- 1976: The Norman ConquestsThe Norman ConquestsThe Norman Conquests is a trilogy of plays written in 1973 by Alan Ayckbourn. The small scale of the drama is typical of Ayckbourn. There are only six characters, namely Norman, his wife Ruth, her brother Reg and his wife Sarah, Ruth's sister Annie, and Tom, Annie's next-door-neighbour...
- 1977: John GielgudJohn GielgudSir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
and Ralph RichardsonRalph RichardsonSir Ralph David Richardson was an English actor, one of a group of theatrical knights of the mid-20th century who, though more closely associated with the stage, also appeared in several classic films....
for No Man's LandNo Man's Land (play)No Man's Land is a play by Harold Pinter written in 1974 and first produced and published in 1975. Its original production was at the Old Vic Theatre in London by the National Theatre on 23 April 1975, and it later transferred to Wyndhams Theatre, July 1975 - January 1976, the Lyttelton Theatre... - 1978: Estelle ParsonsEstelle ParsonsEstelle Margaret Parsons is an American theatre, film and television actress and occasional theatrical director.After studying law, Parsons became a singer before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She worked for the television program Today and made her stage debut in 1961...
for Miss Margarida's WayMiss Margarida's WayMiss Margarida's Way is a satirical play written by Brazil's Roberto Athayde.The play is set in what looks like a school classroom. The play's cast typically consists of only two people: Miss Margarida, a school teacher, and a male student... - 1981: InterArt Theatre for Request Concert
- 1985: The Garden of Earthly Delights
- 1986: The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
- 1991: Cirque du SoleilCirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
- 1992: Blue Man GroupBlue Man GroupBlue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...
for Tubes - 1993: Fool Moon
- 1997: The Waste Land
- 2000: Charlie Victor RomeoCharlie Victor RomeoCharlie Victor Romeo is a 1999 play whose script consists of almost-verbatim transcripts from six real-life aviation accidents and incidents. "Charlie Victor Romeo," or CVR, derived from the NATO phonetic alphabet, is aviation lingo for cockpit voice recorder...
- 2005: Slava's SnowshowSlava's SnowshowSlava's Snowshow is a stage spectacle created and staged by Russian performance artist Slava Polunin. The show won the Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event.-External links:...
- 2006: Christine Jorgensen Reveals
- 2007: Edward ScissorhandsEdward Scissorhands (dance)Edward Scissorhands is a dance theatre adaptation of the 1990 American romance fantasy film Edward Scissorhands, created by Matthew Bourne, with music by Terry Davies. The screenwriter and composer of the film version, Caroline Thompson and Danny Elfman, helped to develop the dance version, which...
- 2008: The 39 StepsThe 39 Steps (play)The 39 Steps is a farce adapted from the 1915 novel by John Buchan and the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock. Patrick Barlow wrote the adaptation, based on the original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon of a two-actor version of the play...
- 2009: Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own WordsCelebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words (play)Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words is an entertainment created by Eugene Pack, consisting of comically ironic verbatim readings of memoirs of, and a few poems by, celebrities...
- 2010: Love, Loss, and What I WoreLove, Loss, and What I WoreLove, Loss, and What I Wore is a play written by Nora and Delia Ephron based on the 1995 book of the same name by Ilene Beckerman. It is organized as a series of monologues and uses a rotating cast of five principal women...
- 2011: Sleep No MoreSleep No MoreSleep No More is a 2002 novel by author Greg Iles in which John Waters, the protagonist, very nearly loses his happy life when the soul of a love he had 20 years ago appears in the body of a neighbor. Part mystery, part thriller, part romance, the book deals heavily with the concept of...
See also
- Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment
- Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical EventTony Award for Best Special Theatrical EventThe Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event was awarded from 2001 to 2009 to live theatrical productions that were not plays or musicals.The category was created after the 2000 controversy of Contact winning Best Musical; the show used pre-recorded music and featured no singing...