2015-2016 Awards

2015-2016 AWARDS

The New York Drama Critics’ Circle met on May 5, 2016 to determine the winners of its 81st annual awards. The results were as follows:

Best Play: The Humans (Stephen Karam)
Best Foreign Play: no award
Best Musical: Shuffle Along, or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed (George C. Wolfe, Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle)
Special Citations: Oskar Eustis for outstanding leadership of the Public Theater; Lois Smith for career achievement; Ivo van Hove and Jan Versweyveld for collaborative achievement in direction and design

On the first ballot for Best Play, The Humans won nine votes, short of a majority among the Circle’s 22 voting members. A second vote was then taken to determine whether an award would be given at all. Having agreed that one should, the Circle moved to a weighted third ballot, which The Humans won with 35 points. Annie Baker’s John placed second (19 points), followed by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s Gloria (14 points) and Danai Gurira’s Eclipsed (12 points). The Circle opted not to give an award for Best Foreign Play.

On the first ballot for Best Musical, Shuffle Along and Dear Evan Hansen each received seven votes. Shuffle Along won handily on the third ballot with 44 points, followed by Dear Evan Hansen (25 points), American Psycho (17 points) and First Daughter Suite (14 points)..

The Circle also voted to award three Special Citations: to Oskar Eustis for outstanding leadership of the Public Theater; to actor Lois Smith for career achievement, including in this season’s John and Marjorie Prime; and to Ivo van Hove and Jan Versweyveld for collaborative achievement in direction and design, including in this season’s A View from the Bridge and The Crucible.

The awards will be presented at a private ceremony at Feinstein’s/54 Below on May 17, 2016.

Best Play, first ballot:

Hilton Als: John
Melissa Rose Bernardo: Skeleton Crew
David Cote: The Humans
Joe Dziemianowicz: The Humans
Michael Feingold: Red Speedo
Robert Feldberg: The Humans
Adam Feldman: The Humans
Elysa Gardner: Marjorie Prime
Jeremy Gerard: John
Jesse Green: The Humans
Christopher Kelly: Guards at the Taj
David Rooney: The Humans
Frank Scheck (proxy): The Humans
David Sheward: The Humans
John Simon: Eclipsed
Marilyn Stasio: Guards at the Taj
Zachary Stewart: Gloria
Terry Teachout (proxy): Smart People
Elisabeth Vincentelli: John
Matt Windman: The Christians
Linda Winer: The Humans
Richard Zoglin: King Charles III

Best Play, third ballot:

Hilton Als:
John
Familiar
Gloria

Melissa Rose Bernardo:
Skeleton Crew
The Humans
Hold On to Me Darling

David Cote:
The Humans
John
Eclipsed

Joe Dziemianowicz:
The Humans
John
Gloria

Michael Feingold:
Red Speedo
John
The Humans

Robert Feldberg:
The Humans
Eclipsed
John

Adam Feldman:
The Humans
Marjorie Prime
John

Elysa Gardner:
Marjorie Prime
Hir
Ripcord

Jeremy Gerard:
John
The Humans
Smart People

Jesse Green:
The Humans
The Christians
John

Christopher Kelly:
Guards at the Taj
Familiar
John

David Rooney:
The Humans
Guards at the Taj
Eclipsed

Frank Scheck:
The Humans
Gloria
Marjorie Prime

David Sheward:
The Humans
Gloria
Hir

John Simon:
Eclipsed
Hold On to Me Darling
The Body of an American

Marilyn Stasio:
Guards at the Taj
Eclipsed
The Humans

Zachary Stewart:
Gloria
The Humans
Eclipsed

Terry Teachout (proxy):
Smart People
Hold On to Me Darling
Eclipsed

Elisabeth Vincentelli:
John
Gloria
The Christians

Matt Windman:
The Christians
Gloria
Eclipsed

Linda Winer:
The Humans
Marjorie Prime
Gloria

Richard Zoglin:
King Charles III
Red Speedo
The Christians

Best Musical, first ballot:

Hilton Als: abstain
Melissa Rose Bernardo: Dear Evan Hansen
David Cote: Waitress
Joe Dziemianowicz: Dear Evan Hansen
Michael Feingold: Dear Evan Hansen
Robert Feldberg: Southern Comfort
Adam Feldman: Dear Evan Hansen
Elysa Gardner: American Psycho
Jeremy Gerard: First Daughter Suite
Jesse Green: Dear Evan Hansen
Christopher Kelly: American Psycho
David Rooney: Shuffle Along
Frank Scheck: Shuffle Along
David Sheward: Shuffle Along
John Simon: Shuffle Along
Marilyn Stasio: Shuffle Along
Zachary Stewart: Shuffle Along
Terry Teachout (proxy): First Daughter Suite
Elisabeth Vincentelli: Dear Evan Hansen
Matt Windman: Dear Evan Hansen
Linda Winer: Shuffle Along
Richard Zoglin: Lazarus

Best Musical, third ballot:

Hilton Als:
abstain

Melissa Rose Bernardo:
Dear Evan Hansen
American Psycho
Shuffle Along

David Cote:
Shuffle Along
Waitress
School of Rock

Joe Dziemianowicz:
Dear Evan Hansen
Shuffle Along
School of Rock

Michael Feingold:
Dear Evan Hansen
First Daughter Suite
Death for Five Voices

Robert Feldberg:
Southern Comfort
Shuffle Along
Lazarus

Adam Feldman:
Dear Evan Hansen
Shuffle Along
Iowa

Elysa Gardner:
American Psycho
Shuffle Along
Bright Star

Jeremy Gerard:
First Daughter Suite
Shuffle Along
Southern Comfort

Jesse Green:
Shuffle Along
Dear Evan Hansen
First Daughter Suite

Christopher Kelly:
American Psycho
Shuffle Along
Bright Star

David Rooney:
Shuffle Along
Dear Evan Hansen
Lazarus

Frank Scheck:
Shuffle Along
American Psycho
Waitress

David Sheward:
Shuffle Along
Dear Evan Hansen
Waitress

John Simon:
Shuffle Along
First Daughter Suite
On Your Feet!

Marilyn Stasio:
Shuffle Along
American Psycho
Dear Evan Hansen

Zachary Stewart:
Shuffle Along
American Psycho
On Your Feet!

Terry Teachout (proxy):
First Daughter Suite
American Psycho
On Your Feet!

Elisabeth Vincentelli:
Dear Evan Hansen
Shuffle Along
Waitress

Matt Windman:
Dear Evan Hansen
First Daughter Suite
Invisible Thread

Linda Winer:
Shuffle Along
Lazarus
First Daughter Suite

Richard Zoglin:
Lazarus
Shuffle Along
American Psycho