2019-2020 AWARDS

The New York Drama Critics’ Circle met via video conference on April 15, 2020, to determine the winners of its 85th annual awards. The results were as follows: 

Best Play: Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Will Arbery)
Best Musical: A Strange Loop (Michael R. Jackson)
Special Citations: David Byrne and the Broadway production of American Utopia; Deirdre O’Connell for career excellence including her performance in Dana H.; the New York theater community for perseverance in the face of loss during the COVID-19 pandemic

On the first ballot for Best Play, Will Arbery’s Heroes of the Fourth Turning won 8 votes, just shy of a majority of the 16 voting members who were present at the meeting. 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, with 25 points required to win. Heroes of the Fourth Turning won with 30 points, beating out The Inheritance (16 points), Greater Clements (14 points) and Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven  (13 points). 

The Circle opted not to give an award for Best Foreign Play this year.

The Circle then moved on to a vote for Best Musical. Michael R. Jackson’s A Strange Loop won on the first ballot with a clear majority of 10 votes.

The Circle also voted to award three Special Citations: to David Byrne and the Broadway production of American Utopia; to actor Deirdre O’Connell for career excellence, including her recent performance in the Off Broadway production of Lucas Hnath’s Dana H. at the Vineyard Theatre; and to the New York theater community for its perseverance in the face of loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Note: Active members Charles Isherwood, David Rooney, Marilyn Stasio and Terry Teachout were not in attendance.

The awards will be presented at a virtual ceremony on April 28, 2020.

 

Best Play, first ballot:

David Cote: Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Vinson Cunningham: Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Joe Dziemianowicz: The Inheritance
Adam Feldman: Heroes of the Fourth Turning
David Finkle: Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Jeremy Gerard: Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Chris Jones: The Inheritance
Christopher Kelly: Greater Clements
Soraya Nadia McDonald: Heroes of the Fourth Turning 
Frank Scheck: Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Alexandra Schwartz: Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Helen Shaw: Heroes of the Fourth Turning
David Sheward: Linda Vista
Zachary Stewart: Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Elisabeth Vincentelli: Greater Clements
Matt Windman: The Inheritance

Best Play, third ballot:

David Cote: 
Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Greater Clements
Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven

Vinson Cunningham:
Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Eureka Day
Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven

Joe Dziemianowicz: 
The Inheritance
The Sound Inside
Make Believe

Adam Feldman: 
Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Greater Clements
Dana H.

David Finkle: 
Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Greater Clements

Jeremy Gerard:
Heroes of the Fourth Turning
The Inheritance
Why?

Chris Jones: 
The Inheritance
Heroes of the Fourth Turning
The Sound Inside

Christopher Kelly: 
Greater Clements
The Inheritance
The Sound Inside

Soraya Nadia McDonald:
Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Greater Clements

Frank Scheck: 
Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Greater Clements
Linda Vista

Alexandra Schwartz: 
Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven
Linda Vista

Helen Shaw: 
Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Paris
Dana H.

David Sheward: 
Linda Vista
Heroes of the Fourth Turning
The Inheritance

Zachary Stewart: 
Heroes of the Fourth Turning
The Inheritance
Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven

Elisabeth Vincentelli: 
Greater Clements 
Linda Vista
The Sound Inside

Matt Windman: 
The Inheritance
The Sound Inside
Eureka Day

Best Musical, first ballot:

David Cote: A Strange Loop
Vinson Cunningham:A Strange Loop
Joe Dziemianowicz: A Strange Loop
Adam Feldman: A Strange Loop
David Finkle: A Strange Loop
Jeremy Gerard: A Strange Loop
Chris Jones: A Strange Loop
Christopher Kelly: Tina—The Tina Turner Musical
Soraya Nadia McDonald: A Strange Loop
Frank Scheck: Octet
Alexandra Schwartz: Moulin Rouge! The Musical 
Helen Shaw: A Strange Loop
David Sheward: Soft Power
Zachary Stewart: Octet
Elisabeth Vincentelli: A Strange Loop
Matt Windman: The Secret Life of Bees

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