Hamilton 

What is a best of 2015 list without Hamilton? Not a list at all. The hip-hop musical about America’s most controversial founding father with its diverse cast and #hamiltunes that will be stuck in your head forever earns its prized spot on the list. Any show capable of selling out for over a year is a winner in my book. #HamilTonys

Invisible Thread 

Did I mention I saw this show four times? I’m not kidding. The only reason it wasn’t more is because I’m not rich and I went home for Christmas break. The show that tells the story of one man’s incredible journey of self and the people’s lives he impacts was a no-brainer on my list. The dancing, the acting, and the singing is enough to bring you in and take you to new places. #Belamusana

The Color Purple 

Of course, The Color Purple was going to make this list. Cynthia Erivo, Danielle Brooks and Jennifer Hudson make their Broadway debuts and they enter with a big ol’ splash. The simplistic styling of this musical requires the actors to give their all and bare it on the stage, which they do every night. I see Tonys in their future.

Whorl Inside A Loop 

No wonder it’s going to Broadway!  It’s that darn good. Second Stage is doing some pretty awesome things over there on 43rd Street, if this show is any indication. It tells the story of an actress teaching prisoners how to tell and act out their personal stories. This show definitely tugged at my heartstrings and now, hopefully, many more will be able to witness its brilliance.

The Gin Game 

Legendary. James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson sharing the stage again was one of the most amazing moments of 2015. Being able to just be in that room and watch these masters grace the stage effortlessly was a big deal. Black don’t crack, and neither does our ability to memorize scripts and get out there and be amazing eight nights a week.

Barbecue 

The Public Theater also has some hits on their hands. Barbecue centered around family, addiction, and making difficult choices. Written by Obie Award Winning Playwright Robert O’Hara, the play was full of twists and turns that left audiences gasping and guessing about what was going to happen next.

Paradise Blue

Our girl Dominique Morisseau came through. The production is directed by the always amazing Ruben Santiago-Hudson and stars Tony Award-nominee De’Adre Aziza (Passing Strange), Golden Globe-nominee Blair Underwood (A Street Car Named Desire), and Andre Holland. This show, which is the first in a trilogy, made waves at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Like Morisseau herself, I doubt it’s the last you’ll hear about it.

An Octoroon 

An Octoroon (the term “Octoroon” is a person who is one-eighth Black) is all about race in the United States. The brilliant show written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins got its start at Soho Rep and uses satire to get at the United States’ horrible legacy of slavery. Incorporating Black face, red face and everything in between, this show took it there unapologetically. An Octoroon can make an entire audience uncomfortable and force them to face the harsh realities of this “great” nation all in one. After all, art is an imitation of life, right?

Amazing Grace

Gone too soon. The song I sang as a child suddenly held more weight when I finally was able to see this show in the summer. Beautifully and thoroughly executed, Amazing Grace was a gracious piece of theatre that wasn’t afraid to go there. While it may have left Broadway, the cast recording will be enough to keep me going.

Eclipsed 

This is another one that moved from Off-Broadway because of its stellar cast and amazing story. Danai Gurira is genius. Set during the Liberian Civil War, Eclipsed tells the stories of the captive wives of a rebel officer who band together to form a fragile community—until the balance of their lives is upset by the arrival of a new girl. Heartfelt, funny, and mesmerizing are just a few adjectives to describe how great of a show this is.

Special Mention: The Wiz Live!

How could I make a list without The Wiz Live! on it? This show and all of its #melaninmagic captivated audiences everywhere. The old classic story of The Wiz with a modern twist appealed to audiences young and old, and brought together an entire community on Dec. 3rd. That night also made us realize Shanice Williams was going places, Stephanie Mills has still got it, David Alan Grier has some serious pipes, Uzo Aduba and Queen Latifah can do no wrong, Amber Riley was underappreciated on Glee, and “conversate” is an actual word.

Thats our list, what did you see that you put on your list? Sound off in the comments below and check out in-depth information on all of these shows on our site!

The post And The Winner Is…Broadway Black Top 10 of 2015 appeared first on Broadway Black.

However, this morning brought on a new list of nominees for The Drama Leauge Awards. Full list of those nominees are listed below and include some of our favorite people. Among that list is Stephen McKinley Henderson (Between Riverside & Crazy) , Cush Jumbo (Josephine And I), & Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton). As well as two of our favorite shows: Booty Candy by Robert O’Hara and An Octoroon by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Congratulations to ALL the nominees and Thank you to The Drama League for their continous work in recognizing great works!

The nominations for the 81^st Annual Drama League Awards were announced at Sardi’s Restaurant on Tuesday April 21^st.

The 81^st Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon will be held at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in the Broadway Ballroom (1535 Broadway) on Friday, May 15, 2015 where our winners will be announced.

Voting is now open for all current Drama League members. Members will receive an email with instructions on how to vote, as well as a personalized link through which they can cast their vote.Voting will close at 12.00pm on Wednesday May 13^th.

2015 NOMINEES
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY PLAY

The Audience
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
By Peter Morgan
Directed by Stephen Daldry
Matthew Byam Shaw, Robert Fox, Andy Harries, Beverly Bartner, Scott M. Delman, Ed Mirvish
Enterprises Limited, Stephanie P. McClelland, MSG WLE, Jon B. Platt, Scott Rudin, Carole Shorenstein Hays, The Shubert Organization, Alice Tulchin, producers

Between Riverside and Crazy
Atlantic Theater Company/Second Stage Theatre
By Stephen Adly Guirgis
Directed by Austin Pendleton
Atlantic Theatre Company: Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director
Second Stage Theatre: Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Casey Reitz, Executive Director, in association with Scott Rudin

Bootycandy
Playwrights Horizons
By Robert O’Hara
Directed by Robert O’Hara
Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director; Carol Fishman, General Manager

Constellations
Manhattan Theatre Club/The Royal Court Theatre
By Nick Payne
Directed by Michael Longhurst
Manhattan Theatre Club: Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer. The Royal Court Theatre: Vicky Featherstone, Artistic Director; Lucy Davies, Executive Producer; by special arrangement with Ambassador Theatre Group and the DodgersClinPret

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
By Simon Stephens, based on the novel by Mark Haddon
Directed by Marianne Elliot
Stuart Thompson, Tim Levy for NT America, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Nick Starr & Chris Harper for NT Productions, Bob Boyett, Roger Berlind, Scott M. Delman, Roy Furman, Glass Half Full Productions, Ruth Hendel, Jon B. Platt, Prime Number Group, Scott Rudin, Triple Play Broadway, and The Shubert Organization, producers

Hand to God
Booth Theatre
By Robert Askins
Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel
Kevin McCollum, Broadway Global Ventures, CMC, Morris Berchard, Mariano V. Tolentino Jr., Stephanie Kramer, LAMS Productions, DeSimone/Winkler, Joan Raffe & Jhett Tolentino, Timothy Laczynski, Lily Fan, Ayal Miodovnik, JAM Theatricals, Ensemble Studio Theatre: William Carden, Artistic Director; Paul A. Slee, Executive Director, and MCC Theater: Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, William Cantler, Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director, producers

An Octoroon
Soho Rep/Theatre for a New Audience
By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Sarah Benson
Soho Rep: Sarah Benson, Artistic Director; Cynthia Flowers, Executive Director in association with John Adrian Selzer; Theatre for a New Audience: Jeffrey Horowitz, Artistic Director; Dorothy Ryan, Managing Director

Punk Rock
MCC Theater
By Simon Stephens
Directed by Trip Cullman
Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, William Cantler, Artistic Directors; Blake West, Executive Director

Scenes from a Marriage
New York Theatre Workshop
By Ingmar Bergman
Adapted by Emily Mann
Directed by Ivo van Hove
James C. Nicola, Artistic Director; Jeremy Blocker, Managing Director

Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two
Winter Garden Theatre
By Hilary Mantel, Adapted by Mike Poulton
Directed by Jeremy Herrin
Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Matthew Byam Shaw, Nia Janis & Nick Salmon for Playful Productions UK, Carole Shorenstein Hays, JAM Theatricals, Ron Kastner, Kyodo Tokyo, Inc., Tulchin Bartner Productions, WLE MSG, Jane Bergère, Scott M. Delman, Rebecca Gold, Just For Laughs Theatricals, Kit Seidel, Triple Play Productions, Gabrielle Palitz, Georgia Gatti, Jessica Genick, Will Trice and The Shubert Organization, producers; The Royal Shakespeare Company: Gregory Doran, Artistic Director; Catherine Mallyon, Executive Director

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Big Love
Signature Theatre Company
By Charles Mee
Directed by Tina Landau
James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director

The Elephant Man
Booth Theatre
By Bernard Pomerance
Directed by Scott Ellis
James. L. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Catherine Adler, Roger Berlind, Caiola Productions, Patrick Catullo, Roy Furman, Larry Hirschhorn, Jeffrey Finn Productions, Van Kaplan, Edward M. Kaufmann, Hal Luftig, Arielle Tepper Madover, Peter May, Stephanie P. McClelland, The Shubert Organization, Douglas Smith, Jonathan M. Tisch, MSG WLE, LLC, Scott & Brian Zeilinger, producers; Williamstown Theatre Festival, Mandy Greenfield, Artistic Director; Stephen M. Kaus, Producer

The Heidi Chronicles
Music Box Theatre
By Wendy Wasserstein
Directed by Pam MacKinnon
Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Susan Gallin, Mary Lu Roffe, Eagle Productions LLC, Stacy Jacobs, LTPS Productions, Gabrielle Palitz, Sally Horchow, Rebecca Gold, Ken Greiner, Grimaldi & WSProductions, Jamie deRoy & friends, Amy Kaissar, Suzanne Friedman, Ed Goldstone, Jessica Genick, Will Trice, producers

The Iceman Cometh
Brooklyn Academy of Music
By Eugene O’Neill
Directed by Robert Falls
BAM and Scott Rudin, producers; Joseph V. Melillo, Executive Producer; Karen Brooks Hopkins, President

It’s Only a Play
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
By Terrence McNally
Directed by Jack O’Brien
Tom Kirdahy, Roy Furman, Ken Davenport, Hunter Arnold, Morris Berchard and Susan Dietz, Caiola
Productions, Carl Daikeler, Jim Fantaci, Wendy Federman, Barbara Freitag and Loraine Alterman Boyle, Hugh Hayes, Jim Herbert, Ricardo F. Hornos, Stephanie Kramer, LAMS Productions, Scott Landis, Mark Lee and Ed Filipowski, Harold Newman, Roy Putrino, Sanford Robertson, Tom Smedes and Peter Stern, and Brian Cromwell Smith, producer

Skylight
Golden Theatre
By David Hare
Directed by Stephen Daldry
Robert Fox, Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, Roger Berlind, William Berlind, Roy Furman, Jon B. Platt, The Shubert Organization, Stephanie P. McClelland, Catherine Adler, Jay Alix & Una Jackman, Scott M. Delman, Heni Koenigsberg, Spring Sirkin, Stuart Thompson, True Love Productions, The Araca Group, Carlos Arana, David Mirvish, producers; Joey Parnes, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, executive producers

Tamburlaine, Parts I and II
Theatre for a New Audience
By Christopher Marlowe
Edited and Directed by Michael Boyd
Jeffrey Horowitz, Founding Artistic Director; Dorothy Ryan, Managing Director

This Is Our Youth
Cort Theatre
By Kenneth Lonergan
Directed by Anna D. Shapiro
Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, Roger Berlind, William Berlind, Jon B. Platt, Roy Furman, The Shubert
Organization, Ruth Hendel, Scott M. Delman, Stephanie P. McClelland, Sonia Friedman, Tulchin Bartner, The Araca Group, Heni Koenigsberg, Daryl Roth, Joan Raffe & Jhett Tolentino, Catherine & Fred Adler, producers; Joey Parnes, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, executive producers

You Can’t Take It with You
Longacre Theatre
By Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman
Directed by Scott Ellis
Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Jam Theatricals, Dominion Pictures, Gutterman & Winkler, Daryl Roth, Terry Schnuck, Jane Bergère, Caiola Productions, Rebecca Gold, Laruffa & Hinderliter, Larry Magid, Gabrielle Palitz, Spisto & Kierstead, Sunnyspot Productions, Venuworks Theatricals, Jessica Genick, Will Trice, producers, by special arrangement with Roundabout Theatre Company: Todd Haimes, Artistic Director; Harold Wolpert, Managing Director; Julia C. Levy, Executive Director; Sydney Beers, General Manager

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
An American in Paris
Palace Theatre
Music and Lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, Book by Craig Lucas
Directed by Christopher Wheeldon
Stuart Oken, Van Kaplan, Roy Furman, Stephanie P. McClelland, Darren Bagert, Carole L. Haber, James Nederlander, Five Cent Productions, Michael Leavitt, Apples and Oranges Studios/Dominion Pictures, Roger Berlind/Arch Road, Simone Genatt Haft/Marc Routh, Triptyk Studios/Spencer Ross, Ed Walson/Pater May, Adam Zotovich/Celia Atkin, Eugene Beard/Julie Boardman/Kallish-Weinstein, Stuart Ditsky/Jim Herbert/Sandy Robertson, Suzanne Friedman/Independent Presenters Network/Wonderful Productions, The Leonore S. Gershwin 1987 Trust/Jenkins-Taylor/Proctors, Harriet Newman Leve/Jane Dubin/Sarahbeth Grossman, Caiola Productions/Jennifer Isaacson/Raise the Curtain, producers, by special arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical & Pittsburgh CLO and Théâtre du Châtelet

Finding Neverland
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Book by James Graham, Music and Lyrics by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy
Directed by Diane Paulus
Weinstein Live Entertainment, The Madison Square Garden Company, Len Blavatnik, Ron Burkle,
Radenko Milakovic, Bryan Cranston, Jason Blum, Broadway Across America, Stephen Bronfman, Rodgin Cohen, Michael Cohl, Jean Doumanian, Chad Dubea, Rick Gerson, Jeremiah J. Harris, Sh. Mohammed Y. El Khereiji, Terry Allen Kramer, Howard Milstein, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., Dalip Pathak, Marvin Peart, Steve Rattner, Jimmy Sommers, Peter Stavola and the American Repertory Theater, producers

Fun Home
Circle in the Square Theatre
Music by Jeanine Tesori, Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron
Directed by Sam Gold
Fox Theatricals, Barbara Whitman, Carole Shorenstein Hays, Tom Casserly, Paula Marie Black, Latitude Link, Terry Schnuck/Jack Lane, The Forstalls, Nathan Vernon, Mint Theatricals, Elizabeth Armstrong, Jam Theatricals, Delman Whitney, Kristin Caskey & Mike Isaacson, producers; The Public Theater: Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Patrick Willingham, Executive Director

Ghost Quartet
The McKittrick Hotel
Music, Lyrics, and Text by Dave Malloy
Directed by Annie Tippe
Emursive: Arthur Karpati, Jonathan Hochwald, and Randy Weiner, producers

Hamilton
The Public Theater
Book, Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Directed by Thomas Kail
Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Patrick Willingham, Managing Director; with the support of Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs and Jill Furman

It Shoulda Been You
Brooks Atkinson Theatre
Book and Lyrics by Brian Hargrove, Music and Concept by Barbara Anselmi
Directed by David Hyde Pierce
Daryl Roth, Scott Landis, Jane Bergère, Jayne Baron Sherman, Patty Baker, Broadway Across America, Clear Channel Spectacolor, Gloken LLC, James L. Nederlander, John O’Boyle, Judith Ann Abrams/Jacki Barila Florin, producers

Something Rotten
St. James Theatre
Book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, Music and Lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey
Kirkpatrick
Directed by Casey Nicholaw
Kevin McCollum, Broadway Global Ventures, CMC, Dennis Mastro, Jerry Frankel, Morris Berchard,
Kyodo Tokyo Inc., Wendy Federman, Barbara Freitag, LAMS Productions, Winkler/DeSimone, Timothy Laczynski, Dan Markley, JAM Theatricals, Robert Greenblatt, and Jujamcyn Theaters, producers

The Visit
Book by Terrence McNally, Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Directed by John Doyle
Lyceum Theatre
Tom Kirdahy, Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Tom Smedes, Hugh Hayes, Peter Stern, Judith Ann Abrams, Rich Affannato, Hunter Arnold, Carl Daikeler, Ken Davenport, Bharat Mitra & Bhavani Lev, Peter May, Ted Snowdon, Gabrielle Palitz/Weatherby & Fishman LLC, Marguerite Hoffman/Jeremy Youett, Carlos Arana/Terry Loftis, Veenerick & Katherine Vos Van Liempt, 42nd Club/Silva Theatrical and The Shubert Organization, producers, in association with The Williamstown Theatre Festival: Mandy Greenfield, Artistic Director; Stephen M. Kaus, Producer

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A BROADWAY OR OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
Allegro
Classic Stage Company
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Directed by John Doyle
Brian Kulick, Artistic Director; Jeff Griffin, Managing Director; Greg Reiner, Executive Director

Into the Woods
Roundabout Theatre Company
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by James Lapine
Directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld
Todd Haimes, Artistic Director; Harold Walpert, Managing Director; Julia C. Levy, Executive Director;
Sydney Beers, General Manager. In association with McCarter Theatre Center: Emily Mann, Artistic Director; Timothy J. Shields, Managing Director

The King and I
Lincoln Center Theatre
Music by Richard Rodgers
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Directed by Bartlett Sher
Andre Bishop, Artistic Director; Adam Siegel, Managing Director; Hattie K. Jutagir, Executive Director of Development and Planning; in association with Ambassador Theatre Group; with gratitude to the Stacey and Eric Mindich Fund for Musical Theater

On The Town
Lyric Theatre
Music by Leonard Bernstein, Book and Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Directed by John Rando
Howard and Janet Kagan, Severn Partners Entertainment, Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman, Paula Marie Black, Nigel Lythgoe, Michael J. Moritz, Jr., Mahoney/Alden/Badway, Ambassador Theatre Group, Margie and Bryan Weingarten, Kim Schall, Michael Rubenstein, Terry/Louise/Chris Lingner, Brunish & Trinchero, Stephanie Rosenberg, Laruffa & Hinderliter, Rubinstein/Handelman, A&A Gordon, Matt Ross/Ben Feldman/Pamela Cooper, and Barrington Stage Company, producers

On The Twentieth Century
Roundabout Theatre Company
Book and Lyrics by Better Comden and Adolph Green, Music by Cy Coleman
Directed by Scott Ellis
Todd Haimes, Artistic Director; Harold Walpert, Managing Director; Julia C. Levy, Executive Director;
Sydney Beers, General Manager

DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD
One winner is selected from this category. The recipient can only receive this award once during his or her career.
Usman Ally, The Invisible Hand
Christian Borle, Something Rotten
Steven Boyer, Hand to God
Sterling K. Brown, Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1, 2 & 3
Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Kristin Chenoweth, On The Twentieth Century
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Jim Dale, Just Jim Dale
Tyne Daly, It Shoulda Been You
Daveed Diggs, Hamilton
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Renee Fleming, Living on Love
Kelsey Grammer, Finding Neverland
Jake Gyllenhaal, Constellations
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy
Lisa Howard, It Shoulda Been You
Brian D’Arcy James, Something Rotten
Rebecca Naomi Jones, Big Love
Cush Jumbo, Josephine and I, The River
Andy Karl, On The Twentieth Century
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Lesley Manville, Ghosts
Jan Maxwell, The City of Conversation
Richard McCabe, The Audience
Rob McClure, Honeymoon in Vegas
Ewan McGregor, The Real Thing
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two
Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Matthew Morrison, Finding Neverland
Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Tam Mutu, Doctor Zhivago
Bill Nighy, Skylight
Kelli O’Hara, The King and I
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two
Bryce Pinkham, The Heidi Chronicles
Roger Rees, The Visit
Chita Rivera, The Visit
Alexander Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Douglas Sills, Living on Love
John Douglas Thompson, Tamburlaine, Parts I and II, The Iceman Cometh
Julie White, Airline Highway
Ruth Wilson, Constellations
Tony Yazbeck, On The Town

The Drama League also wishes to acknowledge the previous recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award who appeared in New York productions this season. As the Award can only be won once in a performer’s lifetime, they are ineligible this season. Their exemplary work, however, is recognized and applauded.

Kathleen Chalfant, A Walk in the Woods
Stockard Channing, It’s Only A Play
Glenn Close, A Delicate Balance
Rosemary Harris, Indian Ink
Hugh Jackman, The River
Cherry Jones, When We Were Young and Unafraid
James Earl Jones, You Can’t Take It With You
Nathan Lane, The Iceman Cometh, It’s Only A Play
John Lithgow, A Delicate Balance, King Lear

The Drama League recently announced the 2015 recipients for Distinguished Contributions and Achievements in the Theatre, as follows: Tony®, Academy®, Golden Globe Award-winner Joel Grey will receive the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre Award in recognition of his contribution to the musical theatre; WNET: Neal Shapiro and David Horn will receive the Unique Contribution to the Theatre Award for their vital work of bringing New York productions to television viewers across America; and Tony®, Drama Desk and BAFTA Award-winner Stephen Daldry will receive The Founders Award for Excellence in Directing.

The post The 81st Annual Drama League Award Nominations Announced appeared first on Broadway Black.