Shields’s stage credits include The Addams Family, Chicago, The Sound of Music and Grease. She starred opposite Raul Esparza in Leap of Faith in Los Angeles and has her own solo caberat show, In My Life, at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency. Shields has also appeared on television in “Suddenly Susan”, “Lipstick Jungle” and “Nip/Tuck”.

D’Arcy James’s many stage credits include Shrek the Musical, Sweet Smell of Success, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Port Authority. He currently stars on NBC’s musical drama “Smash”.

The Drama Desk Awards recognize the best Broadway and off-Broadway talent of the 2011-2012 theater season. The Drama Desk was founded in 1949, and is the only critics organization to honor achievement in the theater with competition among Broadway, off-Broadway and off off-Broadway productions in the same categories.

And the nominees are…

OUTSTANDING PLAY
David Henry Hwang, Chinglish
Dan LeFranc, The Big Meal
Members of the Plastic Theatre, Unnatural Acts
Itamar Moses, Completeness
Lynn Nottage, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
Nina Raine, Tribes
Nicky Silver, The Lyons

OUTSTANDING MUSICAL
Bonnie & Clyde
Death Takes a Holiday
Leap of Faith
Newsies The Musical
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Once
Queen of the Mist

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY
A Little Journey
Death of a Salesman
Edward Albee’s The Lady from Dubuque
Gore Vidal’s The Best Man
Lost in Yonkers
Richard III

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Carrie
Evita
Follies
Jesus Christ Superstar
The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
The Threepenny Opera

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY
James Corden, One Man, Two Guvnors
Hugh Dancy, Venus in Fur
Claybourne Elder, One Arm
Santino Fontana, Sons of the Prophet
Joseph Franchini, The Navigator
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Death of a Salesman
Kevin Spacey, Richard III

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Tracie Bennett, End of the Rainbow
Sanaa Lathan, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
Linda Lavin, The Lyons
Jennifer Lim, Chinglish
Kim Martin-Cotten, A Moon for the Misbegotten
Carey Mulligan, Through a Glass Darkly
Joely Richardson, Side Effects

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Danny Burstein, Follies
Kevin Earley, Death Takes a Holiday
Raúl Esparza, Leap of Faith
Jeremy Jordan, Newsies The Musical
Norm Lewis, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Ricky Martin, Evita

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Miche Braden, The Devil’s Music: The Life & Blues of Bessie Smith
Jan Maxwell, Follies
Audra McDonald, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Kelli O’Hara, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Bernadette Peters, Follies
Molly Ranson, Carrie

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Bill Camp, Death of a Salesman
Jim Dale, The Road to Mecca
Tom Edden, One Man, Two Guvnors
Bill Irwin, King Lear
Jefferson Mays, Blood and Gifts
Will Rogers, Unnatural Acts
Morgan Spector, Russian Transport

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Stephanie J. Block, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
Anna Camp, All New People
Kimberly Hébert Gregory, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
Lisa Joyce, The Ugly One
Joaquina Kalukango, Hurt Village
Angela Lansbury, Gore Vidal’s The Best Man
Judith Light, Other Desert Cities

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Phillip Boykin, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Matt Cavenaugh, Death Takes a Holiday
Michael Cerveris, Evita
Michael McGrath, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Patrick Page, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Andrew Samonsky, Queen of the Mist

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Judy Kaye, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Marin Mazzie, Carrie
Jessie Mueller, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Elaine Paige, Follies
Sarah Sokolovic, The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World
Melissa van der Schyff, Bonnie & Clyde

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
Jo Bonney, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
David Cromer, Tribes
Ed Sylvanus Iskandar, These Seven Sicknesses
Sam Mendes, Richard III
Mike Nichols, Death of a Salesman
Tony Speciale, Unnatural Acts

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL
Christopher Ashley, Leap of Faith
Jack Cummings III, Queen of the Mist
Doug Hughes, Death Takes a Holiday
Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Eric Schaeffer, Follies
John Tiffany, Once

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
Rob Ashford, Evita
Warren Carlyle, Follies
Breandán de Gallaí, Noċtú
Christopher Gattelli, Newsies The Musical
Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Sergio Trujillo, Leap of Faith

OUTSTANDING MUSIC
Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, Once
Michael John LaChiusa, Queen of the Mist
Alan Menken, Leap of Faith
Alan Menken, Newsies The Musical
Frank Wildhorn, Bonnie & Clyde
Maury Yeston, Death Takes a Holiday

OUTSTANDING LYRICS
Don Black, Bonnie & Clyde
Jack Feldman, Newsies The Musical
Joy Gregory and Gunnar Madsen, The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World
Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, Once
Michael John LaChiusa, Queen of the Mist
Maury Yeston, Death Takes a Holiday

OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Douglas Carter Beane, Lysistrata Jones
Janus Cercone and Warren Leight, Leap of Faith
Joe DiPietro, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Joy Gregory, The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World
Michael John LaChiusa, Queen of the Mist
Thomas Meehan and Peter Stone, Death Takes a Holiday

OUTSTANDING MUSIC IN A PLAY
Mark Bennett, An Iliad
Mark Bennett, Richard III
Tom Kitt, All’s Well That Ends Well
Gina Leishman, Septimus and Clarissa
Grant Olding, One Man, Two Guvnors
Suzanne Vega and Duncan Sheik, Carson McCullers Talks About Love

OUTSTANDING REVUE
Newsical the Musical: End of the World Edition
The Best Is Yet to Come: The Music of Cy Coleman

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
Jon Driscoll, Rob Howell and Paul Kieve, Ghost The Musical
David Gallo, The Mountaintop
Roger Hanna, A Little Journey
David Korins, Assistance
David Korins, Chinglish
Derek McLane, Follies

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
Gregg Barnes, Follies
ESosa, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
William Ivey Long, Lucky Guy
Jessica Pabst, She Kills Monsters
Martin Pakledinaz, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Catherine Zuber, Death Takes a Holiday

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
Kevin Adams, Carrie
Neil Austin, Evita
David Lander, One Arm
Brian MacDevitt, Death of a Salesman
Kenneth Posner, Death Takes a Holiday
Paul Pyant, Richard III

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN IN A MUSICAL
Acme Sound Partners, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Jonathan Deans, Carrie
Clive Goodwin, Once
Kai Harada, Follies
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Jesus Christ Superstar
Jon Weston, Death Takes a Holiday

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN IN A PLAY
Quentin Chiappetta/mediaNoise, The Navigator
Gregory Clarke, Misterman
Gareth Fry, Richard III
John Gromada, Gore Vidal’s The Best Man
Stowe Nelson, Samuel and Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War
Shane Rettig, She Kills Monsters

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Baba Brinkman, The Rap Guide to Evolution
Suli Holum, Chimera
Jeff Key, The Eyes of Babylon
Cillian Murphy, Misterman
Denis O’Hare, An Iliad
Stephen Spinella, An Iliad

UNIQUE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE
Give Me Your Hand
Gob Squad’s Kitchen (You’ve Never Had It So Good)
Noċtú
The Complete & Condensed Stage Directions of Eugene O’Neill, Vol. 1: Early Plays/Lost Plays
The Ryan Case 1873
White

OUTSTANDING ORCHESTRATIONS
Bill Elliott, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Larry Hochman, Death Takes a Holiday
Martin Lowe, Once
John McDaniel, Bonnie & Clyde
Michael Starobin, Queen of the Mist
Danny Troob, Newsies

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
This year the nominators chose to bestow a special ensemble award for acting to the cast of Sweet and Sad. Jon DeVries, Shuler Hensley, Maryann Plunkett, Laila Robins, Jay O. Sanders, and J. Smith-Cameron are among New York’s best actors, who came together as one unforgettable stage family. Therefore, the individual cast members were not eligible for acting awards in the competitive categories.

SPECIAL AWARDS
Each year, the Drama Desk votes special awards to recognize excellence and significant contributions to the theater. For 2011-2012, these awards are:
To Mary Testa: For over three decades, she has dazzled audiences with consistently outstanding work, including her tour-de-force performance in this season’s Queen of the Mist.
To Nick Westrate: His versatility in Unnatural Acts, Love’s Labor’s Lost, and Galileo was a highlight of the season.
To New Victory Theatre: For providing enchanting, sophisticated children’s theater that appeals to the child in all of us, and for nurturing a love of theater in young people.
To Stephen Karam, the newly created Sam Norkin Off Broadway Award: The profoundly moving Sons of the Prophet confirmed his status as one of the most promising playwrights of his generation.

The critically acclaimed revival, starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, has been nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play, five Drama Desk Awards and three Drama League Awards. The production won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Revival of a Play and director Mike Nichols has been honored with a special citation from the New York Drama Critics Circle for his contribution to theater.

Death of a Salesman originally opened on February 10, 1949 at the Morosco Theatre. Then, it won six Tony Awards, including Best Play, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, the first play to ever win all three awards.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert celebrated its first year on Broadway March 20, 2012. Priscilla stars Tony Award nominees Will Swenson and Tony Sheldon, as well as Nick Adams as “the trio of friends on a heart-warming, uplifting road trip of a lifetime who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship in the middle of the Australian outback and end up finding more than they could ever have dreamed.”

Featuring the most awarded costumes in Broadway history, Priscilla won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Costume Design for Academy Award winners Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner’s designs. The musical was also honored with three Best Musical award nominations from the Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Award organizations. Olivier Award nominee Tony Sheldon received a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in addition to Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League nominations, and was awarded the Theatre World Award for outstanding Broadway debut. Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner were also honored with 2011 Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Costume Design.

The musical was adapted from the Academy Award-winning film written by Stephen Elliot and Allan Scott, “The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.” Direction is by Simon Phillips, choreography by Ross Coleman, musical supervision and arrangements by Stephen Mur[hy, set design by Brian Thomson, lighting design by Nick Schlieper, sound design by Jonathan Deans and Peter Fitzgerald, make-up design is by Cassie Hanlon and Tony Award winning costume by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardinder. Jerry Mitchell supervises the production.

Following a critically acclaimed run at the Paper Mill Playhouse last fall, the show came to Broadway for a 12 week run. That was, however, quickly extended an additional ten weeks, through August 19^th. And now, after eight Tony Award nominations and success at the box office, the production will play an open run!

“Ever since the Paper Mill Playhouse run ended six months  ago, the audience has re-written the playbook for Newsies,” producer Thomas Schumacher said in a statement. “We continue to be astonished by a passion for this show that is as heartfelt as it is widespread and find ourselves, once again, in the wonderful position of altering our plans to respond to palpable demand.”

Newsies is based on the 1992 film of the same name, which was inspired b the real ecents of the Newsboy Strike of 1899. IT features the movie’s original music as well as new songs by Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken and lyricist Jack Feldman, in addition to a book Harvey Fiersten and choreography by Christopher Gattelli. It is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions.

The production stars Jeremy Jordan, formerly of Bonnie & Clyde, as the rebellious newsboy Jack Kelly. Joining Jordan are co-stars John Dossett, Kara Lindsay, Capthis Jenkins, Ben Frankhauser, Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Lewis grosso/Mathew Schechter.

The production will be directed and choreographed by three-tim Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall. Ever After featured music by Zina Goldrich and book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler, who recently won the 2012 Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre for most promising musical theatre lyricist. The music director is Mary Mitchell Campbell.

Ever After is based on the film starring Drew Barrymore of the same name. According to press notes, it tells the story of Danielle de Barbarac, the daughter of a Nobleman in 16th Century France, who embarks on a series of adventures, standing up to her scheming stepmother, befriending Leonardo DaVinci and winning the love of the crown prince of France. This new musical sets the record straight on the fable of Cinderella, showing how a strong-willed, independent girl can make her dreams come true without the help of fairy godmothers, talking mice, or magic pumpkins. Casting and performance dates will be announced later.

Plans for another Cinderella are already in the works. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella is set to open in the 2012-2013 season, with a revised book by Douglas Cater Beane.

Bring it On: The Musical was created by a host of Tony Award winners. They include writer Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q); composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights); composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and lyricist Amanda Green (High Fidelity); orchestrator Alex Lacamoire (In The Heights); and director/choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (In The Heights).

The show is loosely based on the 2000 Kirsten Dunst film and features the high-stakes world of competitive cheerleading combined with ruthless high school politics. It got it’s worl premiere at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre just last year and by the time it reached New York, it will have completed a 13-stop tour. Currently, Bring it On is playing in Toronto.

Anton Chekhov, short-story writer, doctor, humanist, dramatist, is known the world over for his four luminous plays (The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, The Three Sisters, The Cherry Orchard) about love, life, Russia, and the passage of time. And yet the most memorable of Chekhov’s love stories is not one that he wrote, but rather one that he lived – with Olga Knipper, actress and leading lady of the Moscow Art Theatre.

“Anyone who appreciates great theater and superb acting will love this valentine to the theater as two of America’s finest actors perform the words of one of the world’s great playwrights,” said Margot Harley, production artistic director of The Acting Company.

The Acting Company has been honored with numerous awards including the Obie, Audelco, Los Angeles Critics Circle Award and a TONY for Excellence in Theater. The company has toured to 48 states and ten foreign countries. Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Rainn Wilson, Jesse L. Martin, Harriet Harris, Frances Conroy, Keith David, Tom Hewett, David Ogden Stiers, Jeffrey Wright and 350 others began their careers on tour with The Acting Company.

Tickets, priced $75-$250, are available by visiting brownpapertickets.com or calling (800) 838-3006. For benefit tickets, which include dinner with the cast, call (212) 258-3111.

Magic/Bird closed on May 12 after 24 preview and 37 regular performances. The production posted a dismal $1,136,102 in total gross revenue and an average capacity of 59.23%. Average tickets for the production went for $32.91.

Leap of Faith, which closed of May 13, did not fare much better. In its 25 preview performances and 19 regular performances, the production grossed $1,343,840, despite playing to an average capacity of 83.83%. The average ticket price was only $26.83.

• Averages and Totals:
• 14 plays, 24 musicals
• Gross Revenue – $25,244,971
• 6 shows in the Millionaire Club
• Average Capacity – 75.83%
• Average Ticket Price -$84.63
• Revenue Per Seat – $64.17
• Total attendance – 280,012
• Empty Seats- 88, 873

Also featured in the touring company are Michael Stewart Allen, Danny Beiruti, Brooks Brantly, Laurabeth Breya, Brian Robert Burns, Grayson DeJesus, Catherine Gowl, Aaron Haskell, Mike Heslin, Jon Hoche, Mat Hostetler, Chad Jennings, Nathan Koci, Jessica Krueger, Nick LaMedica, Rob Laqui, Megan Loomis, Christopher Mai, Gregory Manley, Andrew May, John Milosich, Alex Morf, Patrick Osteen, Jon Riddleberger, Lavita Shaurice, Derek Stratton and Danny Yoerges.

War Horse will begin its national tour in June 2012, bringing the five time Tony Award winning play to 30 U.S. cities during the 2012-2013 season. Worldwide, War Horse has been seen by nearly 2 million people. The production is currently playing at New York’s Lincoln Center Theater, in London’s West End and at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre. Future productions of War Horse are expected for Australia, Berlin and South Africa, as well as a UK tour.

Bijan Sheibani will direct the tour based on the original Tony Award winning direction by Marianne Elliot and Tom Morris. It will be presented in association with Handspring Puppet Company.

The tour will rehearse and preview at Boise State University’s Morrison Center in Idaho before beginning performances at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, June 14-July 29, 2012. After the Los Angeles performances, the North American tour will visit San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Durham, Boston, Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, East Lansing, Des Moines, Chicago, Costa Mesa, Tempe, Seattle, Portland, Spokane, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, Fayetteville, Charlotte, Providence, Minneapolis, and Appleton.

The long term initiative aims to increase awareness about Broadway while culturally enriching lives, bringing families together, and building new careers in the theatre. A National Advisory Board of industry and cultural notables has been formed to help strategize and spread the word about all that Broadway has to offer. Among the committee is Raul Esparza, star of the recently closed Leap of Faith, and Jackie Hernández, Chief Operating Officer of Telemundo.

“Broadway is a live art form that is about creating emotions and developing a connection with audiences across the world, and this connection is enhanced when families come to Broadway together. Our mission of attracting more people to Broadway is particularly applicable to a community whose culture appreciates and values family activities shared by multiple generations together,” remarked Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of the Broadway League.  

According to the press announcement, Hispanics comprise 5.5 million of the population in the NY/NJ tri-state area and over 50 million in the U.S. However, the demographic is not represented in a similar proportion in attendance on Broadway in NYC and across the country.

The goal is to draw from an untapped market while making Broadway more relevant to Hispanic families and their lifestyles. An objective is to work with and support Hispanic media outlets in their coverage of Broadway to increase awareness and awaken a desire to attend shows.

Initiative will include education of all things Broadway, such as how to purchase tickets, how to find out what’s playing and who’s on stage. Viva Broadway will also focus on career development. The program will create Broadway Speakers Bureaus and workshops in order to expand awareness of jobs in the theatre to high schools and colleges.

Upcoming goals include national test pilot programs in Los Angeles, Nashville, Miami, Dallas/Ft.Worth; Broadway Speakers Panel and education initiatives; media partnerships; sponsorship opportunities and corporate support; brand ambassadors; and the launch of a Viva Broadway Week