What an amazing evening it was on the Red Carpet for the 70th Annual Drama Desk Awards. While the actual awards were held at Town Hall, the Algonquin Hotel was the place to interview nominees for the Drama Desk Awards, which recognizes excellence in Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. There were several people of color up for the coveted Drama Desk Award and many stopped by to talk on the red carpet.
Zhailon Levingston, co-director of “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” currently playing at the Broadhurst Theatre, and nominated for multiple awards, shared his thoughts on the public’s embrace of the musical, which truly teaches the audience about the ballroom scene. “I feel so grateful that the public is receiving this show. I feel most hysteric about the fact that every night I see both six year olds and 80 year olds in the audience — the multi-generational element of the event is what has been truly inspiring for me and I hope that continues. I hope it continues to be a place for people of all stripes and colors and ages and backgrounds.”
Discussing why “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” is a phenomenon that people love, Levingston added, “I think it’s the right timing. I think the score endures and I think that that is what has been proven. I think that we’re in a moment of political tension towards the artform and the culture of ballroom, which is hurtful, because we need as much support in our marginalized community as we face everything we are facing today.”
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, nominated for outstanding lead performance in a play for “Well I’ll Let You Go” talked about her role as Maggie, dealing with a story about the death of a loved one and sharing what it means to her as an actress to portray this type of moving, powerful role. “It means everything to me that I get to portray a role like this. I can’t tell you how many audience members [came] up to me after the show and said ‘I lost my husband last year…’ The fact that they are able to go on this journey with us is very extraordinary and I felt very grateful that I got to share that experience with them. It’s part of the healing process. There is hope at the end, there’s always a little bit of light and I think that’s the lesson from this play.”
“Liberation” director Whitney White was a presenter at the 70th Annual Drama Desk Awards. (Credit: Linda Armstrong photos) 
Raphael Espinal, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and entertainment was happy to be at the 70th Annual Drama Desk Awards. (Credit:(Linda Armstrong photos) 
Nygel D. Robinson, “Mexodus” co-creator and performer. (Credit: Linda Armstrong photos)
Maria-Christina Oliveras, nominated for featured performance in a play for “The Balusters,” discussed how important her role as Luz is to the story. “This has deep significance for me. I am a first-generation child of immigrants from Puerto Rico and the Philippines. To portray a Filipina housekeeper, [a] working-class woman with such depth, humor and complexity is so rare on Broadway — or on any stage. [Director] David has really afforded that opportunity … I have moved through worlds where there’s really a great amount of gatekeeping, the questions of who gets to say who’s welcome in a community. So, to get to play a woman who gets to voice a truth and reflect back — I could have been here and you kept me out — there’s something so powerful about that voice and that perspective. And then someone who at the end of day says I’m good, I’m good … She ultimately lives in truth and speaks truth.”
Nygel D. Robinson, co-writer, co-performer, and co-orchestrator of “Mexodus” which received a whopping 10 nominations, stopped to talk about his incredible work.”I can’t believe this is something that came out of our minds — 10 nominations,” Robinson said. Explaining why this was an important and timely story Robinson said, “Because the United States education system does not want us to know that we are not enemies to each other. It’s important to show specifically these two communities because it’s so easy for Black people to say, ‘Mexicans are taking something from me.’ It’s so easy for Mexicans to say ‘Black people are taking something from me.’ That couldn’t be more off. And we wanted to show that there is a history of solidarity dating back hundreds of years.” “Mexodus” is a production that takes two actors and creators on a physical and spiritual journey. Speaking about how they rejuvenate themselves after the performance Robinson shared, “My wife Christina tells me to rest. I try to eat healthy. I try to take this stuff off and not carry with me.”
Johnny Moreno, who created the powerful visual design for “Mexodus.” was nominated for outstanding projection and video design. Explaining his process, Moreno shared, “There were a lot of ideas going into it, the nature of the musical, the style of the musical was leading me to re-explore our late ‘90s, 2000s kind of hip-hop music videos, old MTV live kind of vibe. The excitement you had when you watched live TV. When you watched your favorite artists — those platforms. But then also leading into a little bit more of the western history, the southwest and leaning into colors and tones that were reflective of the inner turmoil of the characters and that also were reflective of the environment that they were in.”
Whitney White, director of the Broadway play “Liberation” that ran at the James Earl Jones Theatre, was a presenter for the evening. She proclaimed, “Liberation was a life-changing experience. It made me connected with my mother, my aunts and the generations of the women in my family in a whole new way, just by researching how much and how long women have been trying to get more for themselves and Bess Wohl and I were the only female directing and writing team on Broadway this season and that feels like a fete.”
Rafael Espinal, commissioner of the New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment walked the Red Carpet and shared how excited he was to come to the Drama Desk Awards. “Tonight is a testament to the creativity the city has, how alive the city is, and the fact that we have to ensure a safe environment for all if we want to maintain being the creative capital of the world. We have to ensure that we’re creating an environment that artists can live in, work in, and succeed in … Theater is one of those community spaces that we are losing across the city and around the world. We have to make sure that our theaters are vibrant and healthy so that we can bring in New Yorkers and share commonality, the stories that are being told, and [so] they can share the experience. Especially now, we are living at a time when things on a national level can feel hopeless and we have to ensure as a city that we support these places that create community and bring hope to New Yorkers.”
Donald Lawrence, with the Public Theatre production of “Oh Happy Day” nominated for outstanding music in a play, was thrilled to be a part of this show. “I’m really excited to receive this nomination. I’m really in the record world, I’m a record producer/artist, but I studied musical theater, so this is my first time back and I’m a huge musical theater lover, there’s nothing like live theater for me.” “Oh Happy Day” was a show that had audience members hysterically crying over the delicate subject matter of a gay man who was not accepted by his family. Discussing people’s reactions Lawrence said, “I think that what comes from the heart reaches the heart. So, when I read the script — cause it was just a play first — and I went to the reading, Jordan E. Cooper wanted a song to end the piece. But when I got into the script, I sent him five songs and he loved them and he integrated them into the piece and they just felt that the songs continued to bring the story through. It gave you an ease from the tension, but also brought out more emotion. I just love writing theater because you can take a song into different directions and just continue dialogue. The songs were written specifically for the script.”
Savon Bartley, nominated for solo performance for his play, “Holes In The Shape of My Father” remarked, “I feel absolutely amazing to have my solo show nominated — especially my first solo show — for such a prestigious award ceremony. Looking back at all the years of history behind this ceremony has bought me so much joy. I really liked my show, but it’s nice to know it’s as well received as I really hoped it would be. I have no words, I’m speechless. I’ll be doing this autobiographical show about what it means to grow up without a father, the rest of my life. It’s a show I don’t see done on stage very often. Because it’s my life the show will never be done, it will always be something I’m working on. I just think it’s a very powerful story and I don’t see other Black young men talking about the things that I’m talking about in the show.”
The Drama Desk Awards are always so inclusive, which is so incredibly refreshing.