The winners of the 2025 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards – the nation’s second-oldest playwriting award (after the Pulitzer Prize for Drama), which has been presented to the best new play of the season every year since 1936, along with optional awards for musicals, performances, and special achievements – were announced tonight, Monday, May 5. This year new awards were introduced for the first time since 1962. The selections were made immediately beforehand at the organization’s 89th annual voting meeting. The awards include a cash prize of $2,500 for Best Play, made possible by a grant from the Lucille Lortel Foundation, and will be presented in a private ceremony on Thursday, May 15.
Founded in 1935, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle is comprised of 23 drama critics from the New York metropolitan area. The current NYDCC membership consists of Adam Feldman, theater critic and editor for Time Out New York, who has served as president since 2005, Zachary Stewart of TheaterMania, who is vice president, and treasurer Helen Shaw of The New Yorker, along with David Barbour, David Cote, Joe Dziemianowicz, Greg Evans, Rhoda Feng, David Finkle, Elysa Gardner, Robert Hofler, Sara Holdren, Charles Isherwood, Chris Jones, Soraya Nadia McDonald, Jackson McHenry, Johnny Oleksinski, Brittani Samuel, Frank Scheck, David Sheward, Tim Teeman, Elisabeth Vincentelli, and Matt Windman.
And the winners are:
Best Play – Purpose, by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins;
Best Musical – Maybe Happy Ending, book by Will Aronson and Hue Park, music by Will Aronson, lyrics by Hue Park;
Best Individual Performance – Andrew Scott, Vanya;
Best Ensemble Performance – The cast of Liberation;
Special Citations – Cole Escola for Oh, Mary!; Cats: The Jellicle Ball;
Lifetime Achievement – David Greenspan.
Congratulations and thanks to the recipients for their outstanding work!
