The 65th Annual Drama Desk Awards will celebrate the life and legacy of American theater producer and director Harold “Hal” Prince with the Drama Desk’s newly established lifetime achievement honor. The Harold Prince Award will be bestowed annually for outstanding contributions to theater, and the posthumous award will be given in his honor this year. Prince passed away on July 31, 2019, at the age of 91.
Among his many accolades, Hal Prince earned 10 Drama Desk Awards over the course of his distinguished career. In addition to his significant role in shaping the New York theatrical landscape during the second half of the 20th century, Prince is a born and raised New Yorker. The Drama Desk Awards celebrate New York theater and were also founded in the city.
“It is nearly impossible to overstate Hal Prince’s contributions to the theater community, both onstage and off,” Charles Wright and David Barbour, Drama Desk Co-Presidents, said. “Through countless productions over the course of his life, Mr. Prince’s legacy is reflected every day on Broadway and beyond, and we are thrilled to honor that legacy with the establishment of The Harold Prince Award.”
"The Drama Desk Awards are honored and humbled to serve as the home of this significant new distinction,” Matt Britten, Drama Desk Awards executive producer and Broadway Brands CEO, said. “Particularly this year, and certainly into the future, the Prince Award will serve as an inspiring and impactful new tradition for the theater community.”
The 65th Annual Drama Desk Awards will be announced during a special presentation of Spectrum News NY1’s On Stage on Sunday, May 31, at 7:30 PM. To see the full list of the 2020 Drama Desk Award nominations click here.
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