2022 Theatre World Awards Recipients

The Theatre World Awards announced the 2022 Honorees for the Theatre World Award for an Outstanding Debut Performance in a Broadway or Off-Broadway Production. The  76th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony will take place on the set of the Broadway Revival of American Buffalo on Monday evening, June 6, 2022 beginning at 7:00 p.m. at Circle in the Square Theatre (1633 Broadway, entrance on West 50th Street). 2022 Honorees for the 13th Annual Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theater, and the 9th Annual John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre will be announced shortly.

Hosted annually by well-known theater journalist, Peter Filichia, the historic 76th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony will be produced by Theatre World Awards, Inc. Board of Directors/ Dale Badway. Tom D’Angora and Michael D’Angora who will direct the event.

For Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance during the 2021-2022 theatrical season

Patrick J. Adams, Take Me Out
Yair Ben-Dor, Prayer for the French Republic
Kearstin Piper Brown, Intimate Apparel
Sharon D. Clarke, Caroline, Or Change
Enrico Colantoni, Birthday Candles
Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo
Crystal Finn, Birthday Candles
Gaby French, Hangmen
Myles Frost, MJ The Musical
Jaquel Spivey, A Strange Loop
Shannon Tyo, The Chinese Lady
Kara Young, Clyde’s

First presented in 1945, the prestigious Theatre World Awards, founded by John Willis, the Editor-in-Chief of both Theatre World and its companion volume, Screen World, are the oldest awards given for Outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway Debut Performances. The Theatre World Awards are presented annually at the end of the theatre season to six actors and six actresses for their significant, reviewable, debut performances in a Broadway or Off-Broadway production. The ceremony is a private, invitation-only event followed by a party to celebrate the new honorees and welcome them to the Theatre World “family.”

In what has become a highly entertaining and often touching tradition, 12 previous winners serve as the presenters, and often relive moments from past ceremonies and share wonderful stories rarely heard at other theatrical awards. Many people feel that this is the most fun and enjoyable awards show of the Broadway season! The historic 76th Theatre World Awards Ceremony will celebrate past and present honorees showcasing the historic heritage of our organization.

Previous winners who have won the prestigious Theatre World Award at the beginning of their careers include Meryl Streep, Rosemary Harris, Marlon Brando, Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Anne Bancroft, James Earl Jones, Liza Minnelli, Alan Alda, Zoe Caldwell, Christopher Walken, Alec Baldwin, Bernadette Peters, Audra McDonald, Al Pacino, Grace Kelly, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Cynthia Erivo, Danielle Brooks, Lupita Nyong’o, John Krasinski, and so many more.

The Theatre World Award honorees are chosen by the Theatre World Awards Committee which is comprised of Linda Armstrong (Amsterdam News), David Cote (The Observer), Joe Dziemianowicz (New York Daily News, Emeritus), Peter Filichia (The Newark Star-Ledger, Emeritus), David Finkle (New York Stage Review), Elysa Gardner (USA Today, Emeritus), Harry Haun (BroadwayWorld), Cary Wong (Freelance), and Frank Scheck (The Hollywood Reporter).

The Theatre World Awards, Inc. Board of Directors is headed by Dale Badway (President) with Tom Lynch (Vice-President), Michael Koste (Vice-President), Stephen Wilde (Secretary), The Honorable Ilene Zatkin-Butler (Treasurer), James Sheridan, and Karen Johnston.