Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play

{{Infobox award

| name = Drama Desk Award
for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play

| awarded_for = Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play

| presenter = Drama Desk

| location = New York City

| country = United States

| year = 2023

| holder = {{ubl|Celia Keenan-Bolger,|Kara Young|(2023)}}

| website = {{Website|dramadesk.org}}

}}

The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City.

From 1955 to 1974, acting awards were given only for lead performances, without making distinctions between roles in plays and musicals, nor between actors and actresses. From 1975 to 2022, acting awards were presented in eight categories: separate categories by gender; further divided by lead or featured performer; producing four acting awards each for plays and musicals.

In 2023, the Drama Desk organization announced that, starting with that year's awards, the eight acting categories had been retired and replaced with four gender neutral categories with twice the winners and nominees: separate categories by lead or featured performer; producing two acting categories each for plays and musicals.{{Cite magazine |title=Drama Desk Awards Go Gender Neutral |first=Logan |last=Culwell-Block |date=April 26, 2023 |magazine=Playbill |url=https://playbill.com/article/drama-desk-awards-go-gender-neutral |access-date=May 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427005754/https://playbill.com/article/drama-desk-awards-go-gender-neutral |archive-date=April 27, 2023 |url-status=live}} The former awards for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play and Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play were merged to create this Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play category.

Nominees

= 2020s =

class="wikitable" style="width:98%;" ! style="width:10%;" \|Year ! style="width:30%;" \|Actor ! style="width:30%;" \|Title ! style="width:30%;" \|Character
rowspan="13" \|2023 {{Cite web \|last=Gordon \|first=David \|date=April 27, 2023 \|title=Shucked, Some Like It Hot Lead 2023 Drama Desk Award Nominations \|url=https://www.theatermania.com/news/shucked-some-like-it-hot-lead-2023-drama-desk-award-nominations_1700167/ \|access-date=May 8, 2023 \|language=en-US}}
style="background:#B0C4DE" \|Miriam Silverman \|*The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window* \|Mavis Parodus Bryson
style="background:#B0C4DE" \|Brandon Uranowitz \|*Leopoldstadt* \|Ludwig Jakobovicz / Nathan Fischbein
Emily Bergl \|Good Night, Oscar \|June Levant
Danielle Brooks \|The Piano Lesson \|Berniece
Amelda Brown \|Love \|Barbara
Ray Fisher \|The Piano Lesson \|Lymon
K. Todd Freeman \|Downstate \|Dee
Francis Guinan \|Downstate \|Fred
Nick Holder \|Love \|Colin
Arian Moayed \|A Doll's House \|Torvald Helmer
Brian Quijada \|Wolf Play \|Ryan
Kara Young \|Cost of Living \|Jess
rowspan="11" \|2024{{Cite web \|date=2024-06-10 \|title=Stereophonic Leads 2024 Drama Desk Awards with 7 Wins Including Outstanding Play - Playbill.com \|url=https://playbill.com/article/stereophonic-leads-2024-drama-desk-awards-with-7-wins-including-outstanding-play \|access-date=2024-06-13 \|language=en-US}}
style="background:#B0C4DE" \|Celia Keenan-Bolger \|*Mother Play* \|Martha
style="background:#B0C4DE" \|Kara Young \|*Purlie Victorious* \|Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins
Brittany Adebumola \|Jaja's African Hair Braiding \|Miriam
Marylouise Burke \|Infinite Life \|Eileen
Michael Esper \| Appropriate \|Franz Lafayette
Marin Ireland \| Uncle Vanya \|Sonya
Will Keen \| Patriots \|Vladimir Putin
Conrad Ricamora \|Oh, Mary! \|Abraham Lincoln
Sheila Tousey \|Manahatta \|Mother / Bobbie
Bubba Weiler \|Swing State \|Ryan
rowspan="13" \|2025{{cite web\|url= https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2025/04/29/2024-2025-drama-desk-awards-nominations-announced\|title= 2024-2025 Drama Desk Awards nominations announced\|website= NY1\|accessdate= April 30, 2025}} \| Greg Keller \| Pre-Existing Condition \| Performer
Julia Lester \| All Nighter \| Wilma
Adrienne C. Moore \| The Blood Quilt \| Gio
Deirdre O’Connell \| Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp. \| Cast
Maria-Christina Oliveras \| Cymbeline \| Queen
Maryann Plunkett \| Deep Blue Sound \| Ella
Michael Rishawn \| Table 17 \| River, Eric, & Others
Jude Tibeau \| Bad Kreyòl \| Pita
Anjana Vasan \| A Streetcar Named Desire \| Stella Kowalski
Frank Wood \| Hold On to Me Darling \| Mitch
Amalia Yoo \| John Proctor is the Villain \| Raelynn Nix
Kara Young \| Purpose \| Aziza Jasper

class="wikitable" style="width:98%;"

! style="width:10%;" |Year

! style="width:30%;" |Actor

! style="width:30%;" |Title

! style="width:30%;" |Character

rowspan="13" |2023
{{Cite web |last=Gordon |first=David |date=April 27, 2023 |title=Shucked, Some Like It Hot Lead 2023 Drama Desk Award Nominations |url=https://www.theatermania.com/news/shucked-some-like-it-hot-lead-2023-drama-desk-award-nominations_1700167/ |access-date=May 8, 2023 |language=en-US}}

style="background:#B0C4DE"

|Miriam Silverman

|The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window

|Mavis Parodus Bryson

style="background:#B0C4DE"

|Brandon Uranowitz

|Leopoldstadt

|Ludwig Jakobovicz / Nathan Fischbein

|Berniece

|Love

|Barbara

Ray Fisher

|The Piano Lesson

|Lymon

K. Todd Freeman

|Downstate

|Dee

Francis Guinan

|Downstate

|Fred

Nick Holder

|Love

|Colin

Arian Moayed

|A Doll's House

|Torvald Helmer

Brian Quijada

|Wolf Play

|Ryan

Kara Young

|Cost of Living

|Jess

rowspan="11" |2024{{Cite web |date=2024-06-10 |title=Stereophonic Leads 2024 Drama Desk Awards with 7 Wins Including Outstanding Play - Playbill.com |url=https://playbill.com/article/stereophonic-leads-2024-drama-desk-awards-with-7-wins-including-outstanding-play |access-date=2024-06-13 |language=en-US}}

style="background:#B0C4DE"

|Celia Keenan-Bolger

|Mother Play

|Martha

style="background:#B0C4DE"

|Kara Young

|Purlie Victorious

|Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins

Brittany Adebumola

|Jaja's African Hair Braiding

|Miriam

Marylouise Burke

|Infinite Life

|Eileen

Michael Esper

| Appropriate

|Franz Lafayette

Marin Ireland

| Uncle Vanya

|Sonya

| Patriots

|Oh, Mary!

|Manahatta

|Mother / Bobbie

Bubba Weiler

|Swing State

|Ryan

rowspan="13" |2025{{cite web|url= https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2025/04/29/2024-2025-drama-desk-awards-nominations-announced|title= 2024-2025 Drama Desk Awards nominations announced|website= NY1|accessdate= April 30, 2025}}

| Greg Keller

| Pre-Existing Condition

| Performer

Julia Lester

| All Nighter

| Wilma

Adrienne C. Moore

| The Blood Quilt

| Gio

Deirdre O’Connell

| Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.

| Cast