Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical

{{Infobox award

| name = Drama Desk Award
for Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical

| awarded_for = Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical

| presenter = Drama Desk

| location = New York City

| country = United States

| year = 2009

| holder = Jack Knowles for Sunset Blvd. (2025)

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

}}

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

The award was established in 1975, with the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design being presented each year to any play or musical production. For 2009, the singular award was replaced by separate play and musical categories, but then merged again from 2010 to 2015; the separate play and musical categories have again co-existed since 2016.

Winners and nominees

=2000s=

class="wikitable" style="width:98%;"
style="background:#bebebe;" ! style="width:10%;"\| Year ! style="width:30%;"\| Designer ! style="width:60%;"\| Production
rowspan="7"\| 2009
style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Rick Fisher \| *Billy Elliot the Musical*
Kevin Adams \| Hair
Jules Fisher and Kenneth Posner \| 9 to 5
Jason Lyons \| Clay
Sinéad McKenna \| Improbable Frequency
Richard Pilbrow \| A Tale of Two Cities

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

style="background:#bebebe;"

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

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

! style="width:60%;"| Production

rowspan="7"| 2009

style="background:#B0C4DE"

| Rick Fisher

| Billy Elliot the Musical

Kevin Adams

| Hair

Jules Fisher and Kenneth Posner

| 9 to 5

Jason Lyons

| Clay

Sinéad McKenna

| Improbable Frequency

Richard Pilbrow

| A Tale of Two Cities

=2010s=

class="wikitable" style="width:98%;"
style="background:#bebebe;" ! style="width:10%;"\| Year ! style="width:30%;"\| Designer ! style="width:60%;"\| Production
style="background:#B0C4DE" ! rowspan="5" \|2016 \| Justin Townsend \| *American Psycho*
Jane Cox \| The Color Purple
Jake DeGroot \| SeaWife
Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer \| Shuffle Along
Ben Stanton \| Spring Awakening
rowspan="7" \|2017
style="background:#B0C4DE" \|Bradley King \|*Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812*
Jeff Croiter \|Bandstand
Mark Henderson \|Sunset Boulevard
Bradley King \|Hadestown
Amy Mae \|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Malcolm Rippeth \|946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips
rowspan="6" \|2018
style="background:#B0C4DE" \|Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer \|*Once on This Island*
Louisa Adamson and Christian Barry \|Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
Amith Chandrashaker \|The Lucky Ones
Brian MacDevitt \|Carousel
Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew \|KPOP
rowspan="6" \|2019
style="background:#B0C4DE" \|Bradley King \|*Hadestown*
Adam Honoré \|Carmen Jones
Jamie Roderick \|Midnight at the Never Get
Barbara Samuels \|Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
Scott Zielinski \|Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!

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

style="background:#bebebe;"

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

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

! style="width:60%;"| Production

style="background:#B0C4DE"

! rowspan="5" |2016

| Justin Townsend

| American Psycho

Jane Cox

| The Color Purple

Jake DeGroot

| SeaWife

Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer

| Shuffle Along

Ben Stanton

| Spring Awakening

rowspan="7" |2017

style="background:#B0C4DE"

|Bradley King

|Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Jeff Croiter

Bradley King

Amy Mae

|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Malcolm Rippeth

|946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips

rowspan="6" |2018

style="background:#B0C4DE"

|Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer

|Once on This Island

Louisa Adamson and Christian Barry

|Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story

Amith Chandrashaker

|The Lucky Ones

Brian MacDevitt

|Carousel

Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew

|KPOP

rowspan="6" |2019

style="background:#B0C4DE"

|Bradley King

|Hadestown

Adam Honoré

|Carmen Jones

Jamie Roderick

|Midnight at the Never Get

Barbara Samuels

|Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future

Scott Zielinski

|Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!

=2020s=

class="wikitable" style="width:98%;"
style="background:#bebebe;" ! style="width:10%;"\| Year ! style="width:30%;"\| Designer ! style="width:60%;"\| Production
style="background:#B0C4DE" ! rowspan="6" \|2020
style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Justin Townsend \| *Moulin Rouge!*
Betsy Adams \| The Wrong Man
Jane Cox \| The Secret Life of Bees
Herrick Goldman \| Einstein's Dreams
Bruno Poet \| Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
2021 \| colspan="2" {{n/a\|No awards: New York theatres shuttered, March 2020 to September 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City{{cite news \|title=Broadway To Reopen Sept. 14, Says Gov. Andrew Cuomo; Broadway League "Cautiously Optimistic" \|first=Greg \|last=Evans \|date=2021-05-05 \|work=Deadline Hollywood \|url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/broadway-reopen-september-14-andrew-cuomo-tickets-on-sale-tomorrow-1234750270/ \|access-date=2023-12-03 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602084344/https://deadline.com/2021/05/broadway-reopen-september-14-andrew-cuomo-tickets-on-sale-tomorrow-1234750270/ \|archive-date=2023-06-02 \|url-status=live}}}}
rowspan="5" \|2022
style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Natasha Katz \| MJ
style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Bradley King \| *Flying Over Sunset*
Natasha Katz \| Diana
Jennifer Tipton \| Intimate Apparel
style="background:#B0C4DE" ! rowspan="5" \|2023 \| Natasha Katz \|*Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street*
Ken Billington \|New York, New York
Jeff Croiter \|Only Gold
Heather Gilbert \|Parade
David Grill \|Bob Fosse's Dancin'
style="background:#B0C4DE" ! rowspan="5" \|2024 \| Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim \|*The Outsiders*
Lap Chi Chu \|Suffs
Heather Gilbert \|Dead Outlaw
Bradley King \|Water for Elephants
Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew \|The Connector
rowspan="6"\|2025{{cite web\|title=Boop! Leads 2025 Drama Desk Award Nominations With 11 Nods Including Outstanding Musical; Read the Full List Here\|first=Logan\|last=Culwell-Block\|date=April 30, 2025\|url=https://playbill.com/article/boop-leads-2025-drama-desk-award-nominations-with-11-nods-including-outstanding-musical-read-the-full-list-here\|access-date=May 3, 2025}}
style="background:#B0C4DE" \| Jack Knowles \| Sunset Blvd.
Kevin Adams \| Swept Away
Adam Honoré \| Cats: "The Jellicle Ball"
Philip S. Rosenberg \| Boop! The Musical
Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun (projections) \| Floyd Collins

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

style="background:#bebebe;"

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

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

! style="width:60%;"| Production

style="background:#B0C4DE"

! rowspan="6" |2020

style="background:#B0C4DE"

| Justin Townsend

| Moulin Rouge!

Betsy Adams

| The Wrong Man

Jane Cox

| The Secret Life of Bees

Herrick Goldman

| Einstein's Dreams

Bruno Poet

| Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

2021

| colspan="2" {{n/a|No awards: New York theatres shuttered, March 2020 to September 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City{{cite news |title=Broadway To Reopen Sept. 14, Says Gov. Andrew Cuomo; Broadway League "Cautiously Optimistic" |first=Greg |last=Evans |date=2021-05-05 |work=Deadline Hollywood |url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/broadway-reopen-september-14-andrew-cuomo-tickets-on-sale-tomorrow-1234750270/ |access-date=2023-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602084344/https://deadline.com/2021/05/broadway-reopen-september-14-andrew-cuomo-tickets-on-sale-tomorrow-1234750270/ |archive-date=2023-06-02 |url-status=live}}}}

rowspan="5" |2022

style="background:#B0C4DE"

| Natasha Katz

| MJ

style="background:#B0C4DE"

| Bradley King

| Flying Over Sunset

Natasha Katz

| Diana

Jennifer Tipton

| Intimate Apparel

style="background:#B0C4DE"

! rowspan="5" |2023

| Natasha Katz

|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Ken Billington

|New York, New York

Jeff Croiter

|Only Gold

Heather Gilbert

|Parade

David Grill

|Bob Fosse's Dancin'

style="background:#B0C4DE"

! rowspan="5" |2024

| Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim

|The Outsiders

Lap Chi Chu

|Suffs

Heather Gilbert

|Dead Outlaw

Bradley King

|Water for Elephants

Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew

|The Connector

rowspan="6"|2025{{cite web|title=Boop! Leads 2025 Drama Desk Award Nominations With 11 Nods Including Outstanding Musical; Read the Full List Here|first=Logan|last=Culwell-Block|date=April 30, 2025|url=https://playbill.com/article/boop-leads-2025-drama-desk-award-nominations-with-11-nods-including-outstanding-musical-read-the-full-list-here|access-date=May 3, 2025}}

style="background:#B0C4DE"

| Jack Knowles

| Sunset Blvd.

Kevin Adams

| Swept Away

Adam Honoré

| Cats: "The Jellicle Ball"

Philip S. Rosenberg

| Boop! The Musical

Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun (projections)

| Floyd Collins

also

References

External links

Lighting Design