Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director

This is a list of winners of the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director introduced in 1955 to honour directors, with no distinction between work in plays or musicals. From 1968, multiple awards were presented for each season. In 1975 the category was retired and replaced by two awards: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical.

Award winners

1955: Jack Landau – The Clandestine Marriage / The White Devil
- No nominees
1956: José Quintero – The Iceman Cometh
- No nominees

1965: Ulu Grosbard – A View from the Bridge
- No nominees
1967: Joseph Hardy – You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
- No nominees
1968: Robert Moore – The Boys in the Band and Tom O'Horgan – Tom Paine
- No nominees

1970: Jerzy Grotowski – The Apocalypse
Alan Arkin – The White House Murder Case
Ron Field – Applause
Joseph Hardy – Child's Play
Harold Prince – Company
- No nominees
1971: Robert Wilson – Deafman Glance
Andre Gregory – Alice in Wonderland
Peter Brook – A Midsummer Night's Dream
Michael Bennett – Follies
Harold Prince – Follies
Tom O'Horgan – Lenny
Paul Sills – Ovid's Metamorphoses and Paul Sills' Story Theatre
- No nominees
1972: Mel Shapiro – Older People
Andrei Șerban – Medea
Peter Hall – Old Times
Jeff Bleckner – Sticks and Bones
A. J. Antoon – That Championship Season
Mel Shapiro – Two Gentlemen of Verona
- No nominees

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director

v t e Drama Desk Awards
Play	Play Revival of a Play Lead Performance in a Play Featured Performance in a Play Director of a Play Music in a Play
Musical	Musical Revival of a Musical Lead Performance in a Musical Featured Performance in a Musical Director of a Musical Book Music Lyrics Orchestrations
Production	Choreography Costume Design of a Musical Costume Design of a Play Lighting Design for a Musical Lighting Design for a Play Scenic Design of a Musical Scenic Design of a Play Sound Design in a Musical Sound Design in a Play Wig and Hair Design Puppetry
Other (competitive)	Solo Performance Unique Theatrical Experience Revue Projection Design
Special (non-competitive)	Special Award Ensemble
Retired	Actor in a Play Actress in a Play Featured Actor in a Play Featured Actress in a Play Actor in a Musical Actress in a Musical Featured Actor in a Musical Featured Actress in a Musical Director Revival Costume Design Lighting Design Set Design Sound Design