Just a couple of guys on the town; Steve Rosen and David Rossmer are lending their comedy skills to the 2025 Drama Desk Awards. (Photo: Rosen & Rossmer )
It’s no easy feat to write a script for the 2025 Drama Desk Awards show that is engaging, smart, and fun for the gathered artists.
But Broadway comedy team Steve Rosen and David Rossmer have taken on the challenge for the second year. They promise to create an unforgettable evening for the 70th annual show, on Sunday, June 1, to recognize excellence in Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway theater.
Rosen and Rossmer are the quintessential collaborators. They have written the hit Off-Broadway musical The Other Josh Cohen and received six Drama Desk nominations for it in 2013.
In the midst of creating jokes for hosts Debra Messing and Titus Burgess they spoke with The New York Independent about their approach to writing for the prestigious night, how the longevity of their friendship contributes to their projects, and updates on their upcoming Broadway productions.
The New York Independent: You did a phenomenal job last year at the Drama Desk Awards. How does it hold special meaning to you to be asked back, being that you were previously nominated?
Steve Rosen: It’s a fun gig and it’s a real thrill for us to get to be able to be part of celebrating the New York theatrical community. One of the things that we love about the Drama Desks is that they include the big Broadway shows, as well the Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway shows. It was a tremendous honor for us to receive six Drama Desk nominations and it has helped The Other Josh Cohen’s life immensely. Getting to play a part in the Drama Desks for other people is a thrill.
David Rossmer: I always liked the Drama Desks because they really try to stay true to what they believe is good, no matter where the shows ran.
Rosen: The nominators see everything and the voters vote with integrity.
NYI: How do Rosen and Rossmer tackle writing for an awards show?
Rossmer: It’s a nice marriage of three things we enjoy doing at [their improv show] Don’t Quit Your Night Job: joke telling, math, and expedience. You get to write jokes that are timely, you get to math it all together, and do it quickly. It’s fun for us. How to do you create an evening that is not just funny, but musically satisfying? And then we get to also be done with it. It’s a good exercise!
Rosen: We know what the categories are and we get a list of the people they have found as presenters. Sometimes there are presenters who have to leave at certain times, so they have to be in certain places during the show. You try to put people together or give people specific categories while trying to put into their voices the things they would say about the awards…all in a very short amount of time.
NYI: How have you been inspired by other award shows?
Rosen: We’re inspired by [hosts Tutus Burgess and Debra Messing. When we’re given this gift of super talented celebrities to do the show, you start dreaming about what their voices are and how you hear them saying stuff. It’s such a fun opportunity as writers to give them the things they say.
Rossmer: Sometimes having limited possibilities is a joy. I like that we get told who is hosting, we get told who is presenting, and it’s our job to take these ingredients and make it into something.
Rosen: It’s like The Great British Bake Off…but with the Drama Desks.
NYI: How do hosts Titus and Debra lend themselves to the writing process?
Rosen: They’re two comedically, incredibly gifted artists. They’re both so commanding on stage. From the very moment they walk on stage you’re just going to feel like you’re in really good hands.
NYI: What is your joke style for the 2025 show? How do you touch upon the productions that ran this year?
Rosen: It’s fun to poke fun at the industry itself and as a theater community.
Rossmer: We’re trying to make it a nice, elegant evening for everybody. We only poke fun at theater lovingly because we love the theater and we write all of this through very affectionate eyes for it.
NYI: You’re an incredible team both on and off the stage. How do you complement one another as writers?
Rossmer: I found that especially in writing this we complement each other very well. We both like to put our fingers in everything, but there are times when one of us is more excited or interested in doing one piece of it. Sometimes one person will take a stab at a scene or an order of something and send it to the other, and then they’ll send it back. We’re always working together to polish it. It has been kind of nice to be in the same lane and in different lanes.
Rosen: Dave always notices and compliments my clothing! (Laughs) He gets the punchline right before I do because he’s faster than me. We’ve been working together for a long time making each other laugh. I think if we can both agree on something then we know we’ve got something. We trust each other’s instincts. We’re always willing to take the odd path for a second to see where it leads. Because we’re both improv people and we both really respect each other, we’re both willing to “Yes, and?” each other until we decide if we have something.
NYI: Tell us something people wouldn’t know about your partner.
Rosen: David is really boring. He eats lunch at 4:00 in the afternoon. Every day! I eat so early. At 4:00 he’s like, “Wanna eat?” I’m like, “This is not eating time!” I think he is on some sort of European eating schedule.
Rossmer: Once I come up with a better name for the 4:00 meal I think it will catch on better… The thing about Steve that’s interesting is that often when we write something, because Steve is such a talented performer and a chameleon of sorts, he will act out what we’re writing in the style of the performer. That goes for every single performer in the scene! It’s incredibly edifying because we learn so much from hearing it out loud, and it’s also so entertaining. He would get a mini- Drama Desk Award for how he does it.
Rosen: They’re tiny, micro impressions of famous people based on YouTube clips of them.
Rossmer: It’s a one-man show.
NYI: One of your next projects is 50 First Dates: The Musical. How will you cleverly plug it at the Drama Desk Awards?
Rossmer: We can’t plug ourselves! We are going to plug the Entertainment Community Fund. [All proceeds from the evening benefit the ECF.] We also have to plug the Drama Desks and hope the plugs work!
Rosen: Maybe we’ll put in a few subliminal things…
NYI: Where are you in the process of developing 50 First Dates?
Rosen: We start rehearsals in August for the West End. Just like with the Drama Desks, we’ll be writing right up until the last minute, so we will continue to tinker until opening.
Steve Rosen and David Rossmer are comedy legends on Broadway. (Photo: Rosen & Rossmer )
NYI: You’re also working on the Broadway bound The Griswolds’ Broadway Vacation: The Musical.
Rossmer: It’s going great. We just finished recording an album of songs in a big studio. That will be released this summer.
Rosen: Every day we’re closer to being able to tell you where and when you’ll be able to see it on Broadway. The show is in great shape and the album is going to be a lot of fun. It will capture the humor and we want to make people laugh while they jog.
NYI: What advice do you have for writers of other awards shows?
Rossmer: Go with the craziness and the fact that things are changing every minute. Roll with the punches and the chaos and the always changing nature of it. Use the chaos of it as an exercise in how to deal with chaos in a productive way.
Rosen: People can get very tense at these things because of the fact that awards are involved. It’s a very silly endeavor when you think about it. At the end of the day, it’s really a celebration of being a part of this community, so keep that positive ball in the air and keep the show moving! There are so many awards to get through. As long as you can keep it moving it’s going to be a good night for everybody. It’s a big release at the end of a whole long season where everyone has been putting in so much effort and all of their creative juices. Remember that it’s a celebration more than it’s a competition.
Rossmer: [Writers] should help remind people of the good things this night represents.
Rosen: We all chose to do this for our jobs. There are lots of things that pay better and are more consistent. But we all love what we do. Let’s take a night to all hang out together and appreciate the fact that we get to do it.
To purchase tickets for the Drama Desk Awards visit www.DramaDeskAward.com. The ceremony will take place at the Skirball Center on June 1st at 7:30pm.