Winners have been announced for the 2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards. Recognizing plays and musicals that opened on Broadway and Off-Broadway in the 2025-2026 season, awards are distributed to individuals and theatrical productions across 27 categories. “Ragtime” and “Schmigadoon!” led the winners with five awards each.
“Schmigadoon!” was named Outstanding New Broadway Musical, while “Mexodus” took home the title of Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical. The Lincoln Center Theater production of “Ragtime” won Outstanding Revival of a Musical.
“The Balusters” was crowned Outstanding New Broadway Play. “Meet the Cartozians,” which was recently named a finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, won Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play. Broadway’s “Death of a Salesman” won Outstanding Revival of a Play.
Broadway News Pro delivers news, analysis, and guest essays from industry leaders to facilitate meaningful and creative conversations on Broadway. From breaking news to deeply-reported long reads and exclusive interviews, subscribers can rely on Broadway News for stories that matter. Start your subscription for $1/month.
See the full list of winners below.
The ceremony celebrating the winners will be held on May 21 at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center (MMAC). The Outer Critics Circle was founded during the 1949-1950 Broadway season by theater journalist John Gassner. The association consists of members affiliated with more than 90 newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations and online news organizations in the U.S. and internationally.
Winners are noted in bold and with an asterisk.
Outstanding New Broadway Musical
“The Lost Boys”
*“Schmigadoon!”
“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
“Beau the Musical”
“Goddess”
*“Mexodus”
“Oratorio for Living Things”
“Saturday Church”
Outstanding New Broadway Play
*“The Balusters”
“Giant”
“Little Bear Ridge Road”
“Oedipus”
“Punch”
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
“Angry Alan”
*“Meet the Cartozians”
“The Monsters”
“Prince Faggot”
“The Reservoir”
John Gassner Award (for a new American play preferably by a new playwright)
“Call Me Izzy” by Jamie Wax
“Caroline” by Preston Max Allen
*“Cold War Choir Practice” by Ro Reddick (tie)
“Data” by Matthew Libby
*“Well, I’ll Let You Go” by Bubba Weiler (tie)
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
“The Baker’s Wife”
“Chess”
“Masquerade”
*“Ragtime”
Outstanding Revival of a Play
“Becky Shaw”
“The Brothers Size”
*“Death of a Salesman”
“Joe Turner's Come and Gone”
“Marjorie Prime”
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play
Rose Byrne, “Fallen Angels”
Will Harrison, “Punch”
*Nathan Lane, “Death of a Salesman”
John Lithgow, “Giant”
Lesley Manville, “Oedipus”
Kelli O'Hara, “Fallen Angels”
Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play
Christopher Abbott, “Death of a Salesman”
Danny Burstein, “Marjorie Prime”
Jessica Hecht, “Dog Day Afternoon”
*Laurie Metcalf, “Death of a Salesman”
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical
Sara Chase, “Schmigadoon!”
Nicholas Christopher, “Chess”
Luke Evans, “The Rocky Horror Show”
*Joshua Henry, “Ragtime”
Sam Tutty, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Brandon Uranowitz, “Ragtime”
Jessica Vosk, “Beaches”
Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical
Ali Louis Bourzgui, “The Lost Boys”
Max Clayton, “Schmigadoon!”
Andrew Durand, “The Rocky Horror Show”
Benjamin Pajak, “The Lost Boys”
*Ben Levi Ross, “Ragtime”
Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Micaela Diamond, “The Seat of Our Pants”
Amber Iman, “Goddess”
Brian Quijada, “Mexodus”
*Nygel D. Robinson, “Mexodus”
Matt Rodin, “Beau the Musical”
Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Justin Cooley, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
J. Harrison Ghee, “Saturday Church”
*Judy Kuhn, “The Baker’s Wife”
Kevin McHale, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
Jasmine Amy Rogers, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
*Quincy Tyler Bernstine, “Well, I’ll Let You Go”
Alana Raquel Bowers, “Cold War Choir Practice”
André Holland, “The Brothers Size”
Alani iLongwe, “The Brothers Size”
Aigner Mizzelle, “The Monsters”
Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
*Caroline Aaron, “The Reservoir”
Brian d'Arcy James, “Eurydice”
River Lipe-Smith, “Caroline”
Andrea Martin, “Meet the Cartozians”
Malcolm Mays, “The Brothers Size”
Outstanding Solo Performance
Sean Hayes, “The Unknown”
Jack Holden, “Kenrex”
Mary Kate O Flanagan, “Making a Show of Myself”
*Daniel Radcliffe, “Every Brilliant Thing”
Jean Smart, “Call Me Izzy”
Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
David Hornsby and Chris Hoch, “The Lost Boys”
Douglas Lyons, “Beau the Musical”
*Cinco Paul, “Schmigadoon!”
Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, “Mexodus”
Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Heather Christian, “Oratorio for Living Things”
Ethan D. Pakchar and Douglas Lyons, “Beau the Musical”
*Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, “Mexodus”
The Rescues, “The Lost Boys”
Outstanding Direction of a Play
Debbie Allen, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
Ngozi Anyanwu, “The Monsters”
Trip Cullman, “Becky Shaw”
Robert Icke, “Oedipus”
*Joe Mantello, “Death of a Salesman”
Tarell Alvin McCraney and Bijan Sheibani, “The Brothers Size”
Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, “The Lost Boys”
*Lear deBessonet, “Ragtime”
Lee Sunday Evans, “Oratorio for Living Things”
David Mendizábal, “Mexodus”
Diane Paulus, “Masquerade”
Broadway News Pro delivers news, analysis, and guest essays from industry leaders to facilitate meaningful and creative conversations on Broadway. From breaking news to deeply-reported long reads and exclusive interviews, subscribers can rely on Broadway News for stories that matter. Start your subscription for $1/month.
Outstanding Choreography
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, “Masquerade”
*Christopher Gattelli, “Schmigadoon!”
Darrell Grand Moultrie, “Goddess”
Darrell Grand Moultrie, “Saturday Church”
Rickey Tripp, “The Monsters”
Outstanding Orchestrations (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
*Doug Besterman and Mike Morris, “Schmigadoon!”
Heather Christian et al., “Oratorio for Living Things”
Mikhail Fiksel, Brian Quijada, and Nygel D. Robinson, “Mexodus”
Ethan Popp and The Rescues, “The Lost Boys”
Michael Thurber, “Goddess”
Outstanding Scenic Design
James Fluhr, “Masquerade”
*Dane Laffrey, “The Lost Boys”
Scott Pask, “Schmigadoon!”
Adam Rigg and Anton Volovsek, “Bowl EP”
Jason Sherwood, “The Baker’s Wife”
Outstanding Costume Design
Dede Ayite, “Goddess”
*Linda Cho, “Schmigadoon!”
Jeff Mahshie, “Fallen Angels”
Ryan Park, “The Lost Boys”
Emilio Sosa, “Masquerade”
Outstanding Lighting Design
Mextly Couzin, “Mexodus”
Adam Honoré, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Jack Knowles, “Death of a Salesman”
*Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, “The Lost Boys”
Studio Luna, “Marcel on the Train”
Outstanding Sound Design
Caroline Eng, “The Unknown”
*Mikhail Fiksel, “Mexodus”
Adam Fisher, “The Lost Boys”
Brett Jarvis, “Masquerade”
Nick Kourtides, “Oratorio for Living Things”
Outstanding Video/Projection Design
*59 Studio, “Ragtime”
Akhila Krishnan, “Kyoto”
Derek McLane, “This World of Tomorrow”
Johnny Moreno, “Mexodus”
John Narun, “Bughouse”
Tally of wins by show
5 – “Ragtime”; “Schmigadoon!”
4 – “Death of a Salesman”; “Mexodus”
2 – “The Lost Boys”; “Well, I’ll Let You Go”
1 – “Cold War Choir Practice”; “Every Brilliant Thing”; “Meet the Cartozians”; “The Baker’s Wife”; “The Balusters”; “The Reservoir”
A Note on Eligibility from the Outer Critics Circle
The following Broadway productions were considered in previous seasons, with only new elements eligible during this cycle: “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”; “Liberation”; and “Titaníque.” The following productions were not eligible for awards this season: “Mamma Mia!”; “Beetlejuice”; “Rob Lake Magic with Special Guests the Muppets”; “All Out: Comedy About Ambition.”
