Nominees have been announced for the 2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards. Recognizing plays that opened on and Off-Broadway in the 2025-2026 season, awards are distributed to individuals and theatrical productions across 27 categories.
Nominees were announced on the morning of April 21 in a ceremony at the Museum of Broadway, hosted by “The Pitt” stars Isa Briones and Sepideh Moafi. Briones also currently appears in Broadway’s “Just in Time” as Connie Francis, and Moafi is set to feature in the Off-Broadway monologue series “New Born” at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre this May.
With 11 nominations, “The Lost Boys” is the single most-nominated musical of the season, followed closely by the Off-Broadway musical “Mexodus” with ten nominations. “Death of a Salesman” is the most-nominated play with six; “The Brothers Size” is the most-nominated Off-Broadway play with five.
Nominees, past winners and members of the Outer Critics Circle will be celebrated at a cocktail reception at the West Bank Café on April 27. Winners will be announced on May 11, with an awards ceremony to follow on May 21 at the Manhattan Movement and Arts Center Theatre.
The full list of nominees is below.
Outstanding New Broadway Musical
“The Lost Boys”
“Schmigadoon!”
“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
“Beau”
“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 F*ggot”
“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
“Data” by Matthew Libby
“Well, I’ll Let You Go” by Bubba Weiler
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”)
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”)
Mary Kate O Flanagan (“Making a Show of Myself”)
Jack Holden (“Kenrex”)
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”)
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”)
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”)
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)
Fraser Campbell, Jane Cardona, Ben Moss, Odetta Hartman, John Murchison and Peter Wise (“Oratorio for Living Things”)
Doug Besterman and Mike Morris (“Schmigadoon!”)
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”)
