2026 Outer Critics Circle Award nominations announced

The annual awards honor Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre, and numerous shows up for top honors — including The Lost Boys and Mexodus — are currently running.

Summary

• The 2026 Outer Critics Circle Award nominations honor the best of this year's Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre
• The currently running musicals The Lost Boys and Mexodus have the most nominations of the year

The 2026 Outer Critics Circle Award nominations have been announced, honoring the best in Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre.

The Broadway musical The Lost Boys has the most nominations of the season with 11, followed by the Off-Broadway musical Mexodus with 10. The Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman leads the plays with six nominations; the musicals Ragtime and Masquerade also received six each. All are currently running.

Other currently running musicals nominated include Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Chess, Schmigadoon!, The Rocky Horror Show, and Beaches.

Other currently running plays nominated include Fallen Angels, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Becky Shaw, Giant, and Well, I'll Let You Go.

Discover the full nominees list below.

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
• 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 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
• 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 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 Shibani, 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, 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