2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards

The 2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards winners were announced on May 11, 2026, recognizing excellence in Broadway and Off-Broadway productions during the 2025–26 season. Nominations were announced on April 21, 2026, with The Lost Boys receiving the most nominations with 11. Mexodus followed with 10 nominations, and Death of a Salesman was the most-nominated play production with 6 nominations.

With five awards each, Ragtime and Schmigadoon! were the year's biggest winners. With four awards each, Death of a Salesman was the most-winning play, and Mexodus the most-winning Off-Broadway production.

Winners and nominees

The 2025-2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, by The Pitt cast members Isa Briones (then starring in Just in Time) and Sepideh Moafi. The winners were announced on May 11, 2026, with an awards ceremony on May 27, 2026, at the MMAC Theatre.

Ragtime and Schmigadoon! won the most awards, with five wins each. Schmigadoon! won Outstanding New Broadway Musical, while The Balusters won Outstanding New Broadway Play. For Off-Broadway, Mexodus took home Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical and Meet the Cartozians won Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play. The awards for revivals went to Ragtime and Death of a Salesman.

Category

Winner and nominees

Outstanding New Broadway Musical

*Schmigadoon!

  • The Lost Boys
  • Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Outstanding New Broadway Play

*The Balusters by David Lindsay-Abaire

  • Giant by Mark Rosenblatt
  • Little Bear Ridge Road by Samuel D. Hunter
  • Oedipus based on the story by Sophocles, adapted by Robert Icke
  • Punch by James Graham

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical

*Mexodus

  • Beau the Musical
  • Goddess
  • Oratorio for Living Things
  • Saturday Church

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play

*Meet the Cartozians by Talene Monahon

  • Angry Alan by Penelope Skinner
  • The Monsters by Ngozi Anyanwu
  • Prince Faggot by Jordan Tannahill
  • The Reservoir by Jake Brasch

Outstanding Revival of a Musical

*Ragtime

  • The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
  • The Baker's Wife
  • Chess
  • Masquerade

Outstanding Revival of a Play

*Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

  • Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo
  • The Brothers Size by Tarell Alvin McCraney
  • Joe Turner's Come and Gone by August Wilson
  • Marjorie Prime by Jordan Harrison

John Gassner Award (tie)

*Ro Reddick, Cold War Choir Practice and
Bubba Weiler, Well, I'll Let You Go
* Jamie Wax, Call Me Izzy

  • Preston Max Allen, Caroline
  • Matthew Libby, Data

Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)

*Cinco Paul, Schmigadoon!

  • 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
  • Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, Mexodus

Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway)

*Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, Mexodus

  • 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
  • The Rescues, The Lost Boys

Outstanding Direction of a Play

*Joe Mantello, Death of a Salesman

  • Debbie Allen, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
  • Ngozi Anyanwu, The Monsters
  • Trip Cullman, Becky Shaw
  • Robert Icke, Oedipus
  • Tarell Alvin McCraney and Bijan Sheibani, The Brothers Size

Outstanding Direction of a Musical

*Lear deBessonet, Ragtime

  • Michael Arden, The Lost Boys
  • Lee Sunday Evans, Oratorio for Living Things
  • David Mendizábal, Mexodus
  • Diane Paulus, Masquerade

Outstanding Choreography

*Christopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!

  • Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Masquerade
  • Darrell Grand Moultrie, Goddess
  • Darrell Grand Moultrie, Saturday Church
  • Rickey Tripp, The Monsters

Outstanding Orchestrations

*Doug Besterman and Mike Morris, Schmigadoon!

  • Fraser Campbell, Jane Cardona, Ben Moss, Odetta Hartman, John Murchison, Peter Wise, 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 Lead Performer in a Broadway Play

*Nathan Lane, Death of a Salesman

  • Rose Byrne, Fallen Angels
  • Will Harrison, Punch
  • John Lithgow, Giant
  • Lesley Manville, Oedipus
  • Kelli O'Hara, Fallen Angels

Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical

*Joshua Henry, Ragtime

  • Sara Chase, Schmigadoon!
  • Nicholas Christopher, Chess
  • Luke Evans, The Rocky Horror Show
  • Sam Tutty, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
  • Brandon Uranowitz, Ragtime
  • Jessica Vosk, Beaches

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 Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical

*Nygel D. Robinson, Mexodus

  • Micaela Diamond, The Seat of Our Pants
  • Amber Iman, Goddess
  • Brian Quijada, Mexodus
  • Matt Rodin, Beau the Musical

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play

*Laurie Metcalf, Death of a Salesman

  • Christopher Abbott, Death of a Salesman
  • Danny Burstein, Marjorie Prime
  • Jessica Hecht, Dog Day Afternoon
  • Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical

*Ben Levi Ross, Ragtime

  • Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Lost Boys
  • Max Clayton, Schmigadoon!
  • Andrew Durand, The Rocky Horror Show
  • Benjamin Pajak, The Lost Boys

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 Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical

*Judy Kuhn, The Baker's Wife

  • Justin Cooley, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
  • J. Harrison Ghee, Saturday Church
  • Kevin McHale, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
  • Jasmine Amy Rogers, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Outstanding Solo Performance

*Daniel Radcliffe, Every Brilliant Thing

  • Sean Hayes, The Unknown
  • Mary Kate O Flanagan, Making a Show of Myself
  • Jack Holden, Kenrex
  • Jean Smart, Call Me Izzy

Outstanding Scenic Design

*Dane Laffrey, The Lost Boys

  • James Fluhr, Masquerade
  • Scott Pask, Schmigadoon!
  • Adam Rigg and Anton Volovsek, Bowl EP
  • Jason Sherwood, The Baker's Wife

Outstanding Costume Design

*Linda Cho, Schmigadoon!

  • Dede M. Ayite, Goddess
  • Jeff Mahshie, Fallen Angels
  • Ryan Park, The Lost Boys
  • Emilio Sosa, Masquerade

Outstanding Lighting Design

*Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, The Lost Boys

  • Mextly Couzin, Mexodus
  • Adam Honoré, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
  • Jack Knowles, Death of a Salesman
  • Studio Luna, Marcel on the Train

Outstanding Projection Design

*59 Studio, Ragtime

  • Akhila Krishnan, Kyoto
  • Derek McLane, This World of Tomorrow
  • Johnny Moreno, Mexodus
  • John Narun, Bughouse

Outstanding Sound Design

*Mikhail Fiksel, Mexodus

  • Caroline Eng, The Unknown
  • Adam Fisher, The Lost Boys
  • Brett Jarvis, Masquerade
  • Nick Kourtides, Oratorio for Living Things

Shows with multiple wins and nominations

Wins

Nominations

Production

2

11

The Lost Boys

4

10

Mexodus

5

8

Schmigadoon!

4

6

Death of a Salesman

0

Masquerade

5

Ragtime

0

5

The Brothers Size

Goddess

Oratorio for Living Things

4

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Beau the Musical

The Monsters

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

1

3

The Baker's Wife

0

Fallen Angels

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Oedipus

Saturday Church

2

Becky Shaw

Call Me Izzy

Caroline

Chess

1

Cold War Choir Practice

0

Giant

Marjorie Prime

1

Meet the Cartozians

0

Punch

1

The Reservoir

0

The Rocky Horror Show

The Unknown

2

Well, I'll Let You Go

References

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