Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play

The Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Performance by a Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play is an honor presented at the Outer Critics Circle Awards, a ceremony established in 1950 for excellence in Off-Broadway productions, to actors for quality leading roles in a play, whether a new production or a revival. The awards replaced the former awards for Outstanding Actor and Actress in a Play in 2022, voting to establish distinct Broadway and Off-Broadway gender-neutral categories.

Award winners and nominees

2020s

Year	Actor	Role(s)	Project
2023
	Bill Irwin	*Endgame*	Clov
	Emma Pfitzer Price	Becomes a Woman	Francie Nolan
	Ephraim Birney	Chester Bailey	Chester Bailey
	Brittany Bradford	Wedding Band	Julia Augustine
	Marylouise Burke	Epiphany	Morkan
2024 (tie)
	William Jackson Harper	*Primary Trust*	Kenneth

	Cole Escola	*Oh, Mary!*	Mary Todd Lincoln
	Paul Sparks	Waiting for Godot	Vladimir
	Marie Mullen	The Saviour	Máire
Mary Beth Fisher	Swing State	Peg
2025
	Adam Driver	*Hold On to Me Darling*	Strings McCrane
	Caroline Aaron	Conversations with Mother	Maria Collavechio
	Paul Sparks	Grangeville	Jerry
	Anthony Edwards	The Counter	Paul
	Jayne Atkinson	Still	Helen
	F. Murray Abraham	Beckett Briefs: From the Cradle to the Grave	Krapp
2026
	Quincy Tyler Bernstine	*Well, I'll Let You Go*	Maggie
	Alana Raquel Bowers	Cold War Choir Practice	Meek
	André Holland	The Brothers Size	Ogun Size
	Alani iLongwe	The Brothers Size	Oshoosi Size
	Aigner Mizzelle	The Monsters	Lil

Multiple nominations

2 nominations

Paul Sparks

2023 Outer Critics Circle Awards2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards2025 Outer Critics Circle Awards2026 Outer Critics Circle AwardsAdam DriverAndré HollandAnthony Edwards (actor)Bill IrwinBrittany BradfordBroadway theatreCaroline AaronCold War Choir PracticeCole EscolaConversations with MotherDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a PlayEndgame (play)F. Murray AbrahamGrangeville (play)Hold On to Me DarlingJayne AtkinsonLucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in a PlayMarie MullenMary Todd LincolnMarylouise BurkeNew York CityOff-BroadwayOh, Mary!Outer Critics CircleOuter Critics Circle AwardOuter Critics Circle AwardsPaul SparksPrimary TrustQuincy Tyler BernstineStill (play)The Brothers SizeThe Monsters (play)Waiting for GodotWell, I'll Let You GoWilliam Jackson Harper

Backlinks (20)

2023 Outer Critics Circle Awards2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards2025 Outer Critics Circle Awards2026 Outer Critics Circle AwardsCold War Choir PracticeGrangeville (play)Hold On to Me DarlingLucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in a PlayMarylouise BurkeOh, Mary!Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a PlayOuter Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a PlayOuter Critics Circle AwardsPaul SparksPrimary TrustQuincy Tyler BernstineSwing State (play)The Brother/Sister PlaysThe Monsters (play)Well, I'll Let You Go

External links (18)

http://www.outercriticscircle.org/

deadline.com/...

https://outercritics.org/awards/2022-2023/

https://outercritics.org/awards/2023-2024/

https://outercritics.org/awards/2024-2025/

playbill.com/...

scholar.google.com/...

web.archive.org/...

www.google.com/...

www.jstor.org/...

Templates (79)

AbbrAmboxBothCategory handlerCite webDated maintenance categoryDated maintenance category (articles)DMCAFind sources mainspaceFULLROOTPAGENAMEIf emptyInfoboxInfobox awardMain otherModule:ArgumentsModule:Category handlerModule:Category handler/blacklistModule:Category handler/configModule:Category handler/dataModule:Category handler/sharedModule:Check for conflicting parametersModule:Check for unknown parametersModule:Citation/CS1Module:Citation/CS1/COinSModule:Citation/CS1/ConfigurationModule:Citation/CS1/Date validationModule:Citation/CS1/IdentifiersModule:Citation/CS1/styles.cssModule:Citation/CS1/UtilitiesModule:Citation/CS1/WhitelistModule:Disambiguation/templatesModule:Find sourcesModule:Find sources/configModule:Find sources/linksModule:Find sources/templates/Find sources mainspaceModule:If emptyModule:InfoboxModule:Infobox/styles.cssModule:InfoboxImageModule:Is infobox in leadModule:Message boxModule:Message box/ambox.cssModule:Message box/configurationModule:Namespace detectModule:Namespace detect/configModule:Namespace detect/dataModule:Ns has subpagesModule:PagetypeModule:Pagetype/configModule:Pagetype/disambiguationModule:Pagetype/rfdModule:Pagetype/setindexModule:Pagetype/softredirectModule:SDcatModule:Section linkModule:StringModule:Template link generalModule:UnsubstModule:WikidataIBModule:WikidataIB/nolinksModule:WikidataIB/titleformatsModule:Wikitext ParsingModule:YesnoNamespace detectNOINDEXNs has subpagesPagetypeProd llm/datedReflistReflist/styles.cssSDcatSection linkShort descriptionShort description/lowercasecheckSlinkSmallTemplate link with substTemplate otherTlsp

📊 Wikidata

Subject Facts

QID: Q136032349

Label: Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play

Description: American theatre award for Off-Broadway actors

Wikidata Archive Data

Wikidata type ID: Q618779

Captured: August 8, 2026 4:10 PM

View raw claims JSON

Stored properties: 1

P31

{
    "P31": [
        {
            "id": "Q136032349$eddef447-809e-4e14-8287-ff0c6287db0b",
            "rank": "normal",
            "type": "statement",
            "mainsnak": {
                "hash": "f346d73946076ca8e13428be383fe033001e0f03",
                "datatype": "wikibase-item",
                "property": "P31",
                "snaktype": "value",
                "datavalue": {
                    "type": "wikibase-entityid",
                    "value": {
                        "id": "Q618779",
                        "numeric-id": 618779,
                        "entity-type": "item"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    ]
}

Main Menu

Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play

Award winners and nominees

2020s

Multiple nominations

See also

Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play

Award winners and nominees

2020s

Multiple nominations

See also

See Also

Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play

Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical

Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play

Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical

Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance