Today at 2 pm, at Sardi’s, Amber Gray and Harvey Guillén, now starring in the Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show, announced the nominations for the 41st annual Lucille Lortel Awards, recognizing excellence in Off-Broadway theater, for eligible shows that opened between April 1, 2025-March 31, 2026. Created by the Off Broadway League in 1985, and co-produced by the Lucille Lortel Theatre, with additional support provided by TDF, the Lortel Awards are decided by a nominating/voting committee comprised of representatives from the Off Broadway League, the Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation, Actors’ Equity Association, Stage Directors & Choreographers Society, United Scenic Artists, journalists, educators, and other artistic contributors to Off-Broadway.
Special Award recipients for 2026 were previously announced, with the Lifetime Achievement Award honoring Mia Katigbak, performer and co-founder of the National Asian American Theatre Co. (NAATCO), and Tony-winning composer and lyricist William Finn being posthumously inducted into the Playwrights’ Sidewalk, with a dedicated star in front of the historic Lortel Theatre at 121 Christopher Street.
Leading this year’s nominations in the Lortel’s sixteen competitive categories are Mexodus with nine, followed by Prince Faggot with six, Cold War Choir Practice and Saturday Church with five each.
And the nominees for the 41st Annual Lucille Lortel Awards are:
OUTSTANDING PLAY:
Cold War Choir Practice (Produced by MCC Theater, Clubbed Thumb, and Page 73, written by Ro Reddick); Kyoto (Produced by Lincoln Center Theater, by arrangement with The Royal Shakespeare Company, Good Chance, Rachel Styne and Jessica Foung, written by Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson); THE MONSTERS (Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club, written by Ngozi Anyanwu); Mother Russia (Produced by Signature Theatre Company, written by Lauren Yee; Prince Faggot (Produced by Playwrights Horizons and Soho Rep, written by Jordan Tannahill);
OUTSTANDING MUSICAL:
BIGFOOT! (Produced by Benson Drive Productions, David Carter, Frankly Spoken Productions, The Shubert Organization, Robin Thede, Carson Gleberman, Sean Nyberg, Adam Riemer, Stark Sands, in association with Manhattan Theatre Club, book by Amber Ruffin and Kevin Sciretta, lyrics by Amber Ruffin, music by David Schmoll and Amber Ruffin); Mexodus (Produced by Audible Theater and P3 Productions in association with Gabrielle Palitz, Gina Maria Leonetti, Todd B. Rubin, Willette and Manny Klausner, and QM Productions/The Movement Theatre Company, MTTM Theatrics/Barzach Productions, written by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson); My Joy Is Heavy (Produced by New York Theatre Workshop, created by The Bengsons); Night Side Songs (Produced by Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3, words and music by The Lazours); Saturday Church (Produced by New York Theatre Workshop, book and additional lyrics by Damon Cardasis and James Ijames, music by Sia, additional music by Honey Dijon);
OUTSTANDING REVIVAL:
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Produced by Barbara Whitman, Aaron Glick, Timothy Bloom, James L. Nederlander, Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Debra Martin Chase, Rachel Sussman, Patrick Catullo, Ryan Solomon, by special arrangement with David Stone, music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin); Bus Stop (Produced by Classic Stage Company, National Asian American Theatre Company, and Transport Group, written by William Inge); Gruesome Playground Injuries (Produced by Seaview, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Jillian Robbins, Adam Zell, Stella La Rue, Willette & Manny Klausner, Joan Rechnitz, Kyle Valentine, Bergère Cohen Productions, Steinfast & Moellenberg, Imaginespace, No Guarantees, Melissa Chamberlain & Michael McCartney, deRoy & Trezza, by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Theatre, written by Rajiv Joseph); Titus Andronicus (Produced by Red Bull Theater, written by William Shakespeare); The Weir (Produced by Irish Repertory Theatre, written by Conor McPherson);
OUTSTANDING SOLO SHOW:
Hold Me in the Water (Produced by Playwrights Horizons, written and performed by Ryan J. Haddad); I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan (Produced by Atlantic Theater Company, written by Mona Pirnot, performed by David Greenspan); Nothing Can Take You From The Hand Of God (Produced by Playwrights Horizons, written by Jen Tullock and Frank Winters, performed by Jen Tullock); Other (Produced by LaChanze, Marc Platt, Debra Messing/Rudetsky-Jackson, Marvin Krislov/Adam Cohen, Anna Jenefsky, Bob Stachel/Aaron Yeshayahu, written and performed by Ari’el Stachel); The Unknown (Produced by Seaview, ATG Productions, Pam Hurst-Della Pietra & Stephen Della Pietra, Mickey Liddell & Pete Shilaimon, Tom Tuft, Craig Balsam/Ken Levitan, Julie Boardman, Creative Partners Productions, Front Row Productions, Lloyd Tichio Productions, MarketStall, New Ventures Entertainment, in association with Hayes Entertainment, Inc., written by David Cale, performed by Sean Hayes);
OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR:
Knud Adams, Cold War Choir Practice; Shayok Misha Chowdhury, Prince Faggot; Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, Kyoto; David Mendizábal, Mexodus; Keenan Tyler Oliphant, Practice;
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER:
Edgar Godineaux and Jared Grimes, Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole; Darrell Grand Moultrie, GODDESS; Darrell Grand Moultrie, Saturday Church; Tony Thomas, Mexodus; Rickey Tripp, THE MONSTERS;
OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMER IN A PLAY:
Noah Galvin, The Reservoir; Marin Ireland, Queens; John Krasinski, Angry Alan; Aigner Mizzelle, THE MONSTERS; Okieriete Onaodowan, THE MONSTERS; Susannah Perkins, Antigone (This Play I Read In High School); and Kara Young, Gruesome Playground Injuries;
OUTSTANDING FEATURED PERFORMER IN A PLAY:
Jorge Bosch, Kyoto; Felicia Curry, Bowl EP; Crystal Finn, Cold War Choir Practice; David Greenspan, Prince Faggot; Lizan Mitchell, Cold War Choir Practice; Deirdre O’Connell, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.; David Turner, Mother Russia;
OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMER IN A MUSICAL:
Abigail Bengson, My Joy Is Heavy; J. Harrison Ghee, Saturday Church; Dulé Hill, Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole; Ruthie Ann Miles, The Seat of Our Pants; Brian Quijada, Mexodus; Nygel D. Robinson, Mexodus; Daniel J. Watts, Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole;
OUTSTANDING FEATURED PERFORMER IN A MUSICAL:
Nick Rashad Burroughs, GODDESS; Judy Kuhn, The Baker’s Wife; Erin Morton, Heathers The Musical; Stephanie Jae Park, Monte Cristo; Caleb Quezon, Saturday Church; Natalie Walker, The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse; Lynne Wintersteller, About Time;
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE:
Initiative, Olivia Rose Barresi, Brandon Burk, Greg Cuellar, Harrison Densmore, Carson Higgins, Andrea Lopez Alvarez, Jamie Sanders, Christopher Dylan White; Night Side Songs, Robin de Jesús, Brooke Ishibashi, Jonathan Raviv, Kris Saint-Louis, Mary Testa; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Arroyo, Autumn Best, Leana Rae Concepcion, Justin Cooley, Lilli Cooper, Jason Kravits, Matt Manuel, Kevin McHale, Jasmine Amy Rogers;
OUTSTANDING SCENIC DESIGN:
Miriam Buether, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.; Afsoon Pajoufar, Cold War Choir Practice; Riw Rakkulchon, Mexodus; Adam Rigg and Anton Volovsek, Bowl EP; David Zinn, Prince Faggot;
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN:
Montana Levi Blanco, Prince Faggot; Enver Chakartash, TARTUFFE; Qween Jean, Saturday Church; Celeste Jennings, minor.ity; Kaye Voyce, The Seat of Our Pants;
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN:
Isabella Byrd, Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp.; Isabella Byrd, Prince Faggot; Mextly Couzin, Mexodus; Cha See, The Unknown; Studio Luna, Marcel on the Train;
OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN:
Caroline Eng, The Unknown; Mikhail Fiksel, Mexodus; Ryan Gamblin, Bowl EP; Drew Levy, The Weir; Bray Poor, Eurydice;
OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN:
David Bengali, My Joy Is Heavy; Stefania Bulbarella, Nothing Can Take You From The Hand Of God; Akhila Krishnan, Kyoto; Johnny Moreno, Mexodus; John Narun, Bughouse.
Congratulations to all the nominees and honorees, and thanks for your outstanding contributions to Off-Broadway theater!
The Lucille Lortel Awards will be presented on Sunday, May 3, 2026, beginning at 7 pm, at NYU Skirball, 566 LaGuardia Place, NYC. The event is open to the public; tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, April 7, on the website.
