2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards Winners: Ragtime and Schmigadoon! Lead With 5 Wins Each

The winners of the 2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards have been announced, honoring the best theater on, off- and off-off-Broadway in the 2025-2026 season. Tied for the most wins are Ragtime and Schmigadoon! with five awards each, including Outstanding Revival of a Musical and Outstanding New Broadway Musical. Other top prizes went to Mexodus as Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical, The Balusters as Outstanding New Broadway Play and Meet the Cartozians as Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play. The prize for Outstanding Revival of a Play went to Death of a Salesman.

The 2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards ceremony will be held on May 21. Read the full list of winners below, marked in bold with an asterisk.

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY
*The Balusters
Giant
Little Bear Ridge Road
Oedipus
Punch

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL
The Lost Boys
*Schmigadoon!
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Angry Alan
*Meet the Cartozians
The Monsters
Prince Faggot
The Reservoir

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
Beau the Musical
Goddess
*Mexodus
Oratorio for Living Things
Saturday Church

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 REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Becky Shaw
The Brothers Size
*Death of a Salesman
Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Marjorie Prime

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The Baker's Wife
Chess
Masquerade
*Ragtime

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 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 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 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
Jack Holden, Kenrex
Mary Kate O’Flanagan, Making a Show of Myself
*Daniel Radcliffe, Every Brilliant Thing
Jean Smart, Call Me Izzy

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 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 VIDEO/PROJECTION DESIGN
*59 Studio, Ragtime
Akhila Krishnan, Kyoto
Derek McLane, This World of Tomorrow
Johnny Moreno, Mexodus
John Narun, Bughouse

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 ORCHESTRATIONS (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
*Doug Besterman and Mike Morris, Schmigadoon!
Heather Christian, Johnny Butler, Jane Cardona, Fraser Campbell, Laura Dadap, Clerida Eltime, Fred Epstein, Camellia Hartman, Odetta Hartman, Ben Moss, John Murchison and 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

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 (tie)
Data by Matthew Libby
*Well, I'll Let You Go by Bubba Weiler (tie)

Tally of wins by show
Ragtime—5
Schmigadoon!—5
Death of a Salesman—4
Mexodus—4
The Lost Boys—2
Well, I’ll Let You Go—2
Cold War Choir Practice—1
Every Brilliant Thing—1
Meet the Cartozians—1
The Baker’s Wife—1
The Balusters—1
The Reservoir—1

A Note on Eligibility:

The following Broadway productions were considered in previous seasons, with only new elements eligible during this cycle: Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Liberation and Titanique

The following productions were not eligible for awards this season: Mamma Mia!, Beetlejuice, Rob Lake Magic with Special Guests The Muppets and All Out: Comedy About Ambition