Schmigadoon!, Ragtime Win Big at 2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards; Read the Full List of Winners
Winners have been named for the 2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards, with Ragtime and Schmigadoon! leading the pack with fine wins each. Both included their top respective production categories among their wins, with Schmigadoon! earning Outstanding New Broadway Musical and Ragtime winning Outstanding Revival of a Musical.
Also earning wins from Ragtime were Joshua Henry for Lead Performer; and Ben Levi Ross for Featured Performer, along with Outstanding Direction of a Musical for Lear deBessonet and Outstanding Video/Projection Design for 59 Studio. Schmigadoon! picked up its additional wins for its book (by Cinco Paul), choreography (Christopher Gattelli), orchestrations (Doug Besterman and Mike Morris), and Costume Design (Linda Cho).
Broadway’s Death of a Salesman revival is the honors’ most awarded play of the season, earning four wins, including Outstanding Revival of a Play and Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play for Nathan Lane’s Willy Loman. Co-star Laurie Metcalf took the Featured Performer in a Broadway Play category, and Joe Mantello’s direction was also recognized.
The Lost Boys was the most honored production when nominations were announced last month, with nods in 11 categories; the musical ended up with two wins, for David Korins’ scenic design and Jen Schriever and Michael Arden’s lighting design.
This year’s winners will be celebrated at a May 21 awards ceremony at MMAC Theater.
Read the full list of nominees and winners below:
Outstanding New Broadway Musical
The Lost Boys
WINNER – Schmigadoon!
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
Beau the Musical
Goddess
WINNER – Mexodus
Oratorio for Living Things
Saturday Church
Outstanding New Broadway Play
WINNERS – The Balusters
Giant
Little Bear Ridge Road
Oedipus
Punch
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
Angry Alan
WINNER – 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, Jamie Wax
Caroline, Preston Max Allen
WINNER – Cold War Choir Practice, Ro Reddick (tie)
Data, Matthew Libby
WINNER – Well, I’ll Let You Go, Bubba Weiler (tie)
Outstanding Revival of a Musical
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The Baker’s Wife
Chess
Masquerade
WINNER – Ragtime
Outstanding Revival of a Play
Becky Shaw
The Brothers Size
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER- 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – Lear deBessonet, Ragtime
Lee Sunday Evans, Oratorio for Living Things
David Mendizábal, Mexodus
Diane Paulus, Masquerade
Outstanding Choreography
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Masquerade
WINNER – 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, and Peter Wise, Oratorio for Living Things
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, The Lost Boys
Studio Luna, Marcel on the Train
Outstanding Sound Design
Caroline Eng, The Unknown
WINNER – Mikhail Fiksel, Mexodus
Adam Fisher, The Lost Boys
Brett Jarvis, Masquerade
Nick Kourtides, Oratorio for Living Things
Outstanding Video/Projection Design
WINNER – 59 Studio, Ragtime
Akhila Krishnan, Kyoto
Derek McLane, This World of Tomorrow
Johnny Moreno, Mexodus
John Narun, Bughouse
Wins by Show
5 – Ragtime, Schmigadoon!
4 – Death of a Salesman, Mexodus
2 – The Lost Boys; Well, I’ll Let You Go
1 – Cold War Choir Practice, Every Brilliant Thing, Meet the Cartozians, The Baker’s Wife, The Balusters, The Reservoir
Only new elements from productions considered in previous seasons were considered for this year’s nominations, which affected Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Liberation, and Titaníque. Mamma Mia!, Beetlejuice, Rob Lake Magic with Special Guests The Muppets, and All Out: Comedy About Ambition were ineligible for awards this season.
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are one of a handful of theatrical honors handed out in the spring, unofficially part of the road to the Tony Awards, this year set for June 7. Founded in the 1949-1950 Broadway season, the Outer Critics Circle honor recognizes the best in New York theatre—including both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions—from a voting membership comprising writers from out-of-town, national, and digital news outlets.
The group is led by President David Gordon, with a nominating board of directors also including Richard Ridge, Joseph Cervelli, Patrick Hoffman, David Roberts, Cynthia Allen, the late Harry Haun, Dan Rubins, Janice Simpson, and Doug Strassler.
