Lucille Lortel Awards

Voting committee

The voting committee is composed of representatives from the Off-Broadway League, Actors' Equity Association, Stage Directors & Choreographers Society, the Lucille Lortel Foundation, as well as theatre journalists, academics, and other Off-Broadway professionals.

Ceremonies

The awards ceremony for the 2008–2009 season was held on May 3, 2009, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel (New York City); the nominations were announced on April 2.

The nominations for the 2009–2010 season were announced on April 1, 2010, and the winners were announced at a ceremony on May 2, 2010, held at Terminal 5 in New York City.

The nominations for the 2010–2011 season were announced on March 31, 2011, and the winners were announced on May 1, 2011, at the NYU Skirball Center, with hosts Zach Braff and Samantha Bee. Special Awards were given to Lynne Meadow (Lifetime Achievement Award); Gary Glaser (Service to Off-Broadway Award); Gatz – Produced by The Public Theater (Outstanding Alternative Theatrical Experience).

The nominees for the 2011–2012 season were announced on March 29, 2012; the award ceremony was held on May 6, 2012, at the Skirball Center with host Mario Cantone. Special (non-competitive) awards were announced: Richard Frankel (Lifetime Achievement Award); Richard Foreman (Playwrights' Sidewalk Inductee); Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) (Service to Off-Broadway Award); and Voca People – Produced by Doron Lida, Revital Kalfo, Leeorna Solomons and Eva Price (Outstanding Alternative Theatrical Experience).

The awards for the 2012–2013 season were announced on May 5, 2013, with hosts Aasif Mandvi and Maura Tierney. Special Awards were presented to: Todd Haimes, Lifetime Achievement Award; Neil LaBute, Playwrights' Sidewalk Inductee; Theatre Development Fund, Outstanding Body of Work Award; and Old Hats by Bill Irwin and David Shiner, Outstanding Alternative Theatrical Experience.

The awards for the 2013–2014 season were announced on May 4, 2014, with hosts Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman. Special Awards were presented to: producer Robyn Goodman, Lifetime Achievement Award and Richard Nelson, Playwrights' Sidewalk Inductee.

The award nominations for the 2014–15 season were announced on April 2, 2015. Special Awards were given to Terrence McNally (Lifetime Achievement Award), Jeanine Tesori (Playwrights' Sidewalk Inductee) and general manager Nancy Nagel Gibb (Edith Oliver Service to Off-Broadway Award). The winners were announced on May 10, 2015, with Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Anna Chlumsky hosting.

The 2015–2016 awards were announced on May 8, 2016, at the NYU Skirball Center. Special Awards were presented to: Oskar Eustis, Lifetime Achievement Award; The Wooster Group, Outstanding Body of Work Award.

The 2016–2017 awards were announced on May 7, 2017. Special Awards were presented to: David Hyde Pierce, Lifetime Achievement Award; Elevator Repair Service, Outstanding Body of Work Award.

The 2017–2018 awards were announced on May 6, 2018. Special Awards were presented to: Kathleen Chalfant, Lifetime Achievement Award; The York Theatre Company, Outstanding Body of Work Award.

The 2018–2019 awards were announced on May 5, 2019. Special Awards were presented to: Edward Albee (posthumously), Lifetime Achievement Award; Page 73 Productions, Outstanding Body of Work Award.

The 2019–2020 awards were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting the widespread impact on the theater industry.

The 2020–2021 awards were held virtually, recognizing the adaptation of theater to digital platforms during the pandemic.

The 2021–2022 awards returned to an in-person format, recognizing a full season of live performances.

The 2022–2023 awards were held on May 7, 2023, recognizing ongoing contributions to Off-Broadway theater as it continues to recover and innovate.

Categories

At the beginning, the Lead Actor/Actress and Featured Actor/Actress awards encompassed both plays and musicals. Starting in 2014, the acting awards were split into separate play and musical categories.

Starting in the 2022 awards, the acting categories were made gender-neutral.

Current categories

Awards are given in the following categories:

• Outstanding Play
• Outstanding Musical
• Outstanding Revival
• Outstanding Solo Show
• Outstanding Alternative Theater Experience
• Outstanding Director
• Outstanding Choreographer
• Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play
• Outstanding Featured Performer in a Play
• Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical
• Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical
• Outstanding Ensemble
• Outstanding Scenic Design
• Outstanding Costume Design
• Outstanding Lighting Design
• Outstanding Sound Design
• Outstanding Projection Design

Retired Categories

• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical
• Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
• Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
• Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
• Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical

Award winners in key categories

Source:

Production Awards

Outstanding Play

• 1987: The Common Pursuit
• 1989: The Cocktail Hour
• 1991: Aristocrats
• 1992: Lips Together, Teeth Apart
• 1993: The Destiny of Me
• 1994: Three Tall Women
• 1995: Camping with Henry & Tom
• 1996: Molly Sweeney
• 1997: How I Learned to Drive
• 1998: Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde
• 1999: Wit
• 2000: Dinner With Friends
• 2001: Proof
• 2002: Metamorphoses
• 2003: Take Me Out
• 2004: Bug
• 2005: Doubt
• 2006: The Lieutenant of Inishmore
• 2007: Stuff Happens
• 2008: Betrayed
• 2009: Ruined
• 2010: The Orphans' Home Cycle
• 2011: The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity
• 2012: Sons of the Prophet
• 2013: The Whale
• 2014: Bad Jews
• 2015: Between Riverside and Crazy
• 2016: Guards at the Taj
• 2017: Oslo
• 2018: Cost of Living and School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play
• 2019: Pass Over
• 2020: Heroes of the Fourth Turning
• 2022: English
• 2023: Wolf Play
• 2024: The Comeuppance
• 2025: Here There Are Blueberries

Outstanding Musical

• 1991: Falsettoland
• 1992: And the World Goes Round…
• 1993: Forbidden Broadway
• 1994: Wings
• 1995: Jelly Roll!
• 1996: Floyd Collins
• 1997: Violet
• 2000: James Joyce’s The Dead
• 2001: Bat Boy: The musical
• 2002: Urinetown
• 2003: Avenue Q
• 2004: Caroline, or Change
• 2005: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
• 2006: The Seven
• 2007: In the Heights and Spring Awakening
• 2008: Adding Machine
• 2009: Fela! A New Musical
• 2010: The Scottsboro Boys
• 2011: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
• 2012: Once
• 2013: Dogfight
• 2014: Fun Home
• 2015: Hamilton
• 2016: FUTURITY
• 2017: The Band's Visit
• 2018: KPOP
• 2019: Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future
• 2020: Octet
• 2022: Kimberly Akimbo
• 2023: Titanique
• 2024: (pray)
• 2025: Three Houses

Outstanding Revival

• 1991: Measure For Measure
• 1992: Boesman and Lena
• 1993: Henry V
• 1994: Owners, Traps
• 1995: Merrily We Roll Along
• 1996: Entertaining Mr. Sloan
• 1997: June Moon
• 1998: All My Sons
• 1999: The Mystery of Irma Vep
• 2000: The Torch-Bearers
• 2001: Tiny Alice
• 2002: Cymbeline
• 2003: Fifth of July
• 2005: Counsellor-At-Law
• 2006: The Trip to Bountiful
• 2007: Two Trains Running
• 2008: Ohio State Murders
• 2009: Our Town
• 2010: The Glass Menagerie
• 2011: Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes/Part 1: MillenniumApproaches, Part 2: Perestroika
• 2012: The Cherry Orchard
• 2013: The Piano Lesson
• 2014: Good Person of Szechwan
• 2015: Into the Woods
• 2016: The Robber Bridegroom
• 2017: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• 2018: Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train
• 2019: Carmen Jones
• 2020: for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
• 2022: Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
• 2023: A Raisin in the Sun
• 2024: Translations
• 2025: Our Class

Honorary Awards

Outstanding Lifetime Achievement

• 1988: Paul Libin
• 1991: Rosetta LeNoire
• 1992: Ellen Stewart
• 1993: Wynn Handman
• 1995: Uta Hagen
• 1996: Gene Feist
• 1997: Jane Alexander
• 1998: Arthur Miller
• 1999: Harold Pinter
• 2000: Jason Robards
• 2001: Kitty Carlisle Hart
• 2002: Edward Albee
• 2003: Stephen Sondheim
• 2006: Wendy Wasserstein
• 2007: Kevin Kline
• 2010: Daryl Roth
• 2011: Lynne Meadow
• 2012: Richard Frankel
• 2013: Todd Haimes
• 2015: Terrence McNally
• 2016: Robyn Goodman
• 2017: William Ivey Long
• 2018: Eve Ensler
• 2020: Tim Sanford
• 2022: Deirdre O’Connell
• 2023: Stephen McKinley Henderson
• 2024: Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Playwright Sidewalk Inductee(s)

• 1999: Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt
• 2000: Charles Busch & Israel Horowitz
• 2002: Romulus Linney
• 2004: Tony Kushner
• 2005: Charles Ludlam
• 2006: John Patrick Shanley
• 2007: Christopher Durang
• 2012: Richard Foreman
• 2013: Neil LaBute
• 2014: Richard Nelson
• 2015: Jeanine Tesori
• 2016: Suzan-Lori Parks
• 2017: Lynn Nottage
• 2018: Michael Friedman
• 2019: María Irene Fornés
• 2020: Anna Deavere Smith
• 2022: David Henry Hwang
• 2023: Ntozake Shange
• 2024: Dominique Morisseau

References

References

1. Nemy, Enid. (1999-04-06). "Lucille Lortel, Patron Who Made Innovative Off Broadway a Star, Is Dead at 98". [[The New York Times]].
2. Greene, Alexis. (2004-07-01). "Lucille Lortel: the queen of Off Broadway". Limelight Editions.
3. Hetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/190753-Fun-Home-Here-Lies-Love-Buyer-Cellar-Win-Lortel-Awards "'Fun Home', 'Here Lies Love', 'Buyer & Cellar' Win Lortel Awards"] {{webarchive. link. (2014-05-08 May 4, 2014)
4. Gans, Andrew. (2009-05-03). "Ruined, Fela!, Our Town and Humor Abuse Among Lucille Lortel Award Winners". [[Playbill]].
5. (2010-05-03). "Urie, Ivey, Orphans, Scottsboro & More Win 2010 Lortel Awards". broadwayworld.com.
6. Jones, Kenneth.[https://archive.today/20120906152605/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/150396-Bloody-Bloody-Andrew-Jackson-Chad-Deity-Angels-Borle-Metcalf-Are-Lortel-Winners " 'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson', 'Chad Deity', 'Angels', Borle, Metcalf Are Lortel Winners"] playbill.com, May 1, 2011
7. Jones, Kenneth and Hetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/165664-Once-Sons-of-the-Prophet-Sanaa-Lathan-Sam-Gold-Among-2012-Lortel-Award-Winners "Once, Sons of the Prophet, Sanaa Lathan, Sam Gold Among 2012 Lortel Award Winners"] {{webarchive. link. (2012-05-12 playbill.com, May 7, 2012)
8. Hetrick, Adam. [http://playbill.com/news/article/161274-Lucille-Lortel-Award-Nominations-Announced-Once-and-Tribes-Lead-the-Pack Lucille Lortel Award Nominations Announced; 'Once' and 'Tribes' Lead the Pack"] {{webarchive. link. (2012-04-26 playbill.com, March 29, 2012)
9. Hetrick, Adam. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/177622-Dogfight-The-Whale-and-The-Piano-Lesson-Are-Lortel-Award-Winners Dogfight, The Whale and The Piano Lesson Are Lortel Award Winners"] {{webarchive. link. (2013-06-05 playbill.com, May 5, 2013)
10. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/hamilton-the-nether-into-the-woods-earn-lortel-award-nominations-345826 " 'Hamilton', 'The Nether', 'Into the Woods' Earn Lortel Award Nominations"] playbill.com, April 2, 2015
11. Staff. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/hamilton-breaks-record-with-most-lortel-wins-348764 "'Hamilton' Breaks Record With Most Lortel Wins"] playbill.com, May 10, 2015
12. Hetrick, Adam. (April 1, 2014). "''Here Lies Love'', ''Fun Home'' and ''Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812'' Lead Lortel Award Nominations". [[Playbill]].
13. "Lucille Lortel Awards Will Switch to Gender-Neutral Categories for Performers".
14. Rickwald, Bethany. (February 2, 2017). "Lynn Nottage and William Ivey Long Among 2017 Lucille Lortel Award Honorees". TheaterMania.
15. "Recipients by Category".
16. Evans, Greg. (2024-05-06). "Tony-Nominated ‘Stereophonic’ Actor Eli Gelb And ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Actress Kecia Lewis Win Lucille Lortel Awards – Complete List".