The nominations are in!
The Outer Critic Circle was founded during the 1949-50 Broadway season; back then they were called the Outer Circle. It started as a group of theater critics led by John Gassner (1903-1967), a known theatre reviewer, essay writer, theatre historian and a theatre professor. The reason for the creation of the Outer Critics Circle was that Gassner, and the rest of his colleagues, had no place where they could meet and discuss theatre in general or the Broadway season, outside of writing for academic or special interests journals.
These prestigious awards also came about because the Drama Critics Circle was invitation only. These invitations went to the major theatre critics at New York papers, national newspapers and national magazines. People that were lesser known because they worked at a weekly paper, even a monthly, or a quarterly paper outside of New York City had no chance of getting an invitation.
Today, anyone who wishes to join the OCC must supply a sample of his or her work, a rule that was established at the time of the founding. If the committee finds the work up to the standards, the person will get an invitation to join.
Currently, a New Jersey-based theatre critic named Simon Saltzman serves as the president of OCC.
Winners will be announced at the Outer Critic Circle ceremony on Mon., May 7, 2018, in New York City.
Related: 2018 Drama League Nominations announced
See below for a full list of nominations for the 68 Annual OCC Awards. The Band’s Visit currently on Broadway won awards for the off-Broadway run and was deemed ineligible this year.
Outstanding New Broadway Play
The Children
Farinelli and the King
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Junk
Outstanding New Broadway Musical
Escape to Margaritaville
Frozen
Mean Girls
Prince of Broadway
SpongeBob SquarePants
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
Admissions
Cost of Living
Hangmen
The Low Road
Mlima's Tale
John Gassner Award (Presented for an American play preferably by a new playwright)
Amy and the Orphans
Napoli, Brooklyn
Pipeline
[Porto]
School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
Cruel Intentions
Desperate Measures
Jerry Springer — The Opera
Miss You Like Hell
Woody Sez
Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Tina Fey, Mean Girls
Kyle Jarrow, SpongeBob SquarePants
Quiara Allegría Hudes, Miss You Like Hell
Peter Kellogg, Desperate Measures
Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, the Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T's, They Might Be Giants, T.I., David Bowie, Tom Kenny and Andy Paley, and Tom Kitt, SpongeBob SquarePants
Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, Frozen
Imogen Heap, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
David Friedman and Peter Kellogg, Desperate Measures
Erin McKeown and Quiara Allegría Hudes, Miss You Like Hell
Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Angels in America
Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train
Lobby Hero
Three Tall Women
Travesties?/em>
Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Carousel
My Fair Lady
Once on This Island
Pacific Overtures
Outstanding Actor in a Play
Sean Carvajal, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train
Andrew Garfield, Angels in America
Tom Hollander, Travesties
Gregg Mozgala, Cost of Living
Michael Urie, The Government Inspector
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Anthony Boyle, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Johnny Flynn, Hangmen
David Morse, The Iceman Cometh
Nathan Lane, Angels in America
Paul Sparks, Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo
Outstanding Actress in a Play
MaameYaa Boafo, School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play
Jessica Hecht, Admissions
Glenda Jackson, Three Tall Women
Lauren Ridloff, Children of a Lesser God
Katy Sullivan, Cost of Living
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Jamie Brewer, Amy and the Orphans
Denise Gough, Angels in America
Harriet Harris, The Low Road
Laurie Metcalf, Three Tall Women
Mary Testa, The Government Inspector
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady
Joshua Henry, Carousel
David M. Lutken,Woody Sez
Conor Ryan, Desperate Measures
Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, My Fair Lady
Alexander Gemignani, Carousel
Gavin Lee, SpongeBob SquarePants
Nick Wyman, Desperate Measures
Tony Yazbeck, Prince of Broadway
Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Lauren Ambrose, My Fair Lady
Erika Henningsen, Mean Girls
Hailey Kilgore, Once on This Island
Taylor Louderman, Mean Girls
Patti Murin, Frozen
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Kerry Butler, Mean Girls
Lindsay Mendez, Carousel
Lauren Molina, Desperate Measures
Ashley Park, Mean Girls
Emily Skinner, Prince of Broadway
Outstanding Solo Performance
Billy Crudup, Harry Clarke
Eve Ensler, In the Body of the World
Alison Fraser, Squeamish
John Lithgow, John Lithgow: Stories by Heart
Sharon Washington, Feeding the Dragon
Outstanding Director of a Play
Jo Bonney, Cost of Living
Marianne Elliott, Angels in America
Joe Mantello, Three Tall Women
Patrick Marber, Travesties
John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Michael Arden, Once on This Island
Bill Castellino, Desperate Measures
Tina Landau, SpongeBob SquarePants
Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls
Bartlett Sher, My Fair Lady
Outstanding Choreographer
Camille A. Brown, Once on This Island
Christopher Gattelli,My Fair Lady
Christopher Gattelli, SpongeBob SquarePants
Steven Hoggett, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Justin Peck, Carousel
Outstanding Scenic Design (Play or Musical)
Miriam Buether, Three Tall Women
Myung Hee Cho, In the Body of the World
Christine Jones, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Michael Yeargan, My Fair Lady
David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants
Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical)
Katrina Lindsay, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Clint Ramos, Once on This Island
Paloma Young, Time and the Conways
David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants
Catherine Zuber, My Fair Lady
Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical)
Kevin Adams, SpongeBob SquarePants
Neil Austin, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Lap Chi Chu, Mlima's Tale
Paule Constable, Angels in America
Paul Russell, Farinelli and the King
Outstanding Projection Design (Play or Musical)
Tim Reid, 1984
Fin Ross, Frozen
Fin Ross, In the Body of the World
Fin Ross and Ash Woodward, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Fin Ross and Adam Young, Mean Girls
Outstanding Sound Design (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Gareth Fry, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Kate Marvin, [Porto]
Fitz Patton, Napoli, Brooklyn
Marc Salzberg, My Fair Lady
Darron L. West, Mlima's Tale
Outstanding Orchestrations (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Jason Robert Brown, Prince of Broadway
Tom Kitt, SpongeBob SquarePants
AnnMarie Milazzo and Michael Starobin, Once on This Island
Jonathan Tunick, Carousel
Claire van Kampen, Farinelli and the King