2018 Outer Critic Circle nominations announced

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