Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Play

Last updated
Outer Critics Circle Award for
Outstanding New Broadway Play
Awarded forOutstanding New Broadway Play
Location New York City
Presented by Outer Critics Circle
Currently held by John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Bellflower (2025)
Website OuterCritics.org

The Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Play is an annual award given to the best new (non-musical) play on Broadway, as determined by Outer Critics Circle. The award has been given out since the 1949-1950 season.

Contents

T.S. Eliot won the inaugural award for Outstanding New Broadway Play for The Cocktail Party in 1950. [1] Neil Simon and Tom Stoppard have won the award three times each, the most of any playwright, while Stoppard and August Wilson have received the most nominations, with six each.

Award winners

Key
  and bold indicates the winner.

1950s

YearProductionAuthorRef.
1950
The Cocktail Party T.S. Eliot
1951
Billy Budd Louis O. Coxe and Robert Chapman
1952
Point of No Return Paul Osborn
1953No award given.
1954
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Herman Wouk
1955
Inherit the Wind Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
1956
The Diary of Anne Frank Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett
1957
Long Day's Journey into Night Eugene O'Neill
1958
Look Homeward, Angel Ketti Frings
1959
The Visit Friedrich Dürrenmatt

1960s

YearProductionAuthorRef.
1960
The Miracle Worker William Gibson
1961No award given.
1962No award given.
1963
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Edward Albee
1964No award given.
1965No award given.
1966No award given.
1967
You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running Robert Anderson
American Hurrah (Three Views of the U.S.A.) Jean-Claude van Itallie
1968
The Price Arthur Miller
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Sam Shepard
1969No award given.

1970s

YearProductionAuthorRef.
1970
Child's Play Robert Marasco
1971No award given
1972
Sticks and Bones David Rabe
That Championship Season Jason Miller
1973No award given
1974
A Moon for the Misbegotten Eugene O'Neill
Noël Coward in Two Key Noël Coward
1975
Equus Peter Shaffer
1976No award given
1977
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf Ntozake Shange
1978
Da Hugh Leonard
1979
The Elephant Man Bernard Pomerance

1980s

YearProductionAuthorRef.
1980
Children of a Lesser God Mark Medoff
1981
Amadeus Peter Shaffer
1982
"Master Harold"...and the Boys Athol Fugard
1983
Brighton Beach Memoirs Neil Simon
1984
The Real Thing Tom Stoppard
1985
Biloxi Blues Neil Simon
1986
I'm Not Rappaport Herb Gardner
1987
Fences August Wilson
1988
M. Butterfly David Henry Hwang
1989
The Heidi Chronicles Wendy Wasserstein

1990s

YearProductionAuthorRef.
1990
The Grapes of Wrath Frank Galati
The Piano Lesson August Wilson
Lettice and Lovage Peter Shaffer
A Few Good Men Aaron Sorkin
1991
Lost in Yonkers Neil Simon
Shadowlands William Nicholson
Six Degrees of Separation John Guare
The Speed of Darkness Steve Tesich
1992
Dancing at Lughnasa Brian Friel
Two Shakespearean Actors Richard Nelson
Two Trains Running August Wilson
Conversations with My Father Herb Gardner
1993
The Sisters Rosensweig Wendy Wasserstein [2]
Someone Who'll Watch Over Me Frank McGuiness
Redwood Curtain Lanford Wilson
1994
Angels in America, Parts I and II: Millennium Approaches and Perestroika Tony Kushner
1995
Love! Valour! Compassion! Terrence McNally
Having Our Say Annie Elizabeth Delany, Sarah Louise Delany, Amy Hill Hearth
Arcadia Tom Stoppard
1996
Master Class Terrence McNally
Moon Over Buffalo Ken Ludwig
Racing Demon David Hare
Seven Guitars August Wilson
1997
The Last Night of Ballyhoo Alfred Uhry
Taking Sides Ronald Harwood
Stanley Pam Gems
An American Daughter Wendy Wasserstein
1998
The Beauty Queen of Leenane Martin McDonagh
Jackie: An American LifeGip Hoppe
Golden Child David Henry Hwang
Art Yasmina Reza
1999
Not About Nightingales Tennessee Williams
Closer Patrick Marber
Amy's View David Hare
The Weir Conor McPherson

2000s

YearProductionAuthorRef.
2000
Copenhagen Michael Frayn
Waiting in the Wings Noël Coward
True West Sam Shepard
The Green Bird Carlo Gozzi
2001
Judgment at Nuremberg Michael Frayn
Proof David Auburn
The Invention of Love Tom Stoppard
Stones in His Pockets Marie Jones
2002
The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? Edward Albee
Metamorphoses Mary Zimmerman
Topdog/Underdog Suzan-Lori Parks
Fortune's Fool Ivan Turgenev
2003
Take Me Out Richard Greenberg
Enchanted April Matthew Barber
The Play What I Wrote Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and Eddie Braben
Vincent in Brixton Nicholas Wright
2004
I Am My Own Wife Doug Wright
Sixteen WoundedEliam Kraiem
Anna in the Tropics Nilo Cruz
Match Stephen Belber
2005
Doubt: A Parable John Patrick Shanley
Gem of the Ocean August Wilson
The Pillowman Martin McDonagh
Democracy Michael Frayn
Brooklyn Boy Donald Margulies
2006
The History Boys Alan Bennett
The Lieutenant of Inishmore Martin McDonagh
Primo Anthony Sher
Festen David Eldridge
2007
The Coast of Utopia Tom Stoppard
Radio Golf August Wilson
Frost/Nixon Peter Morgan
Coram Boy Helen Edmundson
2008
August: Osage County Tracy Letts
The 39 Steps Patrick Barlow
The Seafarer Conor McPherson
Rock 'n' Roll Tom Stoppard
2009
God of Carnage Yasmina Reza
33 Variations Moisés Kaufman
Irena's Vow Dan Gordon
reasons to be pretty Neil LaBute

2010s

YearProductionAuthorRef.
2010
Red John Logan
Superior Donuts Tracy Letts
Next Fall Geoffrey Nauffts
Time Stands Still Donald Margulies
2011
War Horse Nick Stafford
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo Rajiv Joseph
Good People David Lindsay-Abaire
The Motherfucker with the Hat Stephen Adly Guirgis
2012
One Man, Two Guvnors Richard Bean
Seminar Theresa Rebeck
The Lyons Nicky Silver
Stick Fly Lydia R. Diamond
2013
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Christopher Durang
Grace Mick Gordon, A. C. Grayling
Lucky Guy Nora Ephron
The Nance Douglas Carter Beane
The Testament of Mary Colm Tóibín
2014
All the Way Robert Schenkkan
Act One James Lapine
Casa Valentina Harvey Fierstein
Outside Mullingar John Patrick Shanley
The Realistic Joneses Will Eno
2015
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Simon Stephens
The Audience Peter Morgan
Wolf Hall Parts One & Two Mike Poulton
2016
The Humans Stephen Karam
The Father Florian Zeller
King Charles III Mike Bartlett
Thérèse Raquin Neal Bell
Eclipsed Danai Gurira
2017
Oslo J. T. Rogers
A Doll's House, Part 2 Lucas Hnath
Sweat Lynn Nottage
Indecent Paula Vogel
2018
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Jack Thorne
Farinelli and the King Claire van Kampen
Junk Ayad Akhtar
The Children Lucy Kirkwood
2019
The Ferryman Jez Butterworth
What the Constitution Means to Me Heidi Schreck
Ink James Graham
Network Lee Hall
To Kill a Mockingbird Aaron Sorkin

2020s

YearProductionAuthorRef.
2020 (Honorees)Grand Horizons Bess Wohl
The Height of the Storm Florian Zeller
The Inheritance Matthew López
Linda Vista Tracy Letts
The Sound Inside Adam Rapp
2021Ceremony cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022
The Lehman Trilogy Stefano Massini
The Minutes Tracy Letts
Birthday Candles Noah Haidle
Clyde's Lynn Nottage
Skeleton Crew Dominique Morisseau
2023
Leopoldstadt Tom Stoppard [3]
Life of Pi Lolita Chakrabart, Yann Martel
Peter Pan Goes Wrong Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, Jonathan Sayer
Summer, 1976 David Auburn
Good Night, Oscar Doug Wright
2024
Stereophonic David Adjmi [4]
Mother Play Paula Vogel
Jaja's African Hair Braiding Jocelyn Bioh
Patriots Peter Morgan
The Shark Is Broken Ian Shaw, Joseph Nixon
2025
John Proctor is the Villain Kimberly Bellflower [5] [6]
Cult of Love Leslye Headland
The Hills of California Jez Butterworth
Purpose Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Stranger Things: The First Shadow Kate Trefry

Multiple wins

3 wins
2 wins

Multiple nominations

6 nominations
3 nominations
2 nominations

References

  1. "Outer Critics Circle Awards 1949–1950". AboutTheArtists.com.
  2. Rich, Frank (April 27, 1993). "Outer Critics Circle Names Award Winners". The New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  3. Culwell-Block, Logan (May 16, 2023). "Some Like It Hot Dominates 2023 Outer Critics Circle Awards; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  4. "Stereophonic Leads 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards, Wins Best Play; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2025-08-19. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
  5. Culwell-Block, Logan (May 12, 2025). "Maybe Happy Ending Leads 2025 Outer Critics Circle Awards; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  6. Evans, Greg (2025-04-25). "'Death Becomes Her' Broadway Musical Leads Outer Critics Circle Award Nominees – Complete List". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-09-01.