The 35th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway will be presented virtually as an online event on May 3 at 7pm. New York stage actor and comedian Mario Cantone will serve as host.
The show will feature presentations by some of the biggest names in theatre from the comfort and safety of their own homes while social distancing. In addition to the award categories, Tony Award-winning producer Daryl Roth will induct Anna Deavere Smith onto the famedPlaywrights Sidewalk; Kelli O’Hara will present theLifetime Achievement Award to Playwrights Horizons’ Tim Sanford; Brian Stokes Mitchell will speak on behalf of The Actors Fund; and Nathan Lane will present this year’sIn Memoriam in recognition of those we lost this past season. Other featured presenters include: Jelani Alladin, Rachel Dratch, Jordan Fisher, Jackie Hoffman, Andy Karl, Nathan Lane, Tatiana Maslany, Debra Messing, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Nyambi Nyambi, Kelli O’hara, Orfeh, Steven Pasquale, Lauren Patten, Alison Pill, Jeremy Pope, Condola Rashad, Krysta Rodriguez, Phillipa Soo, Sonya Tayeh, Marisa Tomei, Michael Urie, and Phoebe Waller-bridge.
FULL NOMINATIONS CAN BE VIEWED HERE.
“Our desire to recognize and celebrate the excellence of the Off-Broadway season is not diminished by the concerns we are all facing. Indeed, it is essential for our morale to do just that,” said Terry Byrne, President of the Off-Broadway League.
The Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway were created in 1985 by the Off- Broadway League. The Lortel Awards recognize excellence in Off-Broadway by honoring the invaluable contribution of artists to the theatre community.
An electronic program is being created for the show, with proceeds also going to The Actors Fund. A $50.00 donation will earn a free quarter-page ad and a $250.00 donation will get a full-page ad. Donations for ads will be accepted throughout the online ceremony for the final program, which will live on the Lortel Awards website where many of the past programs can be found. It will also be available to download and print. When a donation is made on the Lortel / Actors Fund page purchasers can request their ad and will be contacted for further details.
“We hope putting on another fun Lortel Awards show as planned will offer the theatre community and fans some much-needed entertainment at this time,” added George Forbes, Executive Director of the Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation. “This is a great opportunity to celebrate the industry and remind everyone of the tremendous work being done Off-Broadway, and that we will always persevere.”