Photograph: Courtesy Matthew Murphy | Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Photograph: Courtesy Matthew Murphy

The 2026 TONY* Nominations

The TONY* nominations honor outstanding shows and artists of the 2025–26 Broadway season.

Monday May 4 2026

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email WhatsApp

Written by Adam Feldman

Theater and Dance Editor, Time Out USA

Advertising

Today we are proud to announce the annual TONY* nominations, which honor the best work on Broadway in the 2025–26 season. The very last thing we want is to confuse, so let us be super clear: TONY is an acronym for Time Out New York, and the list below is what we at TONY (i.e. Time Out New York) would nominate for the Tony Awards (i.e. the Antoinette Perry Awards) if we were the Tony Award nominating committee, which we are not. Note also, please, that we are choosing what we think should be nominated for Tonys, not predicting what we think will be nominated when the official nominations are announced at 9am on Tuesday, May 5. Several of the races are chock full of deserving candidates, and choosing among them has been hard. Heroically, however, we have forced ourselves to do it, using the eligibility decisions of the actual Tony Awards as guidelines. (A few five-slot categories have expanded to six to reflect ties in our process.) Congratulations to the 2026 TONY* nominees!

* Time Out New York

RELATED: Buy tickets to Broadway shows
RECOMMENDED: Complete guide to the Tony Awards

Best Play

The Balusters by David Lindsay-Abaire
Giant by Mark Rosenblatt
Liberation by Bess Wohl
Little Bear Ridge Road by Samuel D. Hunter

The Company of the Broadway production of Liberation by Bess Wohl, directed by Whitney White — Photograph: Courtesy Little FangLiberation

Best Book of a Musical

Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle and Constantine Rousouli, Titanique
David Hornsby and Chris Hoch, The Lost Boys
Cinco Paul, Schmigadoon

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Cinco Paul, Schmigadoon
The Rescues, The Lost Boys
Stephen Schwartz, The Queen of Versailles
Caroline Shaw, Death of a Salesman

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Will Harrison, Punch
Nathan Lane, Death of a Salesman
John Lithgow, Giant
Micah Stock, Little Bear Ridge Road
Mark Strong, Oedipus

John Lithgow and Aya Cash in Giant — Photograph: Courtesy Joan MarcusGiant

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Rose Byrne, Fallen Angels
Carrie Coon, Bug
Susannah Flood, Liberation
Lesley Manville, Oedipus
Laurie Metcalf, Little Bear Ridge Road

Mark Strong, Lesley Manville in Oedipus — Photograph: Courtesy Julieta CervantesOedipus

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Nicholas Christopher, Chess
Luke Evans, The Rocky Horror Show
Joshua Henry, Ragtime
Sam Tutty, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Brandon Uranowitz, Ragtime

Christiani Pitts and Sam Tutty in Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York) — Photograph: Courtesy Matthew MurphyTwo Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Sara Chase, Schmigadoon!
Kristin Chenoweth, The Queen of Versailles
Caissie Levy, Ragtime
Marla Mindelle, Titaníque
Christiani Pitts, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Jessica Vosk, Beaches

Photograph: Courtesy Marc J. FranklinBeaches

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Joshua Boone, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Brandon J. Dirden, Waiting for Godot
Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw
K. Todd Freeman, Death of a Salesman
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Michael Patrick Thornton, Waiting for Godot

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Betsy Aidem, Liberation
Madeline Brewer, Becky Shaw
Marylouise Burke, The Balusters
Laurie Metcalf, Death of a Salesman
Cynthia Nixon, Marjorie Prime
Abigail Onwunali, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Marylouise Burke in The Balusters — Photograph: Courtesy Jeremy DanielThe Balusters

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Lost Boys
Sydney James Harcourt, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Ben Levi Ross, Ragtime
Constantine Rousouli, Titaníque
Layton Williams, Titaníque

Photograph: Courtesy Evan ZimmermanTitanique

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Shoshana Bean, The Lost Boys
Ana Gasteyer, Schmigadoon!
Amber Gray, The Rocky Horror Show
McKenzie Kurtz, Schmigadoon!
"Tempress" Chasity Moore, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Nichelle Lewis, Ragtime

Best Direction of a Play

Debbie Allen, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Trip Cullman, Becky Shaw
Anne Kauffman, Marjorie Prime
Joe Mantello, Death of a Salesman
Joe Mantello, Little Bear Ridge Road
Whitney White, Liberation

Alden Ehrenreich and Madeline Brewer in Becky Shaw — Photograph: Courtesy Marc J. FranklinBecky Shaw

Best Direction of a Musical

Michael Arden, The Lost Boys
Lear deBessonet, Ragtime
Christopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Sam Pinkleton, The Rocky Horror Show

Best Choreography

Christopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!
Lorin Latarro, Chess
Ellenore Scott, Titanique
Ani Taj, The Rocky Horror Show
Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Best Orchestrations

Doug Besterman and Mike Morris, Schmigadoon!
John Clancy, The Queen of Versailles
Brian Usifer, Chess
Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Wilson, Trevor Holder and Doug Schadt, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Ethan Popp, Kyler England, Adrianne "AG" Gonzalez and Gabriel Mann, The Lost Boys

Best Scenic Design of a Play

David Gallo, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Chloe Lamford, Death of a Salesman
Derek McLane, The Balusters
David Rockwell, Fallen Angels
David Zinn, Becky Shaw

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

dots, The Rocky Horror Show
Soutra Gilmour, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Rachel Hauck, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Dane Laffrey, The Lost Boys
Scott Pask, Schmigadoon!

Best Costume Design of a Play

Qween Jean, Liberation
Jeff Mahshie, Fallen Angels
Rudy Mance, Death of a Salesman
Emilio Sosa, The Balusters
Paul Tazewell, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Linda Cho, Ragtime
Linda Cho, Schmigadoon!
Christian Cowan, The Queen of Versailles
Qween Jean, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
David I. Reynoso, The Rocky Horror Show

Kristin Chenoweth in The Queen of Versailles — Photograph: Courtesy Julieta CervantesThe Queen of Versailles

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Natasha Chivers, Oedipus
Stacey Derosier, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Heather Gilbert, Bug
Jack Knowles, Death of a Salesman
Ben Stanton, Marjorie Prime

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Jane Cox, The Rocky Horror Show
Donald Holder, Schmigadoon!
Adam Honoré, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Adam Honoré and Donald Holder, Ragtime
Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, The Lost Boys

Danny Burstein, Cynthia Nixon, June Squibb in Marjorie Prime — Photograph: Courtesy Joan MarcusMarjorie Prime

Best Sound Design of a Play

Justin Ellington, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Tom Gibbons, Oedipus
Daniel Kluger, Marjorie Prime
Josh Schmidt, Bug
Mikaal Sulaiman, Death of a Salesman

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Kai Harada, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Kai Harada, Ragtime
Brian Ronan, The Rocky Horror Show
Lawrence Schober, Titanique
Walter Trarbach, Schmigadoon!

Carrie Coon in Bug — Photograph: Courtesy Matthew MurphyBug

Special Tony Awards

Lifetime achievement:
Andre Bishop
Jules Fisher
James Lapine

The Isabella Stevenson Award
Mary-Mitchell Campbell

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre
1/52 Project
Jake Bell
Kenn Lubin
Loren Plotkin

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

🙌
Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!