Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play

The Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play was an award presented annually at the Lucille Lortel Awards to honor an actress for excellence in a leading role in an Off-Broadway production. The categories were split into Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical in 2014.[3] The acting categories were made gender-neutral in 2021.[4]

Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play
Awarded forOutstanding Lead Actress in a Play
LocationUnited States
Presented byThe Off-Broadway League[1][2]
Currently held byEmily Davis for Is This a Room (2020)
Websitelortelaward.com

Nominees and recipients

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  indicates the recipients

1990s

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Year Actress Play Character
1992 Eileen Atkins A Room of One’s Own Virginia Woolf
1993 Anna Deavere Smith Fires in the Mirror All
1994 Myra Carter Three Tall Women A
1995 Linda Lavin (Tie) Death Defying Acts Dorothy/Carol
Eileen Atkins (Tie) Vita & Virginia Virginia Woolf
1996 Uta Hagen Mrs. Klein Mrs. Klein
1997 Mary-Louise Parker How I Learned to Drive Li'l Bit
1998 Cherry Jones Pride’s Crossing Mabel Tidings/Bigelow
1999 Kathleen Chalfant Wit Vivian Bearing, Ph.D.

2000s

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Year Actress Play Character
2000 Eileen Heckart The Waverly Gallery
2001 Mary-Louise Parker Proof Catherine
Eileen Atkins The Unexpected Man The Woman
Janie Dee Comic Potential Jacie Triplethree
Mary Beth Fisher Boy Gets Girl Theresa Bedell
Marian Seldes The Play About the Baby Woman
2002 Linda Emond Homebody/Kabul The Homebody
Ruby Dee Saint Lucy’s Eyes N/A
Martha Plimpton Hobson’s Choice Maggie Hobson
Phylicia Rashad Blue Peggy Clark
Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch At Liberty N/A
2003 Tovah Feldshuh Golda's Balcony Golda Meir
S. Epatha Merkerson Fucking A Hester Smith
Kate Mulgrew Tea at Five Katharine Hepburn
Pamela Payton-Wright Fifth of July Sally Friedman
Parker Posey Fifth of July Gwen Landis
2004 Tonya Pinkins Caroline, or Change Caroline Thibodeaux
Lisa Emery Iron Fay
Jayne Houdyshell Well Ensemble
Swoosie Kurtz Frozen Nancy
Zilah Mendoza Living Out Ana Hernandez
2005 Cherry Jones Doubt Sister Aloysius
Ashlie Atkinson Fat Pig Helen
Viola Davis Intimate Apparel Esther
Judy Kaye Souvenir Florence Foster Jenkins
Elizabeth Marvel Hedda Gabler Hedda Gabler
2006 Lois Smith The Trip to Bountiful Carrie Watts
Jennifer Jason Leigh Abigail's Party Beverly
S. Epatha Merkerson Birdie Blue Birdie
Julie White The Little Dog Laughed Diane
Dianne Wiest Third Laurie Jameson
2007 Gloria Reuben Stuff Happens Condoleezza Rice
Rebecca Brooksher Dying City Kelly
Jill Clayburgh The Busy World Is Hushed Hannah
Patricia Heaton The Scene Stella
Laila Robins Sore Throats Judy
2008 Elizabeth Franz The Piano Teacher Mrs. K
Lisa Gay Hamilton Ohio State Murders Suzanne Alexander
Jayne Houdyshell The Receptionist Beverly Wilkins
Alison Pill Blackbird Una
Lynn Redgrave Grace Grace
2009 Saidah Arrika Ekulona Ruined Mama Nadi
Ellen Burstyn The Little Flower of East Orange Therese Marie
Carmen M. Herlihy crooked Maribel
Kellie Overbey The Savannah Disputation Melissa
Annie Parisse Becky Shaw Becky

2010s

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Year Actress Play Character Ref.
2010 Judith Ivey The Glass Menagerie Amanda Wingfield
Nina Arianda Venus in Fur Vanda
Jayne Houdyshell Coraline Coraline
Cristin Milioti Stunning Lily Schwecky
Sherie Rene Scott Everyday Rapture Sherie Rene Scott
2011 Laurie Metcalf The Other Place Juliana
Tracee Chimo Bachelorette Regan
Edie Falco This Wide Night Lorraine
Elizabeth Marvel The Little Foxes Regina Giddens
Michele Pawk A Small Fire Emily Bridges
2012 Sanaa Lathan By the Way, Meet Vera Stark Vera Stark
Cristin Milioti Once Girl
Carey Mulligan Through a Glass Darkly Karin
Molly Ranson Carrie Carrie
Mary Testa Queen of the Mist Annie Edson Taylor
2013 Roslyn Ruff The Piano Lesson Berniece [5]
Quincy Tyler Bernstine Neva Masha
America Ferrera Bethany Crystal
Vanessa Redgrave The Revisionist Maria
Sharon Washington Wild With Happy Adelaide/Aunt Glo
2014 Tracee Chimo Bad Jews Daphna
Diane Davis The Model Apartment Debby
Carolyn McCormick The Open House Mother
Laurie Metcalf Domesticated Judy
Andrus Nichols Bedlam's Hamlet and Saint Joan Actor #2/Gertrude/Ophelia/Joan/Others
2015 Tonya Pinkins Rasheeda Speaking Jaclyn [6]
Quincy Tyler Bernstine Grand Concourse Shelly
Anna Gunn Sex With Strangers Olivia
Jan Maxwell The City of Conversation Hester Ferris
S. Epatha Merkerson While I Yet Live Maxine
2016 Phylicia Rashad Head of Passes Shelah [7]
Ito Aghayere Familiar Nyasha
Georgia Engel John Mertis Katherine Graven
Jayne Houdyshell The Humans Deirdre
Chinasa Ogbuagu Sojourners Abasiama
2017 Jennifer Ehle Oslo Mona [8]
Johanna Day Sweat Tracey
Jennifer Kidwell Underground Railroad Game Teacher Caroline
Kecia Lewis Marie and Rosetta Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Maryann Plunkett Women of a Certain Age Mary
2018 Carrie Coon Mary Jane Mary Jane [9]
Quincy Tyler Bernstine The Amateurs Hollis
MaameYaa Boafo School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play Paulina Sarpong
Cristin Milioti After the Blast Anna
Karen Pittman Pipeline Nya
2019 Quincy Tyler Bernstine Marys Seacole Mary [10]
Ako God Said This Masako
Marin Ireland Blue Ridge Alison
Zainab Jah Boesman and Lena Lena
Charlayne Woodard Daddy Zora

2020s

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Year Actress Play Character Ref.
2020 Emily Davis Is This a Room Reality Winner [11]
Liza Colón-Zayas Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven Sarge
April Matthis Toni Stone Toni Stone
Zoë Winters Heroes of the Fourth Turning Teresa
Kara Young All the Natalie Portmans Keyonna

Multiple awards

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Most nominations without a win

See also

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References

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  1. ^ The League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers
  2. ^ The Off-Broadway League
  3. ^ Actoing Categories Split into Musicals and Plays
  4. ^ "Lucille Lortel Awards Will Switch to Gender-Neutral Categories for Performers". Playbill.
  5. ^ "Dogfight, The Whale and The Piano Lesson Are Lortel Award Winners". Playbill. May 5, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  6. ^ "'Hamilton,' Tonya Pinkins Honored at 30th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards". Backstage. May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  7. ^ "FUTURITY, Guards at the Taj and Robber Bridegroom Earn Top Lucille Lortel Awards". Playbill. May 1, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  8. ^ "'Oslo,' 'The Band's Visit' Lead 2017 Lortel Award Recipients". American Theater. May 8, 2017. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  9. ^ "2018 Lucille Lortel Award Winners". Broadway World. May 6, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  10. ^ "2019 Lucille Lortel Award Winners". Broadway World. May 5, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  11. ^ "2020 : Lucille Lortel Awards". lortelaward.com. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  12. ^ Previous Nominees and Recipients
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