Lortel Awards Move to Gender-Neutral Acting Categories

The off-Broadway awards will also create a new Outstanding Ensemble category.

The Lucille Lortel Awards statue
The Lucille Lortel Awards statue
(image provided by Peak Publicity)

The Lucille Lortel Awards, recognizing achievement in off-Broadway theater, has announced that it will remove gender from its acting award categories, as well as add a newly created category for Outstanding Ensemble.

The updated category listings will include Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical, Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical, Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play, Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Play, and Outstanding Ensemble.

The 37th Annual Lortel Awards will take place Sunday, May 1, 2022, with nominees announced in early April, 2022. The season cutoff date will be March 31, 2022.