MEXODUS, 11 TO MIDNIGHT and More Nominated for 2026 Off Broadway Alliance Awards

The Off Broadway Alliance has revealed the nominees for the 15th Annual Off-Broadway Alliance Awards, honoring commercial and not-for-profit productions that opened Off Broadway during the 2025-2026 season.

Awards will be presented in five competitive categories: Best Musical, Best Play, Best Revival, Best Solo Performance, and Best Unique Theatrical Experience. In addition to the competitive awards, Legend of Off-Broadway Awards will be presented to Peter Friedman and Christine Pedi for their extraordinary contributions over many years. David Gersten, Andy Halliday, and Paul Libin will be posthumously inducted into the Off Broadway Hall of Fame. The Friend of Off-Broadway Award will be presented to BroadwayWorld’s very own Richard Ridge for his longstanding support and advocacy of the Off-Broadway community.

The 2026 Off Broadway Alliance Awards Nominations & Honorees are:

BEST MUSICAL

Beau

Bigfoot

Mexodus

Night Side Songs

The Porch on Windy Hill

BEST PLAY

Cold War Choir Practice

The Honey Trap

Gruesome Playground Injuries

Kyoto

The Reservoir

This Much I Know

BEST REVIVAL

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

The Baker’s Wife

Gruesome Playground Injuries

Titus Andronicus

You Got Older

BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE

Can I Be Frank?

Kenrex

The Least Problematic Woman in the World

Other

ta-da!

BEST UNIQUE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE

11 To Midnight

Amaze

Burnout Paradise

Gotta Dance

Masquerade

ABOUT THE HONOREES:

LEGEND OF OFF BROADWAY AWARDS:

Peter Friedman is a celebrated stage and screen actor whose distinguished career has spanned Broadway, Off-Broadway, film, and television for more than five decades. A Tony Award nominee for Ragtime, Friedman has become one of the New York theater community’s most admired and enduring artistic presences through acclaimed performances in productions including The Heidi Chronicles, Twelve Angry Men, Circle Mirror Transformation, and The Treasurer. His extensive body of work includes original New York productions by writers such as Wendy Wasserstein, Annie Baker, Amy Herzog, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, Terrence McNally, and Israel Horovitz, alongside notable revivals of works by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Donald Margulies, and Paddy Chayefsky. Beyond the stage, Friedman is widely recognized for his acclaimed portrayal of Frank Vernon on HBO’s Succession, with additional screen credits including The Savages, Safe, and television appearances ranging from Brooklyn Bridge to High Maintenance. 

             

Christine Pedi, affectionately known as “The Lady of a Thousand Voices,” is an acclaimed actress, singer, impressionist, and radio personality whose career has become synonymous with the wit and musical brilliance of Off-Broadway satire. Best known for her longtime association with Forbidden Broadway and Forbidden Hollywood, Pedi has delighted audiences around the world with her uncanny impressions of Broadway legends including Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Liza Minnelli, and Judi Dench. Her performances with Forbidden Broadway have taken her from New York to London’s West End, Japan, Singapore, Los Angeles, and beyond, helping preserve and celebrate the grand tradition of theatrical parody for new generations of audiences. A Drama Desk nominee for Forbidden Hollywood and recipient of both Ovation and NAACP Awards, Pedi has also become a familiar voice to theater lovers nationwide through her work as a SiriusXM host and acclaimed cabaret performer. 

OFF BROADWAY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES:

David Gersten was a veteran theatrical producer, press representative, and marketing consultant whose influence on the Off-Broadway landscape spanned more than three decades. As Vice President of Association of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers and founder of David Gersten & Associates, Gersten championed groundbreaking productions, emerging playwrights, celebrated revivals, and artist-driven work that helped define modern Off-Broadway theater. Over the course of his distinguished career, he worked alongside legendary producers including Alexander H. Cohen, David Merrick, and Manny Kladitis, while representing acclaimed Broadway productions such as Waiting in the Wings starring Lauren Bacall and Rosemary Harris, Taking Sides starring Ed Harris, and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Herbal Bed. Off-Broadway, Gersten publicized and promoted hundreds of productions, including long-running hits such as Altar Boyz, Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, Godspell, tick, tick… BOOM!, Potted Potter, and Naked Boys Singing!, among many others. Admired throughout the industry for his mentorship, passion, deep respect for journalists and media, and unwavering commitment to artists, Gersten remained a tireless advocate for the adventurous spirit and creative integrity of New York theater until his passing in April 2026. 

 

 Andy Halliday was a passionate advocate for New York’s downtown theater scene, with a career spanning producing, performing, writing, and championing independent theater artists. Deeply associated with the vibrant Off-Off-Broadway movement of the 1980s and beyond, Halliday became known for helping foster daring, unconventional work that embraced the spirit of artistic experimentation. As an actor, he appeared in numerous cult productions by Charles Busch, including Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, Psycho Beach Party, Theodora, She-Bitch of Byzantium, and The Lady in Question. Halliday later expanded his creative work into playwriting, authoring productions including Nothing but Trash, Up the Rabbit Hole, and Those Musclebound Cowboys from Snakepit Gulch. Through decades of artistic involvement both onstage and behind the scenes, Halliday has remained a beloved and figure within New York’s independent theater community. 

Paul Libin was one of the American theater industry’s most respected executives and producers, with a career that has profoundly shaped both Broadway and Off-Broadway for generations. As longtime Executive Vice President and Producing Director of Jujamcyn Theaters, Libin helped oversee some of the most important productions and theater operations in modern Broadway history while remaining a steadfast supporter of nonprofit and Off-Broadway institutions throughout New York. He was a founding member of the League of Off Broadway Theatres and Producers and served as its president for thirty years. Widely admired for his leadership, mentorship, and institutional knowledge, Libin has played a pivotal role in nurturing artists, and theatrical organizations across the American theater landscape. His decades of service and unwavering commitment to the vitality of live performance have made him one of the most influential and beloved figures in the theater community. 

FRIEND OF OFF BROADWAY AWARD

Richard Ridge has spent decades documenting and championing the New York theater community as a columnist, photographer, and one of Broadway’s most recognizable cultural ambassadors. Through his extensive coverage of Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, opening nights, benefit events, and theatrical personalities for BroadwayWorld, Ridge has become a beloved and enthusiastic fixture throughout the theater industry. Known for tirelessly spotlighting performers, creatives, and productions alike, his work has helped preserve countless moments from New York theater culture while fostering a strong sense of community across generations of artists and audiences. His enduring passion for the performing arts and unwavering support of the Off-Broadway scene have made him a cherished presence throughout the theatrical world.

Nominators for the 2026 OBA Awards will cast their final votes on Sunday, May 24th, the day before Memorial Day, with official winners slated to be publicly announced on Wednesday, May 27th. The ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 16th at 1:00 PM at Sardi’s, bringing together members of the Off-Broadway community for an afternoon celebration recognizing excellence across New York’s vibrant independent theater landscape.