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Samuel D. Hunter’s Little Bear Ridge Road was named Best Play of nan 2025-2026 play by nan New York Drama Critics’ Circle coming for nan Broadway staging starring Laurie Metcalf and Micah Stock, directed by Joe Mantello and produced by Scott Rudin and Barry Diller.
The grant for Best Individual Performance went to Alden Ehrenreich for his outstanding Broadway debut successful Gina Gionfriddo’s play Becky Shaw.
And if location were immoderate doubts that Rudin, returning to New York’s theatre scenery aft a prolonged hiatus pursuing allegations of workplace bullying, has resumed his sizeable spot of effect connected Broadway and Off Broadway, tonight’s critics’ awards mightiness laic them to rest: In summation to Little Bear Ridge Road, nan Rudin-Diller produced Death of a Salesman, headed by Metcalf and Nathan Lane and directed by Mantello, took nan grant for Best Ensemble Performance. (The revival’s formed besides includes Christopher Abbott, Ben Ahlers, K. Todd Freeman, Jonathan Cake, Joaquin Consuelos and Jake Termine, among others.)
A 3rd Rudin-Diller accumulation led to a typical citation: Wallace Shawn and his longtime collaborator André Gregory were honored for profession achievement. The actor/writer and his head reteamed this play for nan Off Broadway play What We Did Before Our Moth Days, produced by Rudin and Diller.
Special Citations besides were awarded to Lincoln Center Theater revival of Ragtime (which conscionable announced an upcoming nationalist tour) and Qween Jean for nan costume creation of Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Liberation and Saturday Church.
No grant was fixed for Best Musical.
The selections were made astatine nan organization’s 90th yearly voting gathering and will beryllium presented successful a backstage ceremonial connected Thursday, May 7, including a rate prize of $2,500 for Best Play, made imaginable by a assistance from nan Lucille Lortel Foundation.
Little Bear Ridge Road had its New York premiere connected October 30, 2025, astatine Broadway’s Booth Theatre. The play received its world premiere astatine Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company connected June 23, 2024. In a caller New Yorker profile, Metcalf stated that she threatened to quit her longtime location astatine Steppenwolf if nan institution did not let Rudin to transportation nan play to Broadway.
The New York Drama Critics’ Circle comprises 22 drama critics from regular newspapers, magazines, ligament services and websites based successful nan New York metropolitan area. The New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, which has been awarded each twelvemonth since 1936 to nan champion caller play of nan play (with optional awards for overseas aliases American plays, musicals and typical achievements), is nan nation’s second-oldest playwriting award, aft nan Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Adam Feldman, theatre professional and editor for Time Out New York, has served arsenic president of nan NYDCC since 2005. Zachary Stewart of TheaterMania serves arsenic vice president and treasurer. Other members include David Barbour, David Cote, Joe Dziemianowicz, Deadline’s Greg Evans, Rhoda Feng, David Finkle, Elysa Gardner, Robert Hofler, Sara Holdren, Charles Isherwood, Chris Jones, Soraya Nadia McDonald, Jackson McHenry, Emily Nussbaum, Johnny Oleksinski, Frank Scheck, David Sheward, Tim Teeman, Elisabeth Vincentelli and Matt Windman. Emeritus members see Melissa Rose Bernardo, Brian Scott Lipton, Michael Sommers and Steven Suskin.
Recent Best Play winners see Purpose, Stereophonic, Downstate, A Case for nan Existence of God, Heroes of nan Fourth Turning and The Ferryman. Recent Best Musical winners see Dead Outlaw, Kimberly Akimbo, Strange Loop and The Band’s Visit. The Circle besides presents awards for Best Individual Performance and Best Ensemble Performance, arsenic good arsenic Special Citations.
