2026 Dorian Theater Awards Sets Dates and New Categories - Score, Book of a Musical and More

GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics has revealed key dates and new categories for the 4th annual Dorian Theater Awards, set to honor Broadway and Off-Broadway productions of the 2025-2026 season.

Nominees for the 2026 Dorian Theater Awards will be unveiled on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, and winners on Monday, June 1, 2026.

To be eligible for the 2026 awards, Broadway productions must open by Sunday, April 26, 2026; Off-Broadway productions must open by Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

The members of GALECA's theater wing have also instituted several new categories ahead of the 2026 honors. This year, Dorian Theater Awards will be handed out for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical, Outstanding Off-Broadway Play, and Outstanding Off-Broadway Revival. The group's signature Outstanding LGBTQ Off-Broadway Production category, which recognizes queer-centric work, will remain intact.

The group is also introducing new Broadway categories for Outstanding Score, Book of a Musical, and Script of a Play. Off-Broadway productions may also compete for the new Outstanding Writing for an Off-Broadway Production category, for which playwrights, composers, and lyricists are all eligible.

Like GALECA's Dorian Film and TV Awards, the group's theater awards celebrate both mainstream and LGBTQ+-themed productions. Nominations and winners for the Dorian Theater Awards will be selected by GALECA's theater wing, a group currently comprising 47 professional journalists who regularly critique, report on, or assign stories on NYC theater for noteworthy media outlets.

Complete list of categories for the 4th Annual Dorian Theater Awards:

OUTSTANDING BROADWAY MUSICAL

OUTSTANDING BROADWAY PLAY

OUTSTANDING BROADWAY MUSICAL REVIVAL

OUTSTANDING BROADWAY PLAY REVIVAL

OUTSTANDING LGBTQ BROADWAY PRODUCTION

OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A BROADWAY MUSICAL

OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A BROADWAY PLAY

OUTSTANDING FEATURED PERFORMANCE IN A BROADWAY MUSICAL

OUTSTANDING FEATURED PERFORMANCE IN A BROADWAY PLAY

OUTSTANDING BROADWAY ENSEMBLE

OUTSTANDING BROADWAY SCORE

OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A BROADWAY MUSICAL

OUTSTANDING SCRIPT OF A BROADWAY PLAY

OUTSTANDING DESIGN OF A BROADWAY PRODUCTION

THE BROADWAY SHOWSTOPPER AWARD

(for a standout production number or scene)

OUTSTANDING OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL

OUTSTANDING OFF-BROADWAY PLAY

OUTSTANDING OFF-BROADWAY REVIVAL

OUTSTANDING OFF-BROADWAY LGBTQ PRODUCTION

OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE IN AN OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTION

OUTSTANDING FEATURED PERFORMANCE IN AN OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTION

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR AN OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTION

OUTSTANDING DESIGN OF AN OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTION

LGBTQ THEATER ARTIST OF THE SEASON

LGBTQ THEATER TRAILBLAZER

See the winners of the third annual Dorian Theater Awards in 2025 HERE. John Proctor is the Villain and Cats: The Jellicle Ball received top honors in the group's third annual Dorian Theater Awards.