FUTURITY, an avant garde musical about the future of human imagination, was named Best Musical and Guards at the Taj, about a legend at the heart of India's Taj Mahal, was named Best Play in the 2016 Lucille Lortel Awards, honoring outstanding achievement Off-Broadway.

Zachary Levi, star of Broadway’s She Loves Me, hosted the 31st annual awards May 1 at NYU Skirball Center in New York City.

Presenters included Lupita Nyong’o, Jonathan Groff, Billy Eichner, Laura Benanti, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, John Gallagher, Jr., John Benjamin Hickey, Stark Sands, Molly Ringwald, Hannah Elless and Ben Rappaport, among others.

Three-time Tony Award nominee Laura Linney co-presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Signature Theatre's founding artistic director James Houghton.

Representatives of the Off-Broadway League, Actors’ Equity Association, Stage Directors & Choreographers Society, the Lucille Lortel Foundation, in addition to theatre journalists and academics and other Off-Broadway professionals, served on the voting committee.

Keep Up to Date With Playbill.com's 2016 Theatre Awards Guide

All the 2016 Lortel Award nominations follow, with winners in bold and marked with an asterisk:

Outstanding Play

The Christians
Produced by Playwrights Horizons and Center Theatre Group
Written by Lucas Hnath

Eclipsed
Produced by The Public Theater
Written by Danai Gurira

Gloria
Produced by Vineyard Theatre
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

* Guards at the Taj
Produced by Atlantic Theater Company
Written by Rajiv Joseph

John
Produced by Signature Theatre
Written by Annie Baker

Outstanding Musical

* FUTURITY
Produced by Soho Rep. and Ars Nova in association with Carole Shorenstein Hays
Music by César Alvarez with The Lisps, Lyrics and Book by César Alvarez

Iowa
Produced by Playwrights Horizons
Written by Jenny Schwartz, Music by Todd Almond, Lyrics by Todd Almond and Jenny Schwartz

Southern Comfort
Produced by The Public Theater
Book and Lyrics by Dan Collins, Music by Julianne Wick Davis, Based on the Film by Kate Davis, Conceived for the Stage by Robert DuSold and Thomas Caruso

Tappin' Thru Life
Produced by Leonard Soloway, Bud Martin, Riki Kane Larimer, Jeff Wolk, Phyllis and Buddy Aerenson, Darren P. DeVerna/Jeremiah J. Harris and the Shubert Organization
Written by Maurice Hines

The Wildness: Sky-Pony's Rock Fairy Tale
Produced by Ars Nova in collaboration with The Play Company
Text by Kyle Jarrow & Lauren Worsham, Songs by Kyle Jarrow

Outstanding Revival

'Tis Pity She's a Whore
Produced by Red Bull Theater
Written by John Ford

Cloud Nine
Produced by Atlantic Theater Company
Written by Caryl Churchill

Mother Courage And Her Children
Produced by Classic Stage Company
Written by Bertolt Brecht, Translated by John Willett

* The Robber Bridegroom
Produced by Roundabout Theatre Company in association with Daryl Roth
Book and Lyrics by Alfred Uhry, Music by Robert Waldman

Women Without Men
Produced by Mint Theater Company
Written by Hazel Ellis

Outstanding Solo Show

The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey
Produced by Darren Bagert, Daryl Roth, Co-Produced by Jane Dubin, Curtis Forsythe, Michael Mayer, Diane Procter, Seaview Productions and Minerva Productions/Joshua Goodma
Written and Performed by James Lecesne

Forever
Produced by New York Theatre Workshop
Created and Performed by Dael Orlandersmith

* Grounded
Produced by The Public Theater
Written by George Brant
Performed by Anne Hathaway

Mike Birbiglia: Thank God For Jokes
Produced by Mike Berkowitz, Joseph Birbiglia, Ron Delsener and Mike Lavoie
Written and Performed by Mike Birbiglia

Outstanding Director
Rachel Chavkin, The Royale
Anne Kauffman, Marjorie Prime
Amy Morton, Guards at the Taj
* Liesl Tommy, Eclipsed
Eric Tucker, Bedlam's SENSE & SENSIBILITY

Outstanding Choreographer
Alexandra Beller, Bedlam's SENSE & SENSIBILITY
* Martha Clarke, Angel Reapers
Maurice Hines, Tappin' Thru Life
Paul McGill, The Legend of Georgia McBride
David Neumann, FUTURITY

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play
Denis Arndt, Heisenberg
Reed Birney, The Humans
* Timothée Chalamet, Prodigal Son
Andrew Garman, The Christians
Ed Harris, Buried Child

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play
Ito Aghayere, Familiar
Georgia Engel, John
Jayne Houdyshell, The Humans
Chinasa Ogbuagu, Sojourners
* Phylicia Rashad, Head of Passes

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical
Gabriel Ebert, Preludes
Michael C. Hall, Lazarus
Maurice Hines, Tappin' Thru Life
Michael Luwoye, Invisible Thread
* Steven Pasquale, The Robber Bridegroom

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical
Sophia Anne Caruso, Lazarus
Alison Fraser, First Daughter Suite
* Annette O'Toole, Southern Comfort
Mary Testa, First Daughter Suite
Sammy Tunis, FUTURITY

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Sanjit De Silva, Dry Powder
Jonathan Hogan, Hold On To Me Darling
* Matt McGrath, The Legend of Georgia McBride
Paul Sparks, Buried Child
C.J. Wilson, Hold On To Me Darling

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
* Alana Arenas, Head of Passes
Lauren Klein, The Humans
Jeanine Serralles, Gloria
Lois Smith, John
Myra Lucretia Taylor, Familiar

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Greg Hildreth, The Robber Bridegroom
* Jeffrey Kuhn, Southern Comfort
Or Matias, Preludes
Chris Sarandon, Preludes
Kevin Zak, Clinton the Musical

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Eisa Davis, Preludes
Karen Kandel, FUTURITY
Leslie Kritzer, Gigantic
* Leslie Kritzer, The Robber Bridegroom
Annie McNamara, Iowa

Outstanding Scenic Design
Mimi Lien, John
* Timothy R. Mackabee, Guards at the Taj
G.W. Mercier, Head of Passes
Emily Orling and Matt Saunders, FUTURITY
David Zinn, The Humans

Outstanding Costume Design
Martha Hally, Women Without Men
Toni-Leslie James, First Daughter Suite
Clint Ramos, Eclipsed
* Anita Yavich, The Legend of Georgia McBride
Donna Zakowska, Angel Reapers

Outstanding Lighting Design
Christopher Akerlind, Grounded
Mark Barton, John
Ben Stanton, The Legend of Georgia McBride
Justin Townsend, The Humans
* David Weiner, Guards at the Taj

Outstanding Sound Design
Matt Hubbs, The Royale
* Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen, Guards at the Taj
Fitz Patton, The Humans
Will Pickens, Grounded
Bray Poor, Buzzer

SPECIAL AWARDS

Outstanding Alternative Theatrical Experience
Angel Reapers
By Martha Clarke and Alfred Uhry
Produced by Signature Theatre

Peter Nigrini, Projection Design, Grounded

HONORARY AWARDS

Lifetime Achievement Award
James Houghton

Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee
Suzan-Lori Parks

*

The Off-Broadway League’s Lortel Awards Producing & Administration Committee (Terry Byrne, Denise Cooper, Margaret Cotter, Carol Fishman, George Forbes, Michael Page, Catherine Russell, Lindsey Sag, and Seth Shepsle) produces the Lortel Awards Ceremony. Michael Heitzman returns to direct the Lortel Awards for the seventh consecutive year. The Lucille Lortel Awards are produced by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Foundation. Additional support is provided by Theatre Development Fund.