Lucille Lortel Awards Nominations Announced

The Off-Broadway League has announced nominations in 18 categories and one special award for the 2014 Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. The Lortel Awards will be handed out on Sunday, May 4, 2014 at NYU Skirball Center beginning at 7:00pm, and hosted by acclaimed husband and wife actors and comedians, Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman. This year's event will once again benefit The Actors Fund.

This year's nominations saw a record-breaking eleven nominations go to both The Public Theater's Here Lies Love and critically praised musical Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. The nominees for Outstanding Scenic Design are Miriam Buether Love and Information, David Korins, Here Lies Love, Mimi Lien, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Clint Ramos, Appropriate, and Matt Saunders, Good Person of Szechwan.

The Outstanding Lighting Design nominees are Daniel Ionazzi, The Jacksonian, Bradley King, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Ben Stanton, Fun Home, Justin Townsend, Here Lies Love, and Japhy Weideman, What's It All About.

The nominees for Outstanding Sound Design are M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, Here Lies Love, Clive Goodwin, What's It All About, Matt Hubbs, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Ryan Rumery, The Hatmaker's Wife, and Christopher Shutt, Love and Information.

Richard Nelson will be honored with induction onto the famed Playwrights' Sidewalk in front of the Lucille Lortel Theatre. Nelson has had a long and illustrious career both on Broadway and Off and previously won a Lortel Award in 2000 for Outstanding Musical for James Joyce's The Dead. The Playwrights' Sidewalk is New York's only permanent monument to the great Playwrights whose work has been performed Off-Broadway.

A cocktail reception honoring the nominees will take place Monday, April 21, from 5:00 - 7:00pm EST at The Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 W. 42nd St.

Members of the general public are again welcome to view the 7:00pm ceremony. Public tickets are $75. and will be available starting April 2, 2014, via phone at 212.352.3101, online at www.nyuskirball.org, and in person at the Skirball Center's Shagan Box Office (556 LaGuardia) from Tuesday - Sunday from 12 - 6pm.