The Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play was an award presented annually at the Lucille Lortel Awards to honor an actress for excellence in a leading role in an Off-Broadway production. The categories were split into Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical in 2014. The acting categories were made gender-neutral in 2021.
Eileen Atkins, Cherry Jones, Mary-Louise Parker and Tonya Pinkins have won the award twice each (with Pinkins' wins including one for a combined musical/play category in 2004. Quincy Tyler Bernstine and Jayne Houdyshell hold the record for most nominations, with four each; Houdyshell has received the most nominations without a win.
Several musical performers won or received nominations in this category before the musical/play categories split, including: