This evening, in a broadcast of NY1’s On Stage, hosted by Frank DiLella on Spectrum News, 2024 Obie winners Marla Mindelle and Ryan J. Haddad announced a selection of winners of the American Theatre Wing’s 68th Obie Awards – created by The Village Voice in 1955, to honor boundary-pushing off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theater, considering more than 300 productions each season – this time for shows that opened between September 1, 2023-August 31, 2024.
In addition to live in-person work, virtual, digital, and audio work presented during the 2023-24 season were also eligible for consideration. With the exception of Lifetime Achievement, Best New American Play, the Ross Wetzsteon Award Grant (presented to a theater that nurtures innovative new plays), and the Michael Feingold Award (recognizing achievement in criticism, dramaturgy, translation, scholarship, mentorship, education, or other theatrical contributions), the Obie Award categories are purposefully informal to create limitless possibilities for recognizing the people and productions worthy of distinction each year. In addition, the panel of judges typically presents one or more special citations.
The judges for the current Obie Awards were award-winning writer, director, translator and performer Aya Ogawa; playwright and actor David Greenspan; Editor-in-Chief of Playbill Diep Tran; actor Heather Alicia Simms; multi-hyphenate artist Modesto “Flako” Jimenez; Nikiya Mathis, recipient of the Henry Heard Design Award and The Antonio Award; actor and playwright Ryan J. Haddad; and Obie Award-winning director Taylor Reynolds. Returning to the Obie panel were scenic designer for theater, opera, film, and television Wilson Chin and Obie-winning playwright Haruna Lee, who also served as co-chairs of the panel.
In lieu of the annual awards ceremony, the American Theatre Wing will instead dedicate funds to the support and growth of the artists by bestowing the winners of the 35 awards with grants totaling $250,000. The grants were made possible by an anonymous donation, in support of the new Obie Awards structure, in which funds go directly to the awarded artists. There will be a private reception to toast the winners on February 10.
And the winners of the 68th Obie Awards are:
OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY: Jeremy Tiang, Salesman (Yangtze Repertory Theatre/Gung Ho Projects)
PLAYWRITING: Ife Olujobi, Jordans (The Public Theater); Ariel Stess, Kara & Emma & Barbara & Miranda (The Tank/ New Georges)
DIRECTING: Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch (Direction), Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles (Choreography), Cats: The Jellicle Ball (Perelman Performing Arts Center); nicHi douglas (Direction and Choreography), (pray) (Ars Nova/National Black Theatre); Jack Serio, The Animal Kingdom (Jack Serio) and On Set With Theda Bara (Transport Group/ Lucille Lortel Theatre); Tiffany Nichole Greene, Covenant (Roundabout Theatre Company)
SUSTAINED ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING: Sarah Benson, Teeth (Playwrights Horizons) and The Welkin (Atlantic Theater Company)
PERFORMANCE: Cole Escola, Oh, Mary! (Alchemation/Mike & Carlee Productions); Gabby Beans, Jonah (Roundabout Theatre Company); Dianne Wiest and Johanna Day, Scene Partners (Vineyard Theatre); Nathan Lee Graham, Orlando (Signature Theatre Company)
SUSTAINED ACHIEVEMENT IN PERFORMANCE: The Bengsons (Composing and Performing), The Keep Going Songs (LCT3); Greg Keller, Dig (59E59), Pre-Existing Condition (Jesse Eisenberg/Charlie Kaufman/OHenry Productions/The Cohn Sisters/Jessica Chase/Taylor Williams), and Staff Meal (Playwrights Horizons)
DESIGN: Greg Corbino (Production Design), Snatch Adams & Tainty McCracken Present It’s That Time of the Month (SoHo Repertory); Oana Botez (Costumes), Orlando (Signature Theatre Company); Stacey Derosier (Lights), Daphne (Lincoln Center Theater), On Set With Theda Bara (Transport Group/Lucille Lortel Theatre), The Animal Kingdom (Jack Serio), The Refuge Plays (Roundabout Theatre Company/New York Theatre Workshop), The Welkin (Atlantic Theater Company), and United States V. Gupta (JACK/New Georges)
SUSTAINED ACHIEVEMENT IN DESIGN: Adam Honoré (Lights), The Lonely Few (MCC Theater), Cats: The Jellicle Ball (Perelman Performing Arts Center), and I Can Get It for You Wholesale (Classic Stage Company); Jian Jung (Set), Staff Meal (Playwrights Horizons), The Following Evening (Perelman Performing Arts Center/Talking Band/600 HIGHWAYMEN), Zoetrope (Caborca/Abrons Arts Center), and 9 Kinds of Silence (PlayCo)
SPECIAL CITATIONS: Ensemble of Cats: The Jellicle Ball (Perelman Performing Arts Center) – Jonathan Burke, Baby Byrne, Tara Lashan Clinkscales, Antwayn Hopper, André De Shields, Sydney James Harcourt, Dava Huesca, Dudney Joseph Jr., Capital Kaos, Junior LaBeija, Robert “Silk” Mason, Shereen Pimentel, “Tempress” Chasity Moore, Primo, Xavier Reyes, Nora Schell, Bebe Nicole Simpson, Emma Sofia, Phumzile Sojola, Frank Viveros, Kendall Grayson Stroud, Garnet Williams, Teddy Wilson Jr., Shelby Griswold, and Dominique Lee; Raja Feather Kelly (Creator and Director) and Ensemble of The Fires (SoHo Rep) – Beau Badu, Sheldon Best, Phillip James Brannon, Janelle McDermoth, Ronald Peet, Jon-Michael Reese, Jason Veasey, and Michelle Wilson (Ensemble); Milo Cramer (Book, Music, Lyrics, and Performance) and Morgan Green (Director), School Pictures (Playwrights Horizons); Normandy Sherwood (Production Design and Concept), Psychic Self Defense (Here/Dream Music Factory); The 1491s – Dallas Goldtooth, Sterlin Harjo, Migizi Pensoneau, Ryan RedCorn, and Bobby Wilson – (Creators) and Ensemble of Between Two Knees (Perelman Performing Arts Center) – Rachel Crowl, Derek Garza, Justin Gauthier, Irma-Estel Laguerre, Shyla Lefner, Wotko Long, Jessica Ranville, James Ryen, John Scott-Richardson, Kholan Studi, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Sheila Tousey, and Ryan Anthony Williams (Ensemble); Becca Blackwell and Amanda Duarte (Creators) and Jess Barbagallo (Director), Snatch Adams & Tainty McCracken Present It’s That Time of The Month (SoHo Rep)
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: Charles Busch (Writer), Ibsen’s Ghost: An Irresponsible Biographical Fantasy (Primary Stages/George Street Playhouse/Daryl Roth/Ted Snowdon/Jamie deRoy); Kristin Marting, Founding Artistic Director Emeritus of HERE; Paul Zimet, Ellen Maddow, and Tina Shepard, The Following Evening (Perelman Performing Arts Center/Talking Band/600 HIGHWAYMEN) and Shimmer and Herringbone (Talking Band/Mabou Mines)
THEATRE GRANTS: Criminal Queerness Festival (National Queer Theater); Out of the Box Theatrics; Braata Productions; The 1/52 Project; Tectonic Theater Project
ROSS WETZSTEON AWARD: Theater Mitu
MICHAEL FEINGOLD AWARD: 3Views On Theater.
Congratulations to all the winners! The episode of On Stage will re-air on Saturday, February 1, at 10:30 pm, and Sunday, February 2, at 7:30 and 10:30 pm, on NYC’s channel 1 (NY1), online at NY1.com, and on the Spectrum News app.
