Ryan J Haddad, William Jackson Harper, Marla Mindelle, and More Win Obie Awards - Full List of Winners!

The American Theatre Wing (Heather Hitchens, President & CEO), along with Spectrum News NY1, has announced the winners of the esteemed Obie Awards. The recipients of the 67th Annual Awards, Off- and Off-Off-Broadway's Highest Honor, were announced exclusively on Spectrum News NY1's “On Stage,” hosted by Emmy Award winner Frank DiLella.

The episode will re-air Sunday, January 28, at 7:30 and 10:30 PM. Spectrum News NY1 is available to Spectrum subscribers on channel 1 and via the Spectrum News App for mobile, Xumo Stream Box, Roku, and Apple TV streaming devices.

The winners of the 67th Obie Awards are:

BEST NEW AMERICAN PLAY

• Ryan J. Haddad, Dark Disabled Stories (The Bushwick Starr | The Public Theater)

 

PLAYWRITING

• Hansol Jung, Wolf Play (MCC Theater | Soho Rep | Ma-Yi Theater Company)
• Bruce Norris, Downstate (Playwrights Horizons | Steppenwolf Theatre Company |National Theatre)

 

DIRECTION

• Dustin Wills, Montag (Soho Rep), Wet Brain (Playwrights Horizons and MCC Theater), and Wolf Play (MCC Theater | Soho Rep | Ma-Yi Theater Company)
• Shayok Misha Chowdhury, Public Obscenities (Soho Rep | National Asian American Theatre Company)
• Faye Driscoll, Weathering (New York Live Arts)

 

SUSTAINED ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

• Eric Ting, The Far Country (Atlantic Theater Company) and The Comeuppance (Signature Theatre Company)
• Pam MacKinnon, Downstate (Playwrights Horizons | Steppenwolf Theatre Company| National Theatre)

 

PERFORMANCE

• William Jackson Harper, Primary Trust (Roundabout Theatre Company)
• Marla Mindelle, Titanique (Eva Price)
• Zuleyma Guevara, Sancocho (The Sol Project | Latinx Playwrights Circle | WP Theater)
• Maryann Plunkett, Deep Blue Sound (Clubbed Thumb)

 

SUSTAINED ACHIEVEMENT IN PERFORMANCE

• Shannon Tyo, The Comeuppance (Signature Theatre Company), The Far Country (Atlantic Theater Company), and Regretfully, So The Birds Are (Playwrights Horizons | WP Theater)
• John Douglas Thompson, Endgame (Irish Repertory Theatre) and Hamlet (The Public Theater)
• K. Todd Freeman, Downstate (Playwrights Horizons)

 

DESIGN

• Enver Chakartash (Costumes), Public Obscenities (Soho Rep | National Asian American Theatre Company), Toros (Second Stage Theater), The Trees (Playwrights Horizons | Page 73), Wolf Play (MCC Theater | Soho Rep | Ma-Yi Theater Company), Catch As Catch Can (Playwrights Horizons), and I'm Revolting (Atlantic Theater Company)
• Barbara Samuels (Lights), Public Obscenities (Soho Rep | National Asian American Theatre Company), Wolf Play (MCC Theater | Soho Rep | Ma-Yi Theater Company), Becky Nurse of Salem (Lincoln Center Theater), and Toros (Second Stage Theater)

 

SUSTAINED ACHIEVEMENT IN DESIGN

• dots (Sets) Collective: Santiago Orjuela-Laverde, Andrew Moerdyk, and Kimie Nishikawa, Public Obscenities (Soho Rep | National Asian American Theatre Company), Dark Disabled Stories (The Bushwick Starr | The Public Theater), Events (The Hearth Theater Company), Infinite Life (Atlantic Theater Company), Deep Blue Sound (Clubbed Thumb), and Grief Hotel (Clubbed Thumb)
• Mikaal Sulaiman (Sound), The Half God of Rainfall (New York Theatre Workshop), Primary Trust (Roundabout Theatre), Des Moines (Theatre For A New Audience), Evanston Salt Costs Climbing (The New Group)

 

SPECIAL CITATIONS

• Ensemble of Dark Disabled Stories (The Bushwick Starr | The Public Theater) Ryan J. Haddad, Dickie Hearts, and Alejandra Ospina
• Design Team of Wet Brain (Playwrights Horizon | MCC Theater): Kate Noll (Set), Cha See (Lights), Haydee Zelideth Antuñano (Costumes), Tei Blow (Co-Sound), John Gasper (Co-Sound), and Nick Hussong (Projections)
• Ensemble of The Comeuppance (Signature Theatre Company) Brittany Bradford, Caleb Eberhardt, Susannah Flood, Bobby Moreno, and Shannon Tyo
• Liza Birkenmeier (Writer) and Tara Ahmadinejad (Director) of Grief Hotel (Clubbed Thumb)
• Lead Actors of Montag (Soho Rep) Ariana Venturi and Nadine Malouf
• Intimacy Coordinators of Color and Ann C. James (Founder and Mentor)

 

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

• Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver (writing and performing duo of Split Britches)
• Carole Rothman (Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Second Stage)

 

THEATRE GRANTS

• Breaking the Binary Theatre Company
• Dominican Artists Collective (DAC)
• The Brick

 

ROSS WETZSTEON AWARD

• Under the Radar Festival (Mark Russell as Founder)

 

Michael Feingold AWARD

• Andrew Morrill for their work as Director of Artistic Sign Language and Alison Kopit for Access Dramaturgy of Dark Disabled Stories (The Bushwick Starr | The Public Theater)

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 winners with grants ranging from $1,000-5,000.

The 67th Obie Awards recognizes the outstanding contributions made throughout the 2022-2023 Off- and Off- Off-Broadway theatre season in New York City. The Obie Judges Committee includes: Obie-winning and Tony Award-nominated costume designer Dede Ayite; acclaimed scenic designer Wilson Chin; writer and Grammy Award winner Ty Defoe; Broadway's first Black intimacy coordinator & Obie Award winner Ann C. James; Obie Award-winning playwright Haruna Lee; actor, writer and performance artist Florencia Lozano; and Obie Award-winning performance artist Carmelita Tropicana; and is co-chaired by Obie-winning director David Mendizábal and veteran theater critic Melissa Rose Bernardo.  The judges thoroughly evaluated over 300 productions, engaged in thoughtful discussions, and, through their votes, selected the recipients.

“We are truly excited about this next iteration of The Obies because it genuinely reflects the ethos of the Awards as well as the Off- & Off-Off-Broadway movements – which is to continuously evolve and meet the moment,” says Heather Hitchens. “The grants and our relationship with Spectrum News NY1 will provide meaningful support, and more effective, nationwide promotion for these incredible artists, innovators, and theater companies.”

The official 67th Obie Awards season includes shows that opened between September 1, 2022 through August 31, 2023. Work that was presented at an Off- or Off-Off-Broadway theater and/or company was eligible for consideration. The full list of winners, as well as their recorded acceptance speeches, is now available on ObieAwards.com.

The Village Voice created The Obie Awards, at the suggestion of then editor Jerry Tallmer, soon after the publication's own inception in 1955, to encourage the newly burgeoning Off-Broadway theater movement and to acknowledge its achievements. The Obies are structured with informal categories to recognize artists and productions worthy of distinction in each theatrical year. Over the decades, The Obie Awards played a major role in championing work of innovative and exceptional quality Off- and Off-Off Broadway. The Obies have become a theatrical tradition, a meaningful way to acknowledge the best artistic achievements of downtown theater. The list of actors, writers, directors, and designers who have received Obies at pivotal moments in their careers is a virtual who's who of contemporary theater. While the categories of the awards have continued to change almost annually, the creative spirit remains the same. The Obie Awards, now presented by The American Theatre Wing, salute a theatrical movement that's as important and as vibrant today as it was in 1955.

Photo Credit: Hadad: Jennifer Broski, Harper and Mindelle: Bruce Glikas