The 1980s saw the beginnings of new playwrights like Christopher Durang, Harvey Fierstein, and David Henry Hwang, all receiving Obie Awards.
Meryl Streep and Morgan Freeman joined the Obies family winnings Obies in performance.
Winners
Best New American Play
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David Henry Hwang
FOB
Best Production
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Emily Mann
Still Life
Design
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Bloolips
Lust in Space
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Manuel L**Dutgenhorst and Douglas Ball
Request Concert
Sustained Excellence in Set Design
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Jun Maeda
Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design
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Dennis Parichy
Direction
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Melvin Bernhardt
Crimes of the Heart
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Wilford Leach
The Pirates of Penzance
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Toby Robertson
Pericles
Performance
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Giancarlo Esposito
Zooman and the Sign
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Bob Gunton
How I Got That Story
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Mary Beth Hurt
Crimes of the Heart
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Kevin Kline
The Pirates of Penzance
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John Lone
FOB and The Dance and the Railroad
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Mary McDonnell
Still Life
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Timothy Near
Still Life
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William Sadler
Limbo Tales
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Michele Shay
Meetings
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John Spencer
Still Life
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Meryl Streep
Alice in Concert
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Christopher Walken
The Sea Gulf
Playwriting
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Charles Fuller
Zooman and the Sign
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Amlin Gray
How I Got That Story
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Len Jenkin
Limbo Tales (script and direction)
Special Citations
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JoAnne Akalaitis and Mabou Mines
Dead End Kids
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Joseph Chaikin and the Winter Project
Tourists and Refuggees
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Bill Irwin
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Bruce Myers
A Dybbuk for Two People
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Repertorio Espanol
Sustained Achievement
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Negro Ensemble Company
Obie Committee
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Eileen Blumenthal,
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Michael Feingold
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Terry Curtis Fox
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Erika Munk
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Julius Novick
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Ross Wetzsteon
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James Leverett
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Edith Oliver