1980s Featured Image

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

Obie Grant

  • P.S. 122

  • Mabou Mines

  • Billie Holiday Theatre

Best Performance

  • Swoosie Kurtz

    The House of the Blue Leaves

Sustained Achievement

  • Mabou Mines

Playwriting

  • Wallace Shawn

    Aunt Dan and Lemon

  • Tadeusz Kantor

    Let the Artists Die

  • Martha Clarke

    Vienna: Lusthaus

  • Lee Nagrin

    Bird/Bear

  • John Jesurun

    Deep Sleep

  • Eric Bogosian

    Drinking in America

Design

  • Rita Ryack

    Costume Design

  • Paul Gallo

    Lighting Design

  • Edward T. Gianfrancesco

    Set Design

Special Citations

  • Genji Ito

    for Music

Direction

  • Richard Foreman

    Largo Desolato

Performance

  • Tom Cayler

    A Matter of Life and Death

  • Norma Aleandro

    About Love and Other Stories About Love

  • Kevin Kline

    Sustained Excellence of Performance

  • Kathryn Pogson

    Aunt Dan and Lemon

  • Josef Sommer

    Largo Desolato

  • Jill Eikenberry

    "Lemon Sky" and "Life Under Water"

  • Helen Stenborg

    Talley & Son

  • Farley Granger

    Talley & Son

  • Elizabeth Wilson

    Anteroom

  • Elisabeth Welch

    Time to Start Living

  • Edward Herrmann

    Sustained Excellence of Performance

  • Dylan Baker

    Not About Heroes

Obie Committee

  • Ross Wetzsteon, Eileen Blumenthal, Michael Feingold, Erika Munk, Julius Novick, Robert Massa, Gordon Rogoff, Rosalyn Drexler, Gautam Dasgupta

Hosts & Presenters

Host

Christopher Durang

Host

Swoozie Kurtz