
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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Maria Irene Fornes
Abingdon Square
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Caryl Churchill
Serious Money
Obie Grant
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Theatre for a New Audience
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CSC Repertory
Sustained Achievement
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Richard Foreman
Direction
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Peter Brook
The Mahabharata
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Julie Taymor
Juan Darien
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Anne Bogart
No Plays No Poetry...
Design
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Huck Snyder
Sustained Excellence of Scenic Design
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Eva Buchmuller
Sustained Excellence of Stage Design
Special Citations
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Elliot Goldenthal, for Music
Juan Darien
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Christopher Reeve
for his courageous work on behalf of Chilean artists
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B. H. Barry
Sustained Excellence of Stage Combat Choreography
Performance
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Yvonne Bryceland
The Road to Mecca
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Victor Garber
Wenceslas Square
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Tina Shepardl
The Three Lives of Lucie Cabro
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Peggy Shaw
Dress Suits to Hire
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Lauren Tom
American Notes
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Larry Bazzell
The Signal Season of Dummy Hoy
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Kathy Bates
Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune
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John Seitz
Abingdon Square
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Gordana Rashovich
A Shayna Maidel
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Erland Josephson
The Cherry Orchard
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Amy Irving
The Road to Mecca
Obie Committee
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Ross Wetzsteon, Eileen Blumenthal, Robert Massa, Erika Munk, Julius Novick, Gordon Rogoff, Clinton Davis, Judith Malina