Winners

Best New American Play

• Sanaz Toossi

  English (Atlantic Theater Company)

  In a play about language, every word counts. So, when a playwright tackles identity, intelligence, ambition, dreams, assimilation, and integrity—all in just 100 minutes—we’re going to listen. “Why do we learn language?” asks the teacher in a TOEFL prep class in Iran. “To speak not only to our needs but our wants. To speak to our souls.” For her droll, delicately drawn interpersonal drama—and for speaking to the audience’s souls—the judges have awarded the Obie for Best New American Play to SANAZ TOOSSI for ENGLISH

Playwriting

• Martyna Majok

  Sanctuary City (New York Theatre Workshop – NYTW)

  Fractured scenes featuring two teens traverse time and place at lightning speed, while repetition highlights the relentless cycle of searching for sanctuary in a home, a school, a job, and a country that refuses to protect the nameless B and G. All they have is each other, until an opportunity opens doors for one, and the bond of safety they thought they had found together is proved to be as fragile as the reality of being undocumented in a post-9/11 America. For her honest, unflinching, and unsentimental portrait of young Dreamers navigating the bureaucratic tangles of the U.S. immigration system and displaying a mastery of theatrical language and craft, the judges have awarded an Obie to MARTYNA MAJOK for her play SANCTUARY CITY. 

Direction

• Taylor Reynolds

  Man Cave (Page 73) and Tambo & Bones (Playwrights Horizons) 

  Authentic new plays are a demanding process, and they call for a director with a sixth sense. One who can navigate the multilayered sediment of poetry on the page, while creating an authentic map that guides both the collaborative team and audience through the darkness of uncharted territory. For the artistic intuition and leadership that brought us two very strong, spellbinding productions this season, and for the distinct visions that she manifested on stage in both MAN CAVE and TAMBO & BONES, the judges have awarded an Obie for Direction to TAYLOR REYNOLDS.  

• Awoye Timpo

  Wedding Band (TFNA) and her work as founder of Classix 

  It seems so necessary that it’s hard to believe it didn’t already exist: a Black theater history database that features plays, playwrights, and dramaturgical resources. Google “Classix”—with an X—and you’ll learn that its mission is to “explode the understanding of the ‘classical’ canon.” A perfect example is Alice Childress’s Wedding Band, an explosive drama about an interracial couple, set in Charleston in 1918. First staged in 1966, but rarely produced since then, the Theatre for a New Audience production makes it clear: This is an American classic. For her direction of WEDDING BAND and for her extraordinary work as the founder of Classix, the judges have awarded an Obie to AWOYE TIMPO. 

Music Direction and Composition

• Matt Ray

  The Hang (HERE) 

  Part jazz cabaret and part opera, an exuberant roomful of musicians and actors celebrate and contemplate the final hours of the life of Socrates. Saxophones and trombones cascade and swoop, while all around him the composer plays the keys and sings and surrounds all of us with the stuff of life and death, as only great music can. For his extensive contributions to the score for the Taylor Mac experience THE HANG, the judges have awarded an Obie to composer, orchestrator, music director, and performer MATT RAY. 

Sustained Achievement in Directing

• Saheem Ali

  Nollywood Dreams (MCC); Merry Wives (The Public); Romeo y Julieta (The Public); and Fat Ham (The Public | National Black Theater - NBT) 

  From the film studios in Nigeria’s booming Nollywood industry, to the bustling diasporic streets of Harlem, to the raucous back porch of a Southern family barbecue, one director took us around the world celebrating Black joy and connecting audiences through comedy. Sprinkle in a touch of tragedy and romance on a sonic star-crossed journey through the bilingual streets of Verona and experience the range of stories, cultures, languages, and communities welcomed on the stage in this global vision of theatre for all. For keeping audiences delighted with his lively, colorful productions of NOLLYWOOD DREAMS, MERRY WIVES, FAT HAM, and ROMEO Y JULIETA, the judges have awarded an Obie for Sustained Achievement in Directing to SAHEEM ALI. 

• David Brimmer

  When playwrights create work that demand an acute knowledge of corporeal storytelling through fight direction, this artist has demonstrated a sensitive brilliance and expertise in helping to create those moments of action and violence. In addition, over the years, he’s mentored a legion of fight choreographers and remains a staunch supporter of his peers in the theater community. For his contributions to more than 50 off-Broadway productions—the judges have awarded an Obie for Sustained Achievement in Fight Direction to J. DAVID BRIMMER.

Performance

• Stephanie Berry

  On Sugarland (NYTW) 

  They are the keepers of memory for a community whose rich history could become burdened by immeasurable grief. Sisters—one who built a monument to the grief that needed a hollering to fulfill the witnessing of life that had passed on, and the other, whose sharp tongue and irreverent wit allowed us to holla with uproarious laughter to the tune of that same grief. In crafting their individual characters, the audience delighted in seeing the volley of emotions that these two journeyman actors expertly elicited. For their extraordinary teamwork in ON SUGARLAND, the judges have awarded an Obie for performance to STEPHANIE BERRY and LIZAN MITCHELL. 

• Lizan Mitchell

  On Sugarland (NYTW) 

  They are the keepers of memory for a community whose rich history could become burdened by immeasurable grief. Sisters—one who built a monument to the grief that needed a hollering to fulfill the witnessing of life that had passed on, and the other, whose sharp tongue and irreverent wit allowed us to holla with uproarious laughter to the tune of that same grief. In crafting their individual characters, the audience delighted in seeing the volley of emotions that these two journeyman actors expertly elicited. For their extraordinary teamwork in ON SUGARLAND, the judges have awarded an Obie for performance to STEPHANIE BERRY and LIZAN MITCHELL. 

• Brittany Bradford

  Wedding Band (Theatre For a New Audience) 

  Captivating. Heartbreaking. Transcendent. Those were just a few of the adjectives applied to this actor’s turn as an embattled World War I–era Black seamstress. Her ferocious verbal blowout with a racist Southern matriarch practically charred the stage; meanwhile, her silent moments, whether alone or with her white lover of 10 years, burned equally bright. For her dazzling display of emotional range as Julia in Alice Childress’s rediscovered WEDDING BAND, the judges have awarded an Obie to BRITTANY BRADFORD. 

• Kara Young

  Twelfth Night (Classical Theatre of Harlem) 

  Whether this actor was shivering post-shipwreck, dashing about in disguise, or dueling with lightsabers, she was a blazing star-heart in every one of her scenes, commanding the text and attention as she does in every appearance she makes on the boards. For her fierce and funny Viola in the Classical Theatre of Harlem’s high-concept Afrofuturist production of TWELFTH NIGHT, the judges have awarded an Obie to KARA YOUNG. 

• Arturo Luís Soria

  Ni Mi Madre (Rattlestick) 

  A boy and his mother—but this is neither an ordinary boy nor an ordinary mother. Bursting at the seams with high-octane energy and unapologetic radiance, this solo show relaunched the field with a jolt of color and whole lot of heart. Navigating the terrains of multiple generations, cultures, and languages, we meet Bete, a no-nonsense, sharp-tongued divorcée and her charismatic queer son, Arturo. Set on a ritualistic altar, we witness the characters—embodied by one performer—bicker, brawl, and dance to find a bit of healing and understanding for one another. For his honest, stinging, and love-filled performance in NI MI MADRE, the judges have awarded an Obie to ARTURO LUÍS SORIA.  

Sustained Achievement in Performance

• Billy Eugene Jones

  On Sugarland (NYTW) and Fat Ham (The Public) 

  A murderous brother, a vengeful ghost, and a veteran who longs to return to war but is sidelined by his rotting foot. Two of these finely crafted performances happened in just one play to great hilarity. This actor’s ability to effortlessly exhibit the joy and pain that lives on the outer edges and within the full spirit of the characters Pap and Rev stunned with depth and specificity. The other, Saul, was grounded in the pathos of someone who had witnessed immense horrors and still endures incredible pain. For his transformational work in FAT HAM and ON SUGARLAND, the judges have awarded an Obie for Sustained Achievement in Performance BILLY EUGENE JONES.

• Andrea Patterson

  Cullud Wattah (Public Theater); Confederates (Signature); and Seize the King (The Classical Theatre of Harlem) 

  The chameleonic gifts needed to navigate a variety of roles include a dexterity with language, emotions, and physicality. When an actor is given the chance to play multiple characters in one season—or four characters in three plays in one season—audiences get to see the full breadth of their talent. One performer nimbly navigated prose and poetry, comedy and drama, and past and the present in each performance. For bringing incredible humanity, heart, and soul to the roles of Ainee in CULLUD WATTAH, Queen Woodville in SEIZE THE KING, and both LuAnne and Jade in CONFEDERATES, the judges have awarded an Obie for Sustained Achievement in Performance to ANDREA PATTERSON.  

Design

• Reza Behjat

  English (Atlantic Theater Company) and Wish You Were Here (Playwrights Horizons) 

  Two plays set in the city of Teraj, Iran. One spans 1978 to 1991 in a modest living room, and the other six weeks in 2008 in a bare classroom. To capture the crisp hues of the Iranian sun rising and setting through the windows with cinematic precision and depict three decades of history, revolution, and progress through lighting is no easy feat. It requires a designer with poetic grace, an eye for visual storytelling, and the heart to bring one’s homeland to the stage. For his inspired, evocative, and transportive lighting designs on WISH YOU WERE HERE and ENGLISH, the judges have awarded an Obie to REZA BEHJAT. 

Sustained Achievement in Lighting Design

• Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew

  Cullud Wattah (The Public), Oratorio for Living Things (Ars Nova), The Nosebleed (Lincoln Center Theater), Golden Shield (MTC), Snow in Midsummer (CSC), Fairycakes (Greenwich House), and What You Are Now (EST) 

  Whether it’s an intimate evening of storytelling, a classic play reimagined, a live concert playing to thousands, or an experimental musical in the round, time and time again this artist has been behind the many productions we’ve come to love and revere, pouring her spirit onto the stage through the way she directs light. For her fearless and transformative lighting designs, her contributions that continue to shift and evolve this medium, and her fierce devotion to the theater community at large, the judges have awarded an Obie for Sustained Achievement in Lighting Design to JEANETTE OI-SUK YEW. 

Sustained Achievement in Hair and Wig Design

• Nikiya Mathis

  Nollywood Dreams (MTC) 

  Melding character, culture, and insightful details is just some of the work of the actor. But what happens when the actor is able to translate those abilities to hair design? Understanding the specific needs of Black women who want to feel fully seen on stage while preserving the health of their tresses offstage became the driving force in the trajectory of this artist’s multifaceted design endeavors. For her unmistakable work on CONFEDERATES, NOLLYWOOD DREAMS, and RICHARD III, the judges have awarded an Obie for Sustained Achievement in Hair and Wig Design to NIKIYA MATHIS. 

Sustained Achievement in Set and Costume Design

• Machine Dazzle

  A headdress made of a giant plastic banana split. Sparkling platform shoes. Balloons and feathers and beads and spangles built into impossible sculptures. Glamour and ferocity. Wearable ideas that thrill and make our jaws drop, over and over again. The Museum of Art + Design calls it “Queer Maximalism.” This is conceptual art doing a tango with lusty theatrical costume design. Everything built from scratch using not only the most fabulous fabric, but the objects that make up our American lives. For his gob-smacking work over the last decade and beyond, the judges have awarded an Obie for Sustained Achievement in Design to MACHINE DAZZLE.

Special Citation

• Heather Christian (Composer, Vocal Arrangements, Orchestration); Ben Moss (Music Director, Orchestration); Nick Kourtides (Sound Design); and the musical team of Oratorio For Living Things (Ars Nova) 

  Oratorio For Living Things (Ars Nova) 

  We sit in a steep bowl, surrounded by 12 singers and six musicians. For the next 90 minutes, in both English and Latin, we are taken on a cosmic musical journey, contemplating the experience of time. The music is stunning, and it swirls around us. We are lifted, dropped, swept along in a glorious choral tornado. For collaborating to build this unique musical and sonic experience, the judges have awarded a Special Obie Citation to composer/vocal arranger/orchestrator HEATHER CHRISTIAN, sound designer NICK KOURTIDES, music director BEN MOSS, and the musical team of ORATORIO FOR LIVING THINGS. 

• Creative Team and Ensemble of Fat Ham (The Public) James Ijames (Playwright), Saheem Ali (Director); Maruti Evans (Set Design); Dominique Fawn Hill (Costume Design); Stacey Derosier (Lighting Designer); Mikaal Sulaiman (Sound Design); Darrell Grand Moultrie (Choreographer); Earon Chew Nealey (Hair and Wig Design); Skylar Fox (Illusions Design); Nikki Crawford, Chris Herbie Holland, Billy Eugene Jones, Adrianna Mitchell, Calvin Leon Smith, Marcel Spears, and Benja Kay Thomas (ensemble) 

  Fat Ham (The Public)

  Nothing is rotten in the state of North Carolina: A backyard barbecue, tacky wedding decor, groovy apparitions, an inappropriate lap dance, a pointed karaoke rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep,” and a stunning surprise drag transformation all combine for a Shakespeare-inspired comedy on AstroTurf. What a piece of work! For their transformative collaboration on FAT HAM, James Ijames’s cheeky present-day rethink of Hamlet, the judges have awarded a Special Obie Citation to the cast and creative team: director SAHEEM ALI; set designer MARUTI EVANS; costume designer DOMINIQUE FAWN HILL; lighting designer STACEY DEROSIER; sound designer MIKAAL SULAIMAN; choreographer DARRELL GRAND MOULTRIE; illusions designer SKYLAR FOX; hair and wig designer EARON CHEW NEALEY; and actors NIKKI CRAWFORD, CHRIS HERBIE HOLLAND, BILLY EUGENE JONES, ADRIANNA MITCHELL, CALVIN LEON SMITH, MARCEL SPEARS, and BENJA KAY THOMAS. 

• Creative Team and Ensemble of English (The Atlantic Theater) Knud Adams (Directing), Marsha Ginsberg (Set Design), Enver Chakartash (Costume Design), Reza Behjat (Lighting Design), Sinan Refik Zafar (Sound Design) Tala Ashe, Ava Lalezarzadeh, Pooya Mohseni, Marjan Neshat, and Hadi Tabbal (Ensemble) 

  English (The Atlantic Theater)

  A sparsely decorated room spins to the sound of a faint piano solo. The warm hues of the sun spill in through the windows as dusk arrives on a woman, her hair wrapped in a vibrant scarf. A teacher proclaims, “English only!” Immediately we’ve been transported to a TOEFL classroom in Iran, toggling between accented and unaccented dialects, a theatricalization of shifting tongues from English to Farsi. With great specificity and humor we reckon with what is gained and what is lost learning a foreign language. Brought to life with vivid clarity by a stellar cast and imbued with a rich and balanced sense of longing in the design, the judges have awarded a Special Obie Citation to the cast and creative team of Sanaz Toossi’s ENGLISH: director KNUD ADAMS; set designer MARSHA GINSBERG; costume designer ENVER CHAKARTASH; lighting designer REZA BEHJAT; sound designer SINAN REFIK ZAFAR; and actors TALA ASHE, AVA LALEZARZADEH, POOYA MOHSENI, MARJAN NESHAT, and HADI TABBAL.  

• Aya Ogawa

  for the Creation, Writing, and Direction of The Nosebleed (Lincoln Center Theater | Japan Society) 

  Failure is almost always something we hide from each other, but this artist dared to bring their failures, and in turn our own, into the light. An autobiographical tour de force related to being both Japanese and American, the throes of growing up as a bilingual immigrant in this country and its implications with motherhood, this work utilized every performance to heal an estranged relationship with a shadowy father figure—and, in turn, addressed what it truly means to embrace and forgive the many fractal versions of ourselves looming in our consciousness. For the courageousness, the soul and humor, and the exacting moments that left us weeping toward the end, the judges have awarded a Special Obie Citation for the creation, writing, and direction of THE NOSEBLEED to AYA OGAWA.  

• Qween Jean

  On Sugarland, Black No More, Wedding Band, Corsicana, Soft, What to Send Up When It Goes Down

  In 2020 when we were all confined to our apartments, a revolution was taking place in the streets. Every single day for over a year, this artist and activist led people in the march toward liberation and justice, spreading a message of radical love, joy, and empowerment. The Stonewall Protests and Black Trans Liberation are two of the movements this cultural leader helped nurture and celebrate, demanding change and the acknowledgement of the inherent value of all Black life. When theaters reopened, she brought her values to her work as a costume designer to ON SUGARLAND, BLACK NO MORE, WEDDING BAND, CORSICANA, SOFT, and WHAT TO SEND UP WHEN IT GOES DOWN, highlighting the direct relationship between art and activism. For bringing her vision of liberation and solidarity to the people, and for demonstrating the power of raising up one’s voice onstage and off, the judges have awarded a Special Obie Citation to QWEEN JEAN. 

• Digital+Virtual+Hybrid Production: Michael Breslin, Patrick Foley, Ariel Sibert, Cat Rodríguez and Rory Pelsue (Creators, Writers, Director) in collaboration with David Bengali (Video Designer) Circle Jerk (Fake Friends and Jeremy O. Harris) 

  Circle Jerk (Fake Friends and Jeremy O. Harris) 

  It is one thing to create a hybrid work of digital, virtual, and live theater that speaks to this current moment, but it is another thing entirely to merge these modalities in a wicked way that screams experimentation and innovation right into your face. For the divinely muscular and off-kilter magnetism witnessed on stage, for integrating a story with the technologies of our time to make a show that eclipsed our wildest expectations, the judges have awarded a Special Obie Citation for the virtual-digital-hybrid production of CIRCLE JERK to FAKE FRIENDS: co-creators and performers MICHAEL BRESLIN and PATRICK FOLEY, dramaturg ARIEL SIBERT, performer CAT RODRÍGUEZ, and director RORY PELSUE, in collaboration with video designer DAVID BENGALI.  

• Laurie Woolery

  for Directing in the adaptation of As You Like It (The Public) 

  “All the world’s a stage.” When Shakespeare wrote it, could he ever have imagined it becoming a song in Central Park? Each night, long-lost siblings, exiled monarchs, clueless lovers, and a cast of more than 125 New Yorkers (and puppets) crooning R&B ballads and belting out gospel-style tunes transported us to the Forest of Arden under the stars. For their giddy, rambunctious Public Theater/Public Works adaptation of AS YOU LIKE IT, the judges have awarded a Special Obie Citation to director LAURIE WOOLERY and composer SHAINA TAUB. 

• Shaina Taub

  for Music and Lyrics in the adaptation of As You Like It (The Public) 

  “All the world’s a stage.” When Shakespeare wrote it, could he ever have imagined it becoming a song in Central Park? Each night, long-lost siblings, exiled monarchs, clueless lovers, and a cast of more than 125 New Yorkers (and puppets) crooning R&B ballads and belting out gospel-style tunes transported us to the Forest of Arden under the stars. For their giddy, rambunctious Public Theater/Public Works adaptation of AS YOU LIKE IT, the judges have awarded a Special Obie Citation to director LAURIE WOOLERY and composer SHAINA TAUB.

• Alex Edelman

  Just For Us (Mike Birbiglia | Greenwich House Theater) 

  Have you heard the one about the Jewish comedian and the white supremacists? Sounds like the setup for a joke—and, in a way, it is. It’s also the building block for a sensational one-man show that pushes the limits of stand-up comedy, using the all-too-relevant topic of antisemitism as its unlikely throughline. For his self-aware, disarmingly funny writing and performance, the judges have awarded a Special Obie Citation to ALEX EDELMAN for his solo show JUST FOR US.

• Modesto Flako Jimenez

  Taxilandia (Oye Group | NYTW | Bushwick Starr | The Tank) 

  “Under the seeming disorder of the old city, wherever the old city is working successfully, is a marvelous order for maintaining the safety of the streets and the freedom of the city.” (Jane Jacobs) This artist captured the essence of a free city by expounding about his beloved hometown, Bushwick. The streets are etched into his memories, his body, his roots, his livelihood; he shared not only stories, but also a profound sense of intimacy by driving each audience member in his taxicab theater. For his truly authentic performance where theater was liberated from the confines of a box and brought directly to the streets, the judges have awarded a Special Obie Citation to the creator, director, and performer of the hybrid production of TAXILANDIA, MODESTO FLAKO JIMENEZ.  

• Digital+Virtual+Hybrid Production: Sarah Gancher (Writer), Jared Mezzocchi and Elizabeth Williamson (Directors) Russian Troll Farm (The Civilians, Theater Works Hartford, and TheatreSquared) 

  Russian Troll Farm (The Civilians, Theater Works Hartford, and TheatreSquared) 

  It’s the fall of 2020, and everyone is trying to figure out how to keep theater alive without gathering to do it. Then these artists show us that virtual theater has already been the new frontier. A live, site-specific “workplace comedy” that we tune into on our laptops. A smart thriller about a real-life organization that uses social media to influence American opinion from the other side of the world. Betrayal and suspicion and the video to prove it. All woven together—live, mind you—to take us on a theatrical journey together while we quarantine wherever we are, alone. For their groundbreaking collaboration, the judges have awarded a Special Obie Citation to writer SARAH GANCHER and co-directors JARED MEZZOCCHI and ELIZABETH WILLIAMSON for RUSSIAN TROLL FARM.
  

• Richard Nelson

  for the completion and producing of The Rhinebeck Panorama 

  A Hudson Valley, N.Y., family is in isolation, tentatively connecting via Zoom. They struggle through depression, deaths, and distance, both physical and emotional. And when the world reopens, a group of friends and relatives gather in a remote town in France for a dance festival; the pandemic, they lament, has had a devastating effect on artists. These quiet but deeply felt dramas—the digital productions And So We Come Forth and Incidental Moments of the Day and the in-person What Happened?: The Michaels Abroad—represent the culmination of one writer-director’s unparalleled achievement. For the completion of his 12-play RHINEBECK PANORAMA, the judges have awarded a Special Obie Citation to playwright RICHARD NELSON. 

Lifetime Achievement

• Ping Chong

  From the battling angels of Swedenborg to the talons and fangs of Nosferatu, to exploring what kindness and brightness can mean, this American theater director, choreographer, and video and installation artist has made the concepts of social justice and otherness central to his work. He has diligently rendered this from the intensely personal perspective of being Chinese American, and then expanded his explorations to the universal sense of otherness through his examinations of colonialism and cultural diversity, and thus, he’s become a seminal voice in the Asian American Arts Movement. For creating more than 100 visionary theater productions over 50 years, the judges have awarded an Obie for Lifetime Achievement to PING CHONG.  

• Anne Bogart

  A commitment to the creation of work rooted in a physical practice inspired by the work of Tadashi Suzuki. For 30 years this ensemble of directors, choreographers, performers, writers, and designers pushed the limits of movement-based theater, adaptation, and a theater built of human curiosity. Not only did this this company bring to life more than 50 productions that toured the world, they also built a training program that grew to inspire nearly every theater school in the country. Viewpoints—and true collaboration, these are the gifts that Anne Bogart + SITI Company shared with us. At the end of 2022, SITI Company decided to follow their own mission, dissolving as a teaching and performing entity. But their legacy will live on through an active archive and an online support structure. For 30 years of great art and inspiration, the judges have awarded an Obie for Lifetime Achievement to ANNE BOGART AND THE SITI COMPANY. 

• Ralph Lee and Casey Compton and Mettawee River Theater Company

  A legendary puppet maker who turns the most modest materials into masks and figures that are full of charm and mischief. Since 1967 his designs have appeared on, off-, and off-off-Broadway, on screens both big and small. He organized the very first Village Halloween parade. He and his collaborator/partner established a company dedicated to bringing live, outdoor experimental productions to upstate New York and New England viewers who had never seen theater before; now, generations of devoted families attend their shows year after year. For 46 years of melding nature with theater and imagination with community, for pouring themselves into their life’s work, for their tremendous partnership that has left an indelible mark on our theater landscape, the judges have awarded an Obie for Lifetime Achievement to RALPH LEE and CASEY COMPTON and the METTAWEE RIVER THEATER COMPANY. 

Obie Grant

• The Sol Project

  Transforming advocacy to a national theater movement with wide-ranging results sounds like an impossibility. And yet in just seven years, this New York City collective of six Latiné artists have partnered with theaters across the country to produce dozens of workshops, festivals, and productions employing hundreds of Latiné playwrights, actors, and directors. For their unprecedented championing and support of Latiné voices in theater, the judges have awarded an Obie Grant to THE SOL PROJECT. 

• Theatre in Quarantine

  In the early days of the pandemic, when all of theater had shut down and a sense of terrible despair and isolation was thick in the air, one company bravely formed to remind us of what hope, and theater, looked like. They took to virtual space, showing us how we can still create, make, and connect despite the odds, bringing beautiful, short-form theater pieces to us where we could watch them from the safety of our own homes. For their trailblazing vision and for being one of the first to seed a collective dream and desire of theater during the pandemic, the judges have awarded an Obie Grant to THEATER IN QUARANTINE.   

• See Lighting Foundation

  A lesson we’ve all learned over the last few years is that a global crisis magnifies and pushes to the forefront the many disparities and inequities we face as a society. Often, aid and support fall short. But this company emerged with a tremendous grassroots mission to offer real economic relief to those in the theater community who had no way of accessing any of the funding that was being offered by our major institutions at the time (1) because they were theater designers and (2) because of their citizenship and visa status. For being one of the brightest lanterns in our darkest times, and for lifting up those who were forgotten, the judges have awarded an Obie Grant to the SEE LIGHTING FOUNDATION.  

• Anticapitalism for Artists

  Overcoming racial capitalism, heteropatriarchy, settler-colonialism, and imperialism are the principles this artist-centric community was founded on. Through peer mentorship, cooperative learning, and accessible events to foster a network of artists empowering artists, this collective seeks to transform the living conditions of arts workers and the world alike. By daring to ask how we can reject the systems of capitalism that have defined the arts industry, this group imagines a world where the worth and value of artists is prioritized and celebrated, and where new systems can replace broken ones. For their bold grassroots efforts in raising the class consciousness of artists, the judges have awarded an Obie Grant to ANTICAPITALISM FOR ARTISTS. 

Ross Wetzsteon Award

• The Classical Theatre of Harlem

  Shakespeare, Sophocles, and Euripides reinvented, refocused, and revitalized by contemporary Black voices and artists gifted to an audience for free in the heart of Harlem at the peak of summer is an act of revolution and love. And to accomplish this with some of the greatest New York stage artists makes it must-see theater, as demonstrated by this past summer’s production of Twelfth Night. For creating one of the most vital companies in New York City in just under a decade of performing Uptown Shakespeare in the Park, the Obie judges have awarded the Ross Wetzsteon Award to THE CLASSICAL THEATRE OF HARLEM.  

Michael Feingold Award

• Maestra Music

  Music directors. Composers. Lyricists. Orchestrators. Musicians. For decades, the numbers of women and nonbinary people working in the American musical theater were ridiculously low. The default explanation? “We’d like to hire a woman, but we don’t know any.” Enough. Five years ago, composer Georgia Stitt started hosting conversations with all the female and nonbinary music professionals she knew. Those conversations grew into an organization—and a directory—that is so essential now that it’s hard to believe it didn’t always exist. For building a movement to support and advocate for women and nonbinary professionals who make music in the music theater industry, the Obie judges have awarded the Michael Feingold Award to MAESTRA.