Winners Announced of Obie Awards

The winners of this year's Obie Awards, which honor achievement Off and Off Off Broadway, were announced on February 1 on Spectrum News NY1's On Stage.

Design winners included Greg Corbino for the production design of Snatch Adams & Tainty McCracken Present It's That Time of the Month, produced by Soho Rep; Oana Botez for the costume design of Orlando, staged by Signature Theatre Company; and lighting designer Stacey Derosier for several productions: Daphne (Lincoln Center Theater), On Set With Theda Bara (Transport Group | Lucille Lortel Theatre), The Animal Kingdom (Jack Serio), The Refuge Plays (Roundabout Theatre Company | New York Theatre Workshop), The Welkin (Atlantic Theater Company), and United States V. Gupta (JACK | New Georges).

Designers cited for sustained achievement were lighting designer Adam Honore for The Lonely Few (MCC Theater), Cats: The Jellicle Ball (Perelman Performing Arts Center), and I Can Get It For You Wholesale (Classic Stage Company), and set designer Jian Jung for Staff Meal (Playwrights Horizons), The Following Evening (Perelman Performing Arts Center | Talking Band | 600 HIGHWAYMEN), Zoetrope (Caborca | Abrons Arts Center), and 9 Kinds of Silence (PlayCo).

In other design news, a theatre grant was made to The 1/52 Project, which provides financial support to encourage early career designers from historically excluded groups with the aim of diversifying and strengthening the theatre design community. Other Obie grantees are Criminal Queerness Festival (National Queer Theater), Out of the Box Theatrics, Braata Productions, and Tectonic Theater Project.

Among writers, Jeremy Tiang's Salesman, produced by Yangtze Repertory Theatre, was named outstanding new play. Others cited were Ife Olujobi, for Jordans, staged at The Public Theater, and Ariel Stress, for Kara & Emma & Barbara & Miranda, produced by The Tank and New Georges.

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 the winners of the 35 awards with grants, totaling $250,000. The grants were made possible by an anonymous donation, in support of the new Obie Awards structure in which funds go directly to the awarded artists. There will be a private reception to toast the winners on February 10.

The judges for the current Obie Awards season are: Aya Ogawa, award-winning writer, director, translator and performer; David Greenspan, playwright and actor; Diep Tran, editor in chief of Playbill; Heather Alicia Simms, actor; Modesto "Flako" Jimenez, multi-hyphenate artist; Nikiya Mathis, hair and makeup designer; Ryan J. Haddad, actor and playwright; and Taylor Reynolds, director. Returning to the Obie panel are Wilson Chin, scenic designer, and playwright Haruna Lee. Lee and Chin serve as co-chairs of the panel, as well. The judges evaluated over 300 productions.