Today The American Theatre Wing (Heather Hitchens, President & CEO) announced the committee of judges and eligibility details for The 70th Annual Obie Awards, the theater industry’s premier award celebrating the best of Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway.
After serving as co-chairs for the previous two years, Haruna Lee and Wilson Chin now pass on the role to Obie winning director Taylor Reynolds and Obie-winning actor Heather Alicia Simms. Joining them to round out the committee of judges for the Obie Awards season are: Tony and Obie-winning producer Jonathan McCrory; Pulitzer Prize and Obie-winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury; Obie-winning set designer Arnulfo Maldonado; Obie-winning intimacy coordinator Ann C. James; Director of Contemporary Programs at Lincoln Center Theater Meiyin Wang; composer and Obie-winning sound designer Justin Ellington; Obie-winning designer Jeanette Yew; and veteran theater journalist and critic Melissa Rose Bernardo.
The official 70th Obie Awards season includes Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway shows that open between September 1, 2025, and August 31, 2026. Only in-person work that has taken or will take place during this time period are eligible for consideration. The Obie Awards consider more than 300 productions each season. With the exception of Lifetime Achievement, Best New American Play, the Ross Wetzsteon Award Grant (presented to a theatre that nurtures innovative new plays), the Michael Feingold Award (recognizing achievement in criticism, dramaturgy, translation, scholarship, mentorship, education, or other theatrical contribution), and the Morgan Jenness Award (recognizing a figure in theater that is not traditionally recognized, but champions new voices and has left a lasting impact on generations of theater artists), the Obie Award categories are purposefully informal to create limitless possibilities for recognizing personas and productions worthy of distinction each year. In addition, the committee of judges typically presents multiple Special Citations – now the category with the largest number of grantees – as well as up to four Theatre Grants in recognition of theater companies whose work and mission the judges feel should be supported.
The date for the official announcement of the 70th Obie Award winners will be released later this year. Invites for performances can be sent to obieinvites@americantheatrewing.org, and upcoming productions can be submitted via the 70th Obie Awards Productions Submission form on ObieAwards.com homepage. For more information regarding Obie Award consideration, visit ObieAwards.com.
ABOUT THE OBIE AWARDS:
The Village Voice created The Obie Awards, at the suggestion of then editor Jerry Tallmer, soon after the publication’s own inception in 1955, to encourage the newly burgeoning Off-Broadway theater movement and to acknowledge its achievements. The Obies are structured with informal categories to recognize artists and productions worthy of distinction in each theatrical year. Over the decades, The Obie Awards played a major role in championing work of innovative and exceptional quality Off- and Off-Off Broadway. The Obies have become a theatrical tradition, a meaningful way to acknowledge the best artistic achievements of downtown theater. The list of actors, writers, directors, and designers who have received Obies at pivotal moments in their careers is a virtual who’s who of contemporary theater. While the categories of the awards have continued to change almost annually, the creative spirit remains the same. The Obie Awards, now presented by The American Theatre Wing, salute a theatrical movement that’s as important and as vibrant today as it was in 1955.
