The annual Tony Awards celebrate the musicals and plays on Broadway; but the numerous productions that can be found on Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway are not left “out in the cold”. They too, have an award of their own – The Obie Awards!
The American Theatre Wing presented the 69th annual Obie Awards on January 31st. Foregoing a formal ceremony, the winners announced and the money that would have gone into a big awards ceremony goes for grants to the winners.
On February 23 the winners will celebrate at a private reception.
While the Tony Awards celebrate the work by an artist in a single production; the Obie Awards celebrate a body of work over a season.
A panel of judges evaluated over 300 productions to determine the 35 winners for this year.
American Theatre Wing President and CEO Heather Hitchens spoke on the Obie Awards via statement saying, “we are incredibly heartened by the continued enthusiasm surrounding the Obie Awards and the work being recognized this year. This year’s honorees represent the extraordinary creativity and risk-taking that define Off-Broadway. Thanks to the continued generosity of an anonymous donor, we are proud to offer direct support to artists whose work is shaping the future of the field. We are also deeply appreciative of our partners at Spectrum News NY1 for their ongoing commitment to amplifying the voices of the New York theatre community.”
The winners of the 2026 Obie Awards:
Outstanding New Play: “Bowl EP” by Nazareth Hassan
Playwriting: Morgan Bassichis for “Can I Be Frank?”
Sarah Gancher for “The Wind and the Rain: A story about Sunny’s Bar”
Directing:
Sam Pinkleton for “ta-da!” and “Can I Be Frank?”
Abigail Jean-Baptiste for “Chiaroscuro”
Paul Lazar for “The Barbarians”
Sustained Achievement in Directing:
David Herskovits for “Show/Boat: A River”
Whitney White for “Walden and Liberation”
Performance:
Bulbul Chakraborty in “Rheology”
Quincy Tyler Bernstine in “Well, I’ll Let You Go”
Crystal Lucas-Perry in “Pericles: A Public Works Concert Experience and The Great Privation (How to flip ten cents into a dollar)”
Stephanie Weeks in “Show/Boat: A River”
Sustained Achievement in Performance:
Paul Sparks in “Grangeville”
Stephanie Berry in “The Gospel At Colonus”
Design:
Afsoon Pajoufar for “Five Models in Ruins”, “1981”, and “Cold War Choir Practice”
Kate McGee for “Bowl EP”, “Suppose Beautiful Madeline Harvey”, and “The Beastiary”
Frank J. Oliva for “Well, I’ll Let You Go”, “Danger and Opportunity”, and “A Knock on the Roof”
Sustained Achievement in Design:
Cha See for “Five Models in Ruins”, “1981”, “ta-da!”, “Liberation”, “Trophy Boys”, “Hold Me in the Water”, “Show/Boat: A River”, “Babe”, and “In the Amazon Warehouse Parking Lot”
David Bengali for “We Live in Cairo” , “Joy”, and “Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole”
Special Citations:
On The Rocks Theatre Co. for the Concept and Creation in “The Beastiary”
Ensemble of “Bowl EP”: Felicia Curry, Oghenero Gbaje, and Essence Lotus
Troy Anthony for Music and Lyrics in “Pericles: A Public Works Concert Experience”
Ensemble of “Prince Faggot”: Rachel Crowl, K. Todd Freeman, David Greenspan, Mihir Kumar, John McCrea, and N’yomi Allure Stewart
Mona Pirnot (Playwright), David Greenspan (Performer), and Ken Rus Schmoll (Director) for “I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan”
Mehr Theatre Group for the Creation in “Blind Runner”
Lifetime Achievement:
Carmelita Tropicana
Kate Valk
Theatre Grants:
Urban Bush Women (UBW)
The Apothetae
New Federal Theatre (NFT)
¡OYE! Group
Waterwell
Ross Wetzsteon Award:
Pregones / Puerto Rican Traveling Theater
Michael Feingold Awards:
John Del Gaudio
Morgan Jenness Award:
Nicky Paraiso