It was a lovely night for celebrating the robust and exciting world of Off-Broadway theater. The Obies are a raucous downtown event and Monday night's event was no exception.
From Estelle Parsons taking jabs at the Obies whilst receiving a lifetime achievement award from them to speeches that could not be halted no matter how many staff members tried to signal to the speaker to stop. Sydney Lucas was the youngest Obie award winner for her work in Fun Home and she also performed my favorite tune from the show Ring of Keys. She gave a hilarious speech which I'm glad the Village Voice captured. Mia Katigbak also gave a moving speech about Asian American representation in theater and how we need to raise our voices about diversity in theater.
Happily many shows I was passionate about received awards. But the best thing about the Obies is finding out about shows, performers, and theater companies I had never heard of before and knowing who I needed to check out next. Definitely going to look into the Harlem9 and the National Asian American Theatre Co.
Congratulations to the winners:
From Estelle Parsons taking jabs at the Obies whilst receiving a lifetime achievement award from them to speeches that could not be halted no matter how many staff members tried to signal to the speaker to stop. Sydney Lucas was the youngest Obie award winner for her work in Fun Home and she also performed my favorite tune from the show Ring of Keys. She gave a hilarious speech which I'm glad the Village Voice captured. Mia Katigbak also gave a moving speech about Asian American representation in theater and how we need to raise our voices about diversity in theater.
Happily many shows I was passionate about received awards. But the best thing about the Obies is finding out about shows, performers, and theater companies I had never heard of before and knowing who I needed to check out next. Definitely going to look into the Harlem9 and the National Asian American Theatre Co.
Congratulations to the winners:
Performance
MARYLOUISE BURKE
sustained excellence of performance
JOHANNA DAY
Appropriate (Signature)
JOHN ELLISON CONLEE
The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence (Playwrights Horizons)
K. TODD FREEMAN
Fetch Clay, Make Man (NYTW)
JOHN EARL JELKS
Sunset Baby (Labyrinth) / Fetch Clay, Make Man (NYTW)
MIA KATIGBAK
Awake and Sing (NAATCO)
SYDNEY LUCAS
Fun Home (Public Theater)
CHRIS MYERS
An Octoroon (SoHo Rep)
LARRY PINE
A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay about the Death of Walt Disney (SoHo Rep)
Playwriting
WILL ENO
The Open House (Signature)
Musical Theater
LISA KRON (author), JEANINE TESORI (composer), and SAM GOLD (director)
Fun Home (Public Theater)
Direction
JAMES MACDONALD
Love and Information (NYTW)
OLIVER BUTLER
The Open House (Signature)
LIESL TOMMY
Appropriate (Signature)
Design/Music
BEN RUBIN
(projections), Arguendo (Elevator Repair Service @ Public Theater)
EMMANUEL BROWN and SONYA TAYEH
(fight direction and choreography) Kung Fu (Signature)
ERIC SOUTHERN
(lighting design), The Correspondent (Rattlestick)
JUSTIN TOWNSEND
Sustained excellence of lighting design
Special Citations
MALLORY CATLETT
This Was the End (Chocolate Factory)
HEATHER CHRISTIAN (music), JIYOUN CHANG (lighting) and HANNAH WASILESKI
(projections)
The World Is Round (Ripe Time @ BAM Fisher)
RATTLESTICK PLAYWRIGHTS THEATER and LUCY THURBER
The Hill Town Plays
The Ross Wetzsteon Award
ABRONS ARTS CENTER
Grants
600 HIGHWAYMEN
48 HOURS IN HARLEM
Best New American Play
BRANDEN JACOBS-JENKINS
Appropriate (Signature) and An Octoroon (SoHo Rep)
Lifetime Achievement
ESTELLE PARSONS
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