American Theatre Wing, Village Voice Form New Partnership for Off-Broadway's OBIE Awards

The American Theatre Wing has entered into a partnership with the Village Voice to co-present The OBIE Awards, Off Broadway's Highest Honor, it was announced today. The Wing will take overall responsibility for running the OBIES, effective immediately, under the oversight of a newly formed OBIES Administration Committee (comprised of both American Theatre Wing and Village Voice representatives). The selection process will be overseen by this Administration Commitee, but will continue under the chairmanship of Michael Feingold. Judges will be appointed and approved by Feingold and the Administrative Committee. As part of the partnership, the Village Voice has licensed the OBIE trademark to the American Theatre Wing for an initial period of ten years. The upcoming Obie Award Ceremony - the first presentation under this new partnership - will take place in May 2015 and will mark the Award's 60th anniversary.

"A central and important part of the Wing's mission has always been to recognize and nurture excellence in the theatre on Broadway, Off Broadway, Off Off Broadway, and in the regions," said Ms. Hitchens. "Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway are a critical part of the theatre ecology and a hotbed of innovation. We are thrilled to launch this new partnership with the Village Voice on the OBIES. It is an exciting and powerful new manifestation of the Wing's mission."

"After sixty years of dedication to recognizing the best creative work taking place Off and Off-Off Broadway, we decided to look for a way to expand the reach and impact of the OBIE Awards," said Josh Fromson, Publisher of the Village Voice. "The American Theatre Wing was a natural fit for us. They not only bring expertise in producing awards ceremonies to the table, they also share our passion for honoring theatrical achievement."

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 were purposely structured with informal categories, to recognize artists and productions worthy of distinction in each theatrical year. Over the decades, the OBIE Awards have played a major role in the Voice's long history of championing work of innovative and exceptional quality Off and Off-Off Broadway. The Village Voice put the new downtown theater movement on the map with its in-depth coverage, becoming a forum for conflicting viewpoints which helped generate excitement over new works and new approaches to theater-making. 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 continue to salute a theatrical movement that's as important, and as vibrant, today as it was in 1955.

The American Theatre Wing (William Ivey Long, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Heather Hitchens, President) is dedicated to advancing artistic excellence and nurturing theatre's next generation: on stage, behind the scenes, and in the audience.

For nearly a century, the Wing has pursued this mission with programs that span the nation to invest in the growth and evolution of American Theatre. Traditionally, the Wing has encouraged members of the theatre community to share their off-stage time and talent directly with the theatre audience at large--whether it was singing for the troops in the Stage Door Canteen of the 1940's, or sharing their stories on a podcast today.

As the founders of The Tony Awards, the American Theatre Wing has developed the foremost national platform for the recognition of theatrical achievement on Broadway. Yet the Wing's reach extends beyond Broadway and beyond New York. The Wing develops the next generation of theatre professionals through the SpringboardNYC and Theatre Intern Group programs, incubates innovative theatre across the country through the National Theatre Company Grants, fosters the song of American theatre through the Jonathan Larson Grants, honors the best in New York theatrical design with the Henry Hewes Design Award, and illuminates the creative process through the "Working in the Theatre" program and media archive.

Visitors to americantheatrewing.org can get inspired and gain insight into the artistic process through the Wing's extensive media collection, and learn more about its programming for students, aspiring and working professionals, and audiences.