American Theatre Wing Reveals 68th Obie Awards Jury and Eligibility Details

The American Theatre Wing has revealed the panel of judges and eligibility details for The 68th Obie Awards, the theater industry’s premier award celebrating the best of Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway.  

The complete panel of 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 most recently seen in the Pulitzer Prize winning production of Fairview and Broadway’s Purlie Victorious; Modesto “Flako” Jimenez, multi-hyphenate artist; Nikiya Mathis, recipient of the Henry Heard Design Award and The Antonio Award; Ryan J. Haddad, actor and playwright; and Taylor Reynolds, Obie Award winning director.

Returning to the Obie panel are Wilson Chin, scenic designer for theater, opera, film, and television; and Obie-winning playwright Haruna Lee. Lee and Chin serve as co-chairs of the panel, as well.  

The official 68th Obie Awards season includes Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway shows that open between September 1, 2023 – August 31, 2024. In addition to in-person work, virtual, digital, and audio work that has taken or will take place during this time period will also be 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), and the Michael Feingold Award (recognizing achievement in criticism, dramaturgy, translation, scholarship, mentorship, education, or other theatrical contribution), the Obie Award categories are purposefully informal to create limitless possibilities for recognizing personas and productions worthy of distinction each year. In addition, the panel of judges typically presents one or more special citations.  

The date for the official announcement of the 68th Obie Award winners will be released later this year. 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. 

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