62nd Annual Obie Award Winners

At the 2107 Obie Awards ceremony held downtown in New York City on May 22, Oslo won yet another playwriting trophy in the weeks leading up to the Tony Awards (sharing the prize with Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard’s “Underground Railroad Game”).  The Lincoln Center Theatre production also won an ensemble acting honor after winning top play awards from the New York Drama Critics Circle, the Lucille Lortels and the Outer Circle Critics Awards earlier in the month. Other Obie winners included Lynn Nottage and her play Sweat as well as a few of my favorite actors: Bobby Cannavale (The Hairy Ape), Amy Ryan (Love, Love, Love) and Michael Urie (Homos, or Everybody in America).

The top musical theater Obie went to the Atlantic Theater Company’s The Band’s Visit. which has recently announced a Broadway transfer with an opening in the fall of this year. Special honors were given to Anna Deavere Smith for the magnificent Notes From the Field and Taylor Mac for the inventive A 24-Decade History of Popular Music. Paula Vogel, Tony nominated for directing the beautiful Indecent that recently transferred to Broadway, earned the lifetime achievement prize.

Founded by the Village Voice, the Obie Awards were hosted by Lea DeLaria. Here is the full list of winners:

Best New American Theater Work ($500 prize each)
Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard, Underground Railroad Game (Ars Nova)
J.T. Rogers, Oslo (Lincoln Center Theater)

Playwriting
Christopher Chen, Caught (The Play Company at La MaMa)
Lynn Nottage, Sweat (The Public Theater)

Musical Theater
Itamar Moses (book) and David Yazbek (music & lyrics), The Band’s Visit

Directing
Arin Arbus, The Skin of Our Teeth (Theatre for a New Audience)
Lileana Blain-Cruz, Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World (Signature Theatre Company)
David Cromer, The Band’s Visit (Atlantic Theater Company)
Jack Cummings III, Picnic (Transport Group)
Rebecca Taichman, Indecent (Vineyard Theatre)

Ensemble
Bartlett Sher (director) and the cast of Oslo (Lincoln Center Theater) Michael Aronov, Anthony Azizi, Adam Dannheisser, Jennifer Ehle, Daniel Jenkins, Dariush Kashani, Jeb Kreager, Jefferson Mays, Christopher McHale, Daniel Oreskes, Angela Pierce, Henny Russell, Joseph Siravo, T. Ryder Smith
Lila Neugebauer (director) and the cast of The Wolves (The Playwrights Realm) Kate Arrington, Mia Barron, Brenna Coates, Jenna Dioguardi, Samia Finnerty, Midori Francis, Lizzy Jutila, Sarah Mezzanotte, Tedra Millan, Lauren Patten, Susannah Perkins

Performance
Matthew Broderick, Evening at the Talk House (The New Group) and Shining City (Irish Repertory Theatre)
Bobby Cannavale, The Hairy Ape (Park Avenue Armory)
Kevin Geer, Sustained Excellence [in memoriam]
Kecia Lewis, Marie and Rosetta (Atlantic Theater Company) and The Skin of Our Teeth (Theatre for a New Audience)
Heather MacRae, Come Back, Little Sheba (Transport Group)
Amy Ryan, Love, Love, Love (Roundabout Theatre Company)
Pete Simpson, Sustained Excellence
Michael Urie, Homos, or Everyone in America (Labyrinth Theater Company)

Design
Riccardo Hernandez, Sustained Excellence of Set Design
Dane Laffrey, Sustained Excellence of Set and Costume Design
Jared Mezzocchi, Projection Design, Vietgone (Manhattan Theatre Club)
Ryan Rumery, Sustained Excellence of Sound Design
Scott Zielinski, Sustained Excellence of Lighting Design

Special Citations
Anna Deavere Smith, Notes from the Field (Second Stage Theater)
Taylor Mac, A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (St. Ann’s Warehouse)

Obie Grants ($4,000 prize each)
Irish Repertory Theatre
Pearl Theatre Company
The Playwrights Realm

The Ross Wetzsteon Award ($3,000 prize)
Theatre for a New Audience

Lifetime Achievement Award
Paula Vogel