William Jackson Harper (Primary Trust), Tony winner Maryann Plunkett (Deep Blue Sound), Tony nominee K. Todd Freeman (Downstate) and a work by playwright Ryan J. Haddad (recipient of the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award in 2021) are among the winners of the 67th Obie Awards. Recognizing outstanding contributions during the 2022-23 off- and off-off-Broadway theater season (September 1, 2022 through August 31, 2023), winners of this year's Obie Awards were announced on January 27. The judges committee considered more than 300 productions.
Haddad's Dark Disabled Stories, a co-production of The Bushwick Starr and The Public Theater, won Best New American Play. Playwrights Hansol Jung (Wolf Play) and Bruce Norris (Downstate) were honored in the Playwriting category.
Harper and Plunkett—soon to be seen in Uncle Vanya and The Notebook, respectively—picked up awards in the Performance category alongside Marla Mindelle (Titanique) and Zuleyma Guevara (Sancocho). Freeman—soon to appear in Corruption at Lincoln Center Theater—was honored for Sustained Achievement in Performance alongside Shannon Tyo (The Comeuppance) and John Douglas Thompson (Endgame).
For Direction, Dustin Wills (Wolf Play), Shayok Misha Chowdhury (Public Obscenities) and Faye Driscoll (Weathering) received awards, with Obies for Sustained Achievement in Directing going to Eric Ting (The Far Country, The Comeuppance) and Pam MacKinnon (Downstate). In the Design categories, awards went to Shannon Tyo for Costumes, Barbara Samuels for Lights, dots for Set and Mikaal Sulaiman for Sound.
In lieu of the annual awards ceremony, the American Theatre Wing will instead dedicate funds to the support and growth of the artists, bestowing winners with grants ranging from $1,000-5,000.
Click here for the full list of winners.