David Greenspan, Jonathan Hammond, Laurie Metcalf, Juliet Rylance, Wendell Pierce, et al. Win 2010 Obie Awards

The winners of the 2010 Obie Awards have been announced. The prizes were presented in a ceremony held at Webster Hall on Monday, May 17.

The event was hosted by Anika Noni Rose and Michael Cerveris, with J. Smith Cameron, Marin Ireland, Linda Lavin, Hamish Linklater, Michael Shannon, Jennifer Westfeldt, and Lillias White among the presenters.

Annie Baker has won the Obie Award for Best New American Play for her plays Circle Mirror Transformation and The Aliens, both of which are set in the fictional town of Shirley, VT. In addition, Sam Gold has received an Obie for his direction of the two plays and the ensemble of Circle Mirror, Reed Birney, Tracee Chimo, Peter Friedman, Deirdre O’Connell and Heidi Schreck, has won an Obie Award for their collective work.

An additional seven Obie Awards have been presented for performance: Dane DeHaan (The Aliens), Jonathan Hammond (The Boys in the Band), Marc Damon Johnson (The Brother/Sister Plays), Laurie Metcalf (A Lie of the Mind), Juliet Rylance (As You Like It), and Wendell Pierce and Rocco Sisto for sustained excellence in performance.

David Greenspan, who starred in his plays The Myopia and Plays, A Lecture this season, as well as the musical Coraline, among others, received the 2010 Sustained Achievement Obie Award.

Six Obie Award Special Citations have been awarded, including ones to Ariane Mnouchkine and Théâtre du Soleil for Les Éphémères and Taylor Mac for The Lily’s Revenge. Also among the winners of 2010 Obie Awards are playwright Enda Walsh, for The New Electric Ballroom, director Pam McKinnon for Cylbourne Park, and songwriter Stephin Merritt for his music and lyrics for Coraline.

The complete list of 2010 Obie Award winners follows:

The Sustained Achievement Award
David Greenspan

Best New American Play (w/check for $1000)
Annie Baker, Circle Mirror Transformation and The Aliens

Performance
Ensemble, Circle Mirror Transformation (Playwrights Horizons)
(Reed Birney, Tracee Chimo, Peter Friedman, Deirdre O’Connell, Heidi Schreck)

Dane DeHaan, The Aliens (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater)

Jonathan Hammond, The Boys in the Band (Transport Group)

Marc Damon Johnson, The Brother/Sister Plays (Public Theater)

Laurie Metcalf, A Lie of the Mind (The New Group)

Wendell Pierce, sustained excellence of performance

Juliet Rylance, As You Like It (Bridge Project/BAM)

Rocco Sisto, sustained excellence of performance

Playwriting
Enda Walsh, The New Electric Ballroom (Druid Theatre / St. Ann’s Warehouse)

Directing
Sam Gold, Circle Mirror Transformation (Playwrights Horizons) and The Aliens (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater)

Pam MacKinnon, Clybourne Park (Playwrights Horizons)

Design / Music
Steven Dufala and Billy Blaise Dufala (machine design), Machines Machines
Machines Machines Machines Machines Machines (rainpan 43 /
HERE Arts Center)

Stephin Merritt (music & lyrics), Coraline (MCC Theater)

Tyler Micoleau, sustained excellence of lighting design

Neil Murray (sets and costumes), Malcolm Rippeth (lighting), Gemma Carrington and Jon Driscoll (projection design), Brief Encounter (Kneehigh Theatre / St. Ann’s Warehouse)

Special Citations
Ariane Mnouchkine & Théâtre du Soleil, Les Éphémères (Lincoln Center Festival)

Taylor Mac, The Lily’s Revenge (HERE Arts Center)

The Ohio Theatre

Hoi Polloi and Rachel Chavkin, Three Pianos
(Hoi Polloi: Alec Duffy, Dave Malloy, and Rick Burkhardt) (Ontological)

Philippe Quesne and Gaëtan Vourc’h, L’Effet de Serge (Vivarium Studio / Under the Radar)

Chris Wells, Secret City

The Ross Wetzsteon Award (w/check for $1000)
Foundry Theatre

Obie Grants
Harlem School of the Arts
Ontological Incubator
Vampire Cowboys