Bowl EP and More Receive 2026 Obie Awards

The American Theatre Wing has announced the recipients of the 69th annual Obie Awards, presented to off and off-off-Broadway theater.

The winners are as follows.

OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY
Nazareth Hassan, Bowl EP

PLAYWRITING
Morgan Bassichis, Can I Be Frank?
Sarah Gancher, The Wind and the Rain: A story about Sunny’s Bar

DIRECTING
Sam Pinkleton, ta-da! and Can I Be Frank?
abigail jean-baptiste, Chiaroscuro
Paul Lazar, The Barbarians

SUSTAINED ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
David Herskovits, Show/Boat: A River
Whitney White, Walden and Liberation

PERFORMANCE 
Bulbul Chakraborty, Rheology
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Well, I’ll Let You Go
Crystal Lucas-Perry, Pericles: A Public Works Concert Experience and The Great Privation (How to flip ten cents into a dollar)
Stephanie Weeks, Show/Boat: A River

SUSTAINED ACHIEVEMENT IN PERFORMANCE 
Paul Sparks, Grangeville
Stephanie Berry, The Gospel At Colonus

DESIGN 
Afsoon Pajoufar (Sets), Five Models in Ruins, 1981  and Cold War Choir Practice
Kate McGee (Lighting), Bowl EP, Suppose Beautiful Madeline Harvey, and The Beastiary
Frank J. Oliva (Sets), Well, I’ll Let You Go, Danger and Opportunity, and A Knock on the Roof

SUSTAINED ACHIEVEMENT IN DESIGN
Cha See (Lighting), Five Models in Ruins, 1981, ta-da!, Liberation, Trophy Boys, Hold Me in the Water, Show/Boat: A River, Babe, and In the Amazon Warehouse Parking Lot
David Bengali (Video), We Live in Cairo, Joy, and Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole

SPECIAL CITATIONS
On The Rocks Theatre Co. for the Concept and Creation, The Beastiary
Ensemble of Bowl EP:  Felicia Curry, Oghenero Gbaje, and Essence Lotus
Troy Anthony (Music and Lyrics) Pericles: A Public Works Concert Experience
Ensemble of Prince Faggot: Rachel Crowl, K. Todd Freeman, David Greenspan, Mihir Kumar, John McCrea, and N’yomi Allure Stewart
Mona Pirnot (Playwright), David Greenspan (Performer), and Ken Rus Schmoll (Director), I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan
Mehr Theatre Group for the Creation, Blind Runner

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT 
Carmelita Tropicana
Kate Valk

THEATRE GRANTS 
Urban Bush Women (UBW)
The Apothetae
New Federal Theatre (NFT)
¡OYE! Group
Waterwell

ROSS WETZSTEON AWARD
Pregones / Puerto Rican Traveling Theater

MICHAEL FEINGOLD AWARD
John Del Gaudio

MORGAN JENNESS AWARD 
Nicky Paraiso

Winners receive grants ranging between $3,000-$15,000 per award, totaling over $250,000. This year’s judges were Stephanie Berry, Modesto “Flako” Jimenez, Jonathan McCrory, Santiago Orjuela-Laverde, Aya Ogawa, Barbara Samuels, Whitney White, Wilson Chin, Haruna Lee, and Ryan J. Haddad.