Theater News

2020 Obie Awards Go to Suicide Forest, A Strange Loop, and More

Find out the complete list of winners.

Eddy Toru Ohno and Kristine Haruna Lee in the world-premiere run of Lee's Suicide Forest at Bushwick Starr.
Eddy Toru Ohno and Kristine Haruna Lee in the world-premiere run of Lee's Suicide Forest at Bushwick Starr.
(© Maria Baranova)

The 2020 Obie Award winners have been announced. The complete list is as follows.

Playwriting
Will Arbery, Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop
Haruna Lee, Suicide Forest

Lifetime Achievement
Tim Sanford
Vinie Burrows

Direction
JoAnne Akalaitis, MUD/Drowning
Kenny Leon, Much Ado About Nothing
Whitney White, Our Dear Dead Drug Lord
Les Waters, Sustained Excellence in Direction

Choreography
Camille A. Brown, Sustained Excellence in Choreography

Performance

Liza Colón-Zayas and Elizabeth Rodriguez, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven

Emily Davis, Is This A Room
Edmund Donovan, Greater Clements
April Matthis, Toni Stone
Joe Ngo, Cambodian Rock Band
Deirdre O'Connell, Dana H.

Design
Yu-Hsuan Chen, Set Design, Our Dear Dead Drug Lord
Mikhail Fiksel, Sound Design, Dana H.
Andrea Hood, Costume Design with Public Works
Arnulfo Maldonado, Sustained Excellence in Set Design
Jen Schriever, Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design

Special Citations
Creative Team and Ensemble of Heroes of the Fourth Turning: Jeb Kreager, Julia McDermott, Michele Pawk, Zoë Winters, John Zdrojeski (Ensemble), Laura Jellinek (Set Design), Sarafina Bush (Costume Design), Isabella Byrd (Lighting Design), Justin Ellington (Sound Design), Danya Taymor (Director)

Creative Team and Ensemble of A Strange Loop: Antwayn Hopper, James Jackson, Jr., L Morgan Lee, John-Michael Lyles, John-Andrew Morrison, Larry Owens, Jason Veasey, Elijah Caldwell (Ensemble), Stephen Brackett (Director), Raja Feather Kelly (Choreographer), Arnulfo Maldonado (Scenic Design), Montana Levi Blanco (Costume Design), Jen Schriever (Lighting Design), Alex Hawthorn (Sound Design), Cookie Jordan (Hair, Wig, and Makeup Design), Charlie Rosen (Orchestrations), Rona Siddiqui (Music Director), Michael R. Jackson (Vocal Arrangements)

David Cale, for the Writing and Performance of We're Only Alive For A Short Amount of Time

Dave Malloy, Or Matias, and Hidenori Nakajo for their collaboration on the Music and Sound of Octet

David Neumann and Marcella Murray, for the Creation and Performance of Distances Smaller Than This Are Not Confirmed

Tina Satter, for the Conception and Direction of Is This A Room

Alexandria Wailes, for Sustained Excellence as an Artist and Advocate

AAPAC (Asian American Performers Action Coalition) for advocacy in the field of equity, diversity, and inclusion

Michael Feingold, for his Extraordinary Service to the Theater

Institutional Recognition
National Black Theatre, for Sustained Excellence in Production and continued Advocacy on behalf of Black Artists
Page 73, for Providing Extraordinary Support for Early Career Playwrights
The Tank, for Providing Extraordinary Support for Emerging Artists

The Obies are presented by the American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice.