The Creatives Most Honoured at the 2026 Obie Awards – front mezz junkies, Theater News

Essence Lotus and Oghenero Gbaje in Bowl EP. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Frontmezzjunkies reports: The Winners of the 2026 Obie Awards

The Obie Awards have always occupied a particular place in the New York theatre ecosystem, quietly attentive to the work that happens beyond commercial pressure and traditional categories. The winners of the 69th Annual Obie Awards were revealed January 31 on NY1 by “On Stage” host Frank DiLella, continuing the tradition of celebrating Off and Off-Off-Broadway artists without spectacle, ceremony, or hierarchy. Instead of a gala, the American Theatre Wing directs its resources toward direct grants, awarding more than $250,000 to this year’s 35 honorees.

What makes the Obies distinct is their seasonal lens. Rather than singling out individual productions, the awards recognize artists for the scope and impact of their work across the year. That approach encourages a broader view of the field and reflects how Off-Broadway actually functions as an ecosystem. Productions like Bowl EP, Can I Be Frank?, Pericles: A Public Works Concert Experience, and Show/Boat: A River emerged as recurring points of recognition, not because they dominated a single moment, but because they resonated across disciplines and audiences.

This year’s winners reflect a theatre community that continues to take risks, push form, and invest deeply in collaboration. Performers such as Crystal Lucas-Perry and Quincy Tyler Bernstine, directors including Sam Pinkleton and Whitney White, and designers whose work shaped multiple productions across the season were all honored for contributions that felt cumulative rather than isolated. The Obies remind us that some of the most meaningful theatre work builds over time, purposefully yet sometimes quietly, in rooms that value curiosity, rigor, and generosity. I’m only sad that I didn’t have the opportunity to see more of these productions. My loss, for sure.

The Company of the Broadway production of **Liberation** by Bess Wohl, directed by Whitney White. Photo by Little Fang.

2026 Obie Award Winners

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 Bestiary
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 Bestiary
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