Obie Awards Ceremony Will Be Postponed and Reconceived as Virtual Event

The American Theatre Wing has announced that the 65th Annual Obie Awards, originally scheduled to be held at Terminal 5 on Monday, May 18, will be postponed and reconceived as a virtual event, with awards being handed out for shows that opened between May 1, 2019 and March 12, 2020.

Additional details on the 2020 Obie Awards ceremony, New York's preeminent celebration of Off- and Off-Off Broadway theatre, including its new date and time, will be announced in the coming weeks.

In addition to the usual celebration of the remarkable work that's happened this season, this year's Obie Awards will also shine a light on the loss of the productions that were in rehearsal and performance at the time the theatres closed.

Ms. Hitchens commented, "There has likely never been a more important time to celebrate the work of Off- and Off-Off-Broadway artists. While we won't be able to hold the kind of ceremony we normally do, we knew we needed to find a way to preserve the Obie tradition and honor the work of this remarkable season. We will, as usual, provide the laughs and the awards, but this year the beer is strictly BYOB."

The American Theatre Wing, with the council and guidance of the Obie Awards' Judges Panel (co-chaired by Obie-winning scenic designer Rachel Hauck and choreographer Sam Pinkleton), has created a $250,000 Theatre Artists Relief Fund in order to get money directly into the hands of artists. This fund, which is generously supported by the Edwin Barbey Charitable Trust and the theatrical production company No Guarantees, will grant each of these artists $500 to help sustain them during this period of mandatory shutdowns.