The 54th Annual Village Voice OBIE Awards were presented on Monday, May 18, 2009 at a ceremony held at the newly landmarked Webster Hall in Manhattan. Co-hosted by former OBIE winners Martha Plimpton and Daniel Breaker, the awards were presented by Anne Hathaway, Brian d’Arcy James, Gavin Creel, John Shea, Karen Olivo, Kate Mulgrew, Marc Kudisch and Nilaja Sun.

OBIE WINNERS 2008-09

Lifetime Achievement Award

EARLE HYMAN

Best New American Play (includes a cash prize of $1000)

RUINED by Lynn Nottage (Manhattan Theater Club)

Performance

Francois Battiste, THE GOOD NEGRO (Public Theater)
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, RUINED (Manhattan Theater Club)
Kevin T. Carroll, sustained excellence of performance
Saidah Arrika Ekulona, RUINED (Manhattan Theater Club)
Jonathan Groff, PRAYER FOR MY ENEMY (Playwrights Horizons) and THE SINGING FOREST (Public Theater)
Birgit Huppuch, TELEPHONE (Foundry Theatre)
Russell Gebert Jones, RUINED (Manhattan Theater Club)
Aaron Monaghan, THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN (Atlantic Theater Co.)
Sahr Ngaujah, FELA! (37 Arts)
Lorenzo Pisoni, HUMOR ABUSE (Manhattan Theater Club)
James Sugg, CHEKHOV LIZARDBRAIN (Pig Iron Theatre Company)
John Douglas Thompson, OTHELLO (Theatre for a New Audience)

Music and Lyrics

Stephen Sondheim, ROAD SHOW (Public Theater)

Directing

David Cromer, OUR TOWN (Barrow Street Theatre)
Katie Mitchell, THE WAVES (National Theatre of Great Britain / Lincoln Center Great Performances “New Visions” Series)
Ken Rus Schmoll, TELEPHONE (Foundry Theatre)

Design

Toni-Leslie James, sustained excellence of costume design
(w/special reference to WIG OUT, Vineyard Theatre)
David Korins, sustained excellence of set design
(w/special reference to WHY TORTURE IS WRONG…, Public Theater)

Special Citations

Sarah Benson (director) and Louisa Thompson (set designer), BLASTED (Soho Rep)
David Esbjornson (director) and Christian Camargo (actor), HAMLET (Theatre for a New Audience)
The Ross Wetzsteon Award (includes a cash prize of $2000. – HERE Arts Center

OBIE Grants ($10,000 divided equally among three theaters)

The Classical Theatre of Harlem
The Chocolate Factory
Lark Play Development Center

For more information about the Obie Awards, please visit: Obies.villagevoice.com