'Ruined' big winner at Obies with four awards
The 54th annual Obie Awards, which honor off- and off-off-Broadway, named "Ruined" by Lynn Nottage as the best new play, following the lead set by the Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Circle Award. And three of the cast members — Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Quincy Tyler Bernstine and Russell Gebert Jones — picked up performance awards at these kudos sponsored by the Village Voice.
Unlike the Drama Desk Awards, which has abandoned its original mission to salute theater in New York beyond Broadway, the Obies have stayed true to their origins. As with the first awards bestowed in 1956, there are still no fixed categories.
Among the other winners announced Monday night at Webster Hall were Stephen Sondheim for his music and lyrics for "Road Show" which ran at the Public Theatre this season, as well as one-time Tony nominee Jonathan Groff ("Spring Awakening") for his work in off-Broadway productions of "Prayer for My Enemy" and "The Singing Forest."
Theater and TV vet Earle Hyman ("The Cosby Show") was feted with a lifetime achievement honor while the scene of many of his stage triumphs — the Classical Theatre of Harlem — shared the Obie grant of $10,000 with the Chocolate Factory and the Lark Play Development Center.
2008-09 OBIE AWARD WINNERS
Lifetime Achievement Award
Earle Hyman
Best New American Play (includes a cash prize of $1,000)
"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, "Telephones" (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
David Korins, sustained excellence of set design
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 $2,000)
HERE Arts Center
OBIE Grants ($10,000 divided equally among three theaters)
The Classical Theatre of Harlem
The Chocolate Factory
Lark Play Development Center
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Photo: MTC
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