56th Annual Obie Awards - winners

Tonight was the night for the 56th Village Voice Obie Awards which took place at Webster Hall in the East Village (125 East 11th Street). The ceremony was hosted by David Hyde Pierce and S. Epatha Merkerson. The presenters for the evening were Alec Baldwin, Andrew Rannells, Arian Moayed, Jim Parsons, John Larroquette, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mamie Gummer, Margaret Colin, Nina Arianda, Patina Miller, Robert Sean Leonard and Rose Hemingway.

The winner of Best New American Play was the professional wrestling comedy The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity by Kristoffer Diaz. Directing Awards went to Austin Pendleton (Three Sisters), Roger Rees and Alex Timbers (Peter and the Starcatcher) and Leigh Silverman (In the Wake and Go Back to Where You Are).

A Lifetime Achievement Award was given to the Spanish-language theatre company Repertorio Español and its Artistic Director Rene Buch.

Founded by Jerry Tallmer in 1956, the Obie Awards are given annually to honour Off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions.

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Complete list of winners for the 56th Annual Obie Awards

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
René Buch and Repertorio Español

BEST NEW AMERICAN PLAY
(includes $1,000 prize)
Kristoffer Diaz, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity

PERFORMANCE
F. Murray Abraham, sustained excellence of performance
Andre Braugher, The Whipping Man
Michael Chernus, In the Wake
Ethan Hawke, Blood From a Stone
Hamish Linklater, The School for Lies
Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place
Thomas Sadoski, Other Desert Cities
Scott Shepherd, Gatz
Brenda Wehle, The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures
Charlayne Woodard, The Witch of Edmonton

PLAYWRITING
Samuel D. Hunter, A Bright New Boise
Jonas Hassen Khemiri, Invasion!

DIRECTING
Austin Pendleton, Three Sisters
Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, Peter and the Starcatcher
Leigh Silverman, In the Wake and Go Back to Where You Are

DESIGN
Jill BC Du Boff, sustained excellence of sound design
Donyale Werle, sustained excellence of set design

SPECIAL CITATIONS
Sleep No More, design and choreography: Felix Barrett, Livi Vaughan, and Beatrice Minns (design); Maxine Doyle (choreography); Stephen Dobbie (sound); Euan Maybank (lighting); David Israel Reynoso (costumes)
Young Jean Lee, We're Gonna Die
debbie tucker green (playwright) and Leah C. Gardiner (director), Born Bad

OBIE GRANTS
Metropolitan Playhouse
Wakka Wakka

THE ROSS WETZSTEON AWARD
Belarus Free Theatre
(includes $1,000 prize)

CEREMONY HOSTS
S. Epatha Merkerson
David Hyde Pierce

AWARD PRESENTERS
Nina Arianda
Alec Baldwin
Margaret Colin
Mamie Gummer
Rose Hemingway
John Larroquette
Patina Miller
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Arian Moayed
Jim Parsons
Andrew Rannells
Liev Schreiber
Frank Wood

OBIE AWARD JUDGES
Michael Feingold, chairman
Andy Propst, secretary
Hilton Als
David Henry Hwang
Alexis Soloski
Evan Yionoulis