The Tony Awards are just under a month away, and the buzz around Broadway has intensified. Especially now that most people are out of school for the summer, people are running to the theaters to catch performances from the Tony nominees before the big ceremony. To top it all off, the Hamilton lottery has gotten even more impossible. In the midst of all of this, the 61st Annual Obie Awards will be held this Monday, May 23rd at Webster Hall in New York City. Hosted by Orange Is the New Black’s Lea Delaria, the ceremony celebrates the best and brightest of Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway theatre.
The Obie Awards are jointly presented by the American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice, and have just announced their star-studded line-up. The presenters include Obie Award winner Colman Domingo, Obie Award winner Danai Gurira, Maura Tierney, Kate Burton, Obie Award winner Savion Glover, three-time Obie Award winner Elizabeth Marvel, Carrie Preston, Norm Lewis, Obie Award winner Tovah Feldshuh, Marlo Thomas, and two-time Obie Award winner Lisa Kron.
The evening will also feature special performances by cast members of Orange Is the New Black, 2016 Tony Award nominee Leslie Odom Jr. and Ben Platt.
The big awards of the night will go to legendary actor/dancer/choreographer Carmen de Lavallade and renowned playwright A.R. Gurney who will each receive a special Obie Award for Lifetime Achievement.
This year’s Obie Awards will be live streamed on the official Obie Awards Facebook page – www.facebook.com/ObieAwards.