| The Obie Awards, short for Off-Broadway Theater Awards, are annual awards bestowed by the newspaper The Village Voice on theater artists performing in New York City. Due to the
prominence of New York in United States theater, the Obies have become
the most prestigious theater awards in the U.S. next to the Tony Awards; the
Tonys are given to Broadway productions, while the Obies cover
everything else.
The Voice began the awards in 1956 under the direction of theater critic Jerry Tallmer. Originally, only Off-Broadway productions were eligible for Obies; in 1964 the Voice began including Off-Off-Broadway
productions.
Award categories include Performance, Direction, Best Production, Design, Special Citations, Sustained
Achievement, and Lifetime Achievement. Not every category is awarded every year. The Voice also awards annual Obie Grants
to selected companies, and a Ross
Wetzsteon Grant, named after its former theater editor.
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