Obie Award
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The OBIE Award, short for "Off-Broadway Theater Award," are annual awards bestowed by the newspaper The Village Voice on Off-Broadway theater artists performing in New York City. Due to the prominence of New York in United States theater, the OBIE's have become the most prestigious theater awards in the United States next to the Tony Awards; the Tonys are given to Broadway productions, while the OBIE's cover Off- and Off-Off-Broadway productions.
The Village 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 Village 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 Village Voice also awards annual OBIE grants to selected companies, and a Ross Wetzsteon Grant, named after its former theater editor.