The American Theatre Wing has announced a new panel of judges and eligibility details for the 69th Obie Awards.

The Obies, which celebrate work done Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway, consider hundreds of productions each season. To be eligible for Obies in this 69th season, productions will have to have opened between September 1, 2024 and August 31, 2025.

The complete panel of judges will be Haruna Lee (Co-Chair); Wilson Chin (Co-Chair); scenic designer Aya Ogawa; writer, director, translator and performer Modesto “Flako” Jimenez; multi-hyphenate artist Ryan J. Haddad; actor and playwright Barbara Samuels; lighting designer, producer, and organizer Santiago Orjuela Laverde; designer Jonathan McCrory; producer Stephanie Berry; and actor, director, writer, and musician Whitney White. 

This season will also mark the awards' return to the pre-pandemic standard of only considering in-person work. With the exception of the awards for Lifetime Achievement, Best New American Play, the Ross Wetzsteon Award Grant (presented to a theatre that nurtures innovative new plays), and the Michael Feingold Award (recognizing achievement in criticism, dramaturgy, translation, scholarship, mentorship, education, or other theatrical contribution), the Obie Award categories are purposefully informal to create possibilities for recognizing personas and productions worthy of distinction outside of a binary structure.

For more information, visit ObieAwards.com.