2019 Obie Awards Will Honor James C. Nicola and Jeffrey Horowitz

The 64th annual Obies Awards will present Lifetime Achievement Awards to two artistic directors of Off-Broadway theatre companies: New York Theatre Workshop’s James C. Nicola and Theatre for a New Audience’s Jeffrey Horowitz.

As previously announced, the ceremony, celebrating the best of the Off- and Off-Off-Broadway season, will take place May 20 at Terminal 5; Rachel Bloom will host.

Nicola has served as artistic director of NYTW since 1988. Under his leadership the company formed the Usual Suspects community, which now boasts over 600 members. Prior to his time downtown, Nicola worked at Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage and with the New York Shakespeare Festival.

Horowitz founded Theatre for a New Audience in 1979. He has since produced 24 of Shakespeare’s plays, as well as Greek, Jacobean, and Italian classical dramas. He also currently serves on the advisory board of the Shakespeare Society, as the artistic directorate of London’s Globe Theatre, and as the artistic advisor to the Shakespeare Globe Centre.

The Obies are presented by the American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice. Michael Feingold will chair a judges panel for this year’s awards that also includes Arin Arbus, Rachel Hauck, Riccardo Hernandez, Rajiv Joseph, Kecia Lewis, and Jesse Oxfeld.