Off Broadway’s Obie Awards Postponed Due To National Unrest: “Not A Time For Celebration Or Diversion”

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Saying that now is no time for “celebration or diversion,” the presenters of the annual Obie Awards for excellent in Off and Off Off Broadway theater, have postponed this year’s virtual event.

“Our hearts are heavy and our souls are weary. This is a time for reflection and mourning, for action and activism. It is not a time for celebration or diversion,” said Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, which presents the awards with The Village Voice.

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The 65th annual ceremony had been set to premiere on YouTube Thursday, June 4; a new date will be announced later.

In a previous statement, Hitchens said, “The most recent examples of racial violence and injustice in America against the black community that culminated in the senseless and unjust killing of George Floyd are devastating and have added to a persistent and truly horrific narrative about who America is as a nation.”

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