1979 Award Winners

• Sustained Achievement
  • Al Carmines,
• Special Citations
  • Gordon Chater, Richard Wherrett, and Steve J. Spears, The Elocution of Benjamin
  • JoAnne Akalaitis, Ellen McElduff, and David Warrilow, Southern Exposure
  • Tadeusz Kantor, The Dead Class
  • The Negro Ensemble Company,
    Sustained Excellence of Ensemble Acting
  • The French Department of NYU,
    for its Samuel Beckett Festival
• Playwriting
  • Rosalyn Drexler, The Writer's Opera
  • Susan Miller, "Nasty Rumors" and "Final Remarks"
  • Richard Nelson, Vienna Notes
  • Bernard Pomerance, The Elephant Man
  • Sam Shepard, Buried Child
• Performance
  • Mary Alice, "Nongogo" and "Julius Caesar"
  • Philip Anglim, The Elephant Man
  • Joseph Buloff, The Price
  • Constance Cummings, Wings
  • Fred Gwynne, Grand Magic
  • Judd Hirsch, Talley's Folly
  • Marcell Rosenblatt, Vienna Notes
  • Elizabeth Wilson, Taken in Marriage
• Obie Committee
  • Eric Bentley, Ruth Maylees, Guest Judges,
  • Erika Munk, Voice theatre editor,
  • Michael Feingold, Terry Curtis Fox, Julius Novick, and Arthur Sainer, Voice theatre critics,
  • Ross Wetzsteon, chairman,
• Direction
  • Maria Irene Fornes, Eyes on the Harem
  • Jack Hofsiss, The Elephant Man
• Design
  • Theatre X, A Fierce Longing, for sets and lighting
  • Jennifer Tipton,
    Public theatre, for sets and lighting
• Best New American Play
  • Michael McClure, Josephine