Former Village Voice Critic Michael Feingold Will Serve as Obie Awards Chairman

The 59th annual Obie Awards ceremony, produced by the Village Voice, will be held Monday, May 19, at Webster Hall. TheaterMania contributor ("Thinking About Theater") and former Village Voice theater critic Michael Feingold will chair the judges panel.

"We are very pleased to have Michael Feingold continue his relationship with the Voice and serve as Obie Chairman for our 59th annual awards," said Josh Fromson, publisher of the Village Voice. "Michael brings his elevated skill and expertise as an icon of the New York theater community with a deep history and love for the theater and the Obies."

Feingold began contributing to the Village Voice in 1971 and served as its chief theater critic from 1983 through May 2013, during which time he was twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism and a recipient of the George Jean Nathan Award for excellence in theater criticism. He served as Obie Chairman from 2006-2011, returning to the role in 2012-13, which he continues this year. Feingold's responsibilities as chairman will include contributing an essay to the publication's Obie Awards issue. The essay will contain his thoughts on the past theater season. Feingold joined TheaterMania as a contributor with the column "Thinking About Theater" in June 2013.

Tom Finkel, the Village Voice's editor in chief, welcomed Feingold, saying, "I'm thrilled to have Michael Feingold back in our midst. To me the Obie Awards have always embodied the Voice's passion for the arts and for downtown theater in particular, and as far as I'm concerned, Michael is the embodiment of the Obies."

To read Michael Feingold's latest pair of "Thinking About Theater" columns, click here and here.