Bess Wohl’s Liberation Wins Best Play at 2026 Tony Awards
Wohl becomes the 4th female playwright in history to win Best Play
(Photo by Emilio Madrid for Broadway.com)
What to Know
- Liberation won Best Play at the 2026 Tony Awards, following its 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Drama win and making playwright Bess Wohl the fourth woman in Tony Awards history to receive the honor
- Set in 1970s Ohio, the feminist drama explores women’s lives, generational change and equality across two eras
- Directed by Whitney White, Liberation opened on Broadway on October 28, 2025 after a successful Roundabout Theatre Company run and marked Bess Wohl’s first Tony Award win
Now that's what we're talkin' 'bout! Liberation, penned by Bess Wohl, was named Best Play at the 79th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 7. The 2026 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Liberation's triumph makes Wohl only the fourth female playwright to win the award in Tonys history. As previously announced, the feminist memory play will play a multi-theater co-production in select U.S. cities beginning this year, and will be staged in London in 2027.
Liberation is set in 1970s Ohio. Lizzie gathers a small group of women to talk, and talking quickly turns into a necessary—and bracingly funny—effort to change their lives, and the world. Fifty years later, Lizzie's daughter is shocked to find herself asking the very same questions, and she searches the past for answers.
Liberation opened on Broadway on October 28, 2025 following an extended off-Broadway run at Roundabout Theatre Company. The Broadway production played its final performance on February 1. This win marks a rare example of a new show opening in the fall and closing prior to being nominated for a Tony in its best production category. Directed by Whitney White, Liberation starred Susannah Flood, Betsy Aidem, Audrey Corsa, Kayla Davion, Kristolyn Lloyd, Irene Sofia Lucio, Charlie Thurston and Adina Verson. The production featured scenic design by David Zinn, costume design by Qween Jean, lighting design by Cha See, sound design by Palmer Hefferan and hair and wig design by Nikiya Mathis. Kelsey Rainwater was the intimacy director and Gigi Buffington acted as vocal and dialect coach.
This marks Wohl's first Tony win. She also penned Barcelona, Camp Siegfried, Small Mouth Sounds, Make Believe, Community, American Hero, Touched, In, Cats Talk Back and Grand Horizons—which marked the playwright's Broadway debut and earned Wohl her first Tony nomination in 2020.
Watch Wohl discuss Liberation with Broadway.com Managing Editor Beth Stevens below.