Blanchett, Noll, Brochu, Parsons Garner Helen Hayes Awards Nominations; Awards Ceremony to be Held April 5

Theatre artists and productions nominated for The 26th Annual Helen Hayes Awards were announced this evening at a press conference hosted by The National Theatre in its Helen Hayes Gallery. The complete list of nominees can be found below. 

Out of Washington's 73 professional theatres, 57 theatres produced 182 productions that met eligibility requirements during the January 1 - December 31, 2009 judging cycle. From these shows, 151 artists, ensembles and productions from 25 theatres were nominated in 26 categories.

Sixty-three judges, selected by a panel of area artistic directors, cast 22,558 scores in consideration of 2821  pieces of work (performances, designs, productions, directions etc). From that work, 1,669 were acting  performances alone.

In comparison, in 2009 (for adjudicated productions from January 1 - December 31, 2008, 45 eligible theatres  produced 172 productions that met Awards' eligibility requirements, resulting in 150 nominations. A summary of  the Helen Hayes Awards Adjudication Process is available at www.helenhayes.org.

This year's nominations mark the first year that the award for Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young  Audiences will be presented. Productions eligible for this category must be intended specifically for audiences age  12 and under.

As occurred in 2009, the quantity and quality of ensemble work necessitated the division of The Canadian  Embassy Award for Outstanding Ensemble into two separate categories: one for ensemble of a play and the other  for ensemble of a musical. This distinction is applied in any year when there are a similarly large number of  ensembles garnering such high scores.

Upon welcoming the crowd of approximately 200 theatre leaders, artists and patrons, Victor Shargai, Chairman of  The Helen Hayes Awards Board of Directors, announced that:  The John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company will be given to 1st Stage, an  exciting young theatre company who has made their home in Tysons Corner specifically to provide opportunities to emerging talents so they can in fact be the "first stage" in their careers. This award was established in 2008 in memory of John Aniello, a devoted champion of young, promising  talent and an avid theatergoer since 1960. The John Aniello Award recognizes and encourages the  efforts of companies who are just getting started yet have produced a body of work that is new, daring,  and exciting. This is the third year the award will be presented, having been previously been given to  Taffety Punk in 2008 and Constellation Theatre Company in 2009.

Before announcing the nominees, Helen Hayes Awards President & CEO Linda Levy Grossman announced a  new initiative: "Helen Hayes Recommended" a marketing initiative to help encourage attendance during the run of a show. The endorsement is determined by judges attending productions throughout the year as part of their  balloting process. If a production is recommended by the judges, the endorsement of "Helen Hayes  Recommended" and a special logo is sent to the producing theatre for their use in up-to-the-minute marketing  and communications efforts.

In 1983, Helen Hayes Awards Founder Bonnie Nelson Schwartz recognized that the 14 professional theatres that,  at the time made Washington their home, were worthy of great attention and celebration. So when the first Helen  Hayes Awards judging cycle began in 1984, the stage was set to cultivate a theatre community that would  become the second most prolific theatre town in the country.

***********************************

Helen Hayes began her lifelong love affair with theatre at the age of five after seeing her first play at The National  Theatre. Her legendary work ethic and standards of excellence earned her the title "First Lady of the American  Theatre." Eighty years after her first visit to The National Theatre, she presided over the inaugural presentation of  her namesake awards and continued to inspire the Washington artists that followed in her footsteps. The  National Theatre is now operated by the non-profit National Theatre Corporation, and managed by The Shubert  Organization.

The Helen Hayes Awards is among the area's chief community builders, helping to strengthen our region by  building one of its most powerful assets: the professional theatre. While the organization takes center stage on  one night each year to celebrate Washington area theatre, our work behind the scenes to build audiences, honor  excellence, and educate youth continues for 365 nights - and days.

The 26th Annual Helen Hayes Awards will be held on Monday, April 5, 2010 at the Warner Theatre and JW Marriott Hotel. One of our country's most prestigious cultural events, The Helen Hayes Awards annually honors excellence in professional theatre throughout the Washington metropolitan area.