MEAN GIRLS and More Take Home 2018 Helen Hayes Awards!

This evening, the 34th Annual Helen Hayes Awards celebrated Washington's diverse and vital theatre community with a gala event at The Anthem, recognizing 258 Helen Hayes Award nominees and 48 award recipients drawn from 202 eligible productions presented at 64 theatres in 2017. GALA Hispanic Theatre's Spanish-language production of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegria Hudes' In The Heights received nine awards, putting them at the top of a list of 20 theatres receiving Helen Hayes Awards this year.

Also going home with multiple honors was Shakespeare Theatre Company with four nods for its production of Twelfth Night. In an interesting turn of events the two awards for Outstanding Production in a Musical (given in "Helen" and "Hayes" categories, see below) were for different productions of In the Heights, one by GALA Hispanic and the other a co-production by Olney Theatre Center and Round House Theatre. Produced and administered by theatreWashington, the Helen Hayes Awards honors excellence in professional theatre in the greater Washington area, encompassing the work of more than 90 eligible theatre companies and innumerable world class artists. (For a full list of award recipients see document links listed below.)

The prestigious Helen Hayes Tribute was bestowed on actor Nancy Robinette who joins a stellar line-up of previous recipients, including last year's Ted Van Griethuysen and reaching back to such luminaries as Julie Harris, Ming Cho Lee, and Jerry Herman. Over the past 35 years, Robinette has appeared with theatre companies across the Washington metro area, leading to five Helen Hayes Awards and 18 nominations. She made her Broadway debut in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in 2016.

The John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company, one of the most coveted of the night's honors, was given to Monumental Theatre Company, which - according to their mission statement - "seeks to connect emerging artists, specifically those of the millennial generation, with the larger community by giving them a platform from which to promote their work to the public." Established in 2008, the Aniello Award is named for the late John Aniello Jr., a theatre enthusiast lovingly remembered for his personal support of both emerging and established theatre artists in the Washington area.

Hosting the event were Michael J. Bobbitt, choreographer and Artistic Director of Adventure Theatre MTC, and Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan, recipient of last year's Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play-Hayes Production for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Presenters represented a rich mix of theatre artists and administrators, including Victoria Murray Baatin, Weldon Brown, Allyson Currin, Tom Howley, Nanna Ingvarsson, Karen Lange, HB MacArthur, Ouida Maedel, Helen Murray, Ines Nassara, Dat Ngo, Marni Penning, Tuyet Thi Pham, Psalmayene 24, Victor Shargai, John Stange, Michele Caesar Turner, MATTHEW ALAN Ward, and Jacob Yeh.

For the fourth year, the Helen Hayes Awards were given in parallel tracks determined by the ratio of Actors' Equity contracts involved in an individual production. Productions and artists were thus recognized as recipients in either the "Helen" or "Hayes" categories. Award decisions are the result of 41 judges evaluating 2,633 individual elements of work, including acting, directing, choreography, and design. Productions under consideration in 2017 included 56 musicals, 154 plays, 15 young-audience productions, and encompassed 42 world premieres. For a full list of Helen Hayes Awards nominees and recipients, see the attachments below or visit theatreWashington.org.

Monty Hoffman, Founder and CEO of PN Hoffman, a leader of real estate development in the DC metro area and visionary for the revitalization of the Wharf, served as Honorary Chairman for the Awards. Honorary Artist Supporter Chair, The Share Fund, hosted the Nominee and Patron Celebration immediately preceding the Awards ceremony. A leader in lighting and rigging systems from black box theaters to performing arts centers, Barbizon Lighting joined for the first time as a mural sponsor. The Helen Hayes Awards are also sponsored by TodayTix, a ticketing platform on a mission to connect the next generation of culture lovers to theatre by making it more accessible, easy, and fun.

theatreWashington and the Helen Hayes Awards are supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, The Share Fund, Prince Charitable Trust, and Craig Pascal and Victor Shargai.

About theatreWashington
The administration and celebration of the Helen Hayes Awards is just one element of theatreWashington's mission, which is to strengthen, represent, and support all segments of Washington's professional theatre community, including theatre companies, artists, staff, and diverse audiences of all ages. Over more than three decades of support and advocacy, theatreWashington has played a vital role in the transformation of the city's cultural identity, with the resulting revitalization of the community as a whole.

See the full list of winners below!

Outstanding Choreography in a Musical - Hayes

Parker Esse The Pajama Game Arena Stage

Denis Jones Crazy for You Signature Theatre

Outstanding Choreography in a Musical - Helen

Luis Salgado In the Heights GALA Hispanic Theatre

Outstanding Choreography in a Play - Hayes

Robb Hunter HIR Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Outstanding Choreography in a Play - Helen

Kelly Maxner, Mollye Maxner Still Life with Rocket Theater Alliance

Outstanding Musical Direction - Hayes

Jon Kalbfleisch Caroline, Or Change Round House Theatre

Outstanding Musical Direction - Helen

Walter "Bobby" McCoy In the Heights GALA Hispanic Theatre

Outstanding Costume Design - Hayes

Kendra Rai Or, Round House Theatre

Outstanding Costume Design - Helen

Robert Croghan In the Heights GALA Hispanic Theatre

Outstanding Lighting Design - Hayes

Jason Lyons (Lighting Designer), Zachary G. Borovay (Projection Designer) Jesus Christ Superstar Signature Theatre

Outstanding Lighting Design - Helen

Christopher Annas-Lee In the Heights GALA Hispanic Theatre

Outstanding Set Design - Hayes

Lee Savage Twelfth Night Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Set Design - Helen

Debra Kim Sivigny Forgotten Kingdoms Rorschach Theatre

Outstanding Sound Design - Hayes

Palmer Hefferan Baby Screams Miracle Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Outstanding Sound Design - Helen

Matthew M. Nielson Mnemonic Theater Alliance

Outstanding Direction in a Musical - Hayes

Kathryn Chase Bryer Wonderland: Alice's Rock & Roll Adventure Imagination Stage

Outstanding Direction in a Musical - Helen

Luis Salgado In the Heights GALA Hispanic Theatre

Outstanding Direction in a Play - Hayes

Ethan McSweeny Twelfth Night Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Direction in a Play - Helen

Rick Hammerly Lela & Co Factory 449

Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical - Hayes

Ragtime Ford's Theatre

Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical - Helen

In the Heights GALA Hispanic Theatre

Outstanding Ensemble in a Play - Hayes

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Ford's Theatre

Outstanding Ensemble in a Play - Helen

Peter and the Starcatcher Constellation Theatre Company

Outstanding Performer - Visiting Production

Alessandra Baldacchino Fun Home The National Theatre

Abby Corrigan Fun Home The National Theatre

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical - Hayes

Will Gartshore A Little Night Music Signature Theatre

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical - Hayes

Tracy Lynn Olivera A Little Night Music Signature Theatre

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical - Helen

Félix Marchany In the Heights GALA Hispanic Theatre

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical - Helen

Kari Ginsburg The Wild Party Constellation Theatre Company

James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play - Hayes

Jim Lichtscheidl Twelfth Night Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play - Hayes

Erin Weaver Or, Round House Theatre

James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play - Helen

Jose Guzman Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train 1st Stage

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play - Helen

Susan Rome Brighton Beach Memoirs Theater J

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical - Hayes

Kevin McAllister Ragtime Ford's Theatre

Blakely Slaybaugh The Pajama Game Arena Stage

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical - Hayes

Rayanne Gonzales In the Heights Olney Theatre Center & Round House Theatre

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical - Helen

Michael Innocenti Parade The Keegan Theatre

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical - Helen

Laura Lebrón In the Heights GALA Hispanic Theatre

Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play - Hayes

Ted Van Griethuysen The Father Studio Theatre

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play - Hayes

Lizan Mitchell A Raisin in the Sun Arena Stage

Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play - Helen

Frank Britton Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train 1st Stage

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play - Helen

Felicia Curry Lela & Co Factory 449

Outstanding Original Play or Musical Adaptation

Karen Zacarías (Book), Deborah Wicks La Puma (Music) Ella Enchanted Adventure Theatre MTC

Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding Original New Play or Musical

Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm Hooded, Or Being Black for Dummies Mosaic Theater Company of DC

Outstanding Production

Theatre for Young Audiences Wonderland: Alice's Rock & Roll Adventure Imagination Stage

Outstanding Visiting Production

Mean Girls The National Theatre

Outstanding Production in a Musical - Hayes

In the Heights Olney Theatre Center & Round House Theatre

Outstanding Production in a Play - Hayes

Twelfth Night Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Production in a Musical - Helen

In the Heights GALA Hispanic Theatre

Outstanding Production in a Play - Helen

Still Life with Rocket Theater Alliance

Helen Hayes Tribute

Nancy Robinette

John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company

Monumental Theatre Company