Charlie Corcoran, Montana Levi Blanco, and More Receive Hewes Awards

The 2019 Henry Hewes Design Award Honors for the 2018-2019 theater season were announced today and will be presented at the awards ceremony on October 7 in New York.

The 5 recipients are scenic designer Charlie Corcoran (The O'Casey Trilogy, Irish Repertory Theatre), costume designer Montana Levi Blanco (Ain't No Mo', Public Theater), lighting designers Amith Chandrashaker (Boesman and Lena, Signature Theatre) and Yi Zhao (The House That Will Not Stand, New York Theatre Workshop), and sound designer Mikaal Sulaiman (Fairview, Soho Rep).

"All five of the 2019 honorees are receiving their first award from the Hewes committee," said Jeffrey Eric Jenkins, chairman of the Henry Hewes Design Awards Committee. "We are delighted to honor them for their brilliant work and superb contributions to the world of New York theater design."

For the 2019 honors, 94 theater artists were nominated for outstanding artistry in 63 productions presented during the 2018-2019 New York theater season on, off, and off-off Broadway. (A complete list of 2019 nominees follows this awards announcement.)

2019 Henry Hewes Design Awards Honorees:

Scenic Design: Charlie Corcoran (The O'Casey Trilogy, Irish Repertory Theatre)

Costume Design: Montana Levi Blanco (Ain't No Mo', Public Theater)

Lighting Design: Amith Chandrashaker (Boesman and Lena, Signature Theatre)

Lighting Design: Yi Zhao (The House That Will Not Stand, New York Theatre Workshop)

Notable Effects (Sound Design): Mikaal Sulaiman (Fairview, Soho Rep)

Montana Levi Blanco led all artists with four nominations for his design work. Dede M. Ayite and Laura Jellinek each received three nominations for their designs. Fourteen other designers received two nominations each for their work during the 2018-2019 season. Beetlejuice, the Broadway musical, received six nominations. Three productions (Head Over Heels, Oklahoma! and Spaceman) each received four nominations. Seven productions each received three nominations and twenty other productions each received two nominations.

The HHDA Committee named honorees in four categories: Scenic Design, Costume Design, Lighting Design and Notable Effects. As of the 2019 awards, the Committee has bestowed 313 honors on 204 artists representing 273 productions.

These annual awards honor designers for work in venues on Broadway, off Broadway and off-off Broadway, recognizing not only the traditional categories of Scenic Design, Costume Design and Lighting Design, but also "Notable Effects," which encompass sound, music, video, projections, puppetry, and other creative elements. All nominated designs must have originated in United States productions. The Hewes Awards Committee annually considers more than 200 productions when making its nominations.

Known as the Maharam Awards at their inception in 1965, the Hewes Awards were later renamed the American Theatre Wing Design Awards in honor of the Wing's generous sponsorship. In 1999, they became the Henry Hewes Design Awards in honor of noted critic Henry Hewes, who created the awards and served as a board member of the American Theatre Wing until his death in 2006 at age 89.

The Henry Hewes Design Awards Committee includes theater critics Jeffrey Eric Jenkins, chair; David Barbour; David Cote; Glenda Frank; Helen Shaw; Michael Sommers; and Martha Wade Steketee. The awards are sponsored by the Henry Hewes Foundation for the Theater Arts.

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