Founded | 1938 |
---|---|
52-1149571 [1] | |
Legal status | 501(c)(3) nonprofit theater [1] |
Purpose | 20th-century American classics and experimental plays |
Location | |
Services | Promotion and production of theatrical works, through the presentation of original, classical, and experimental plays in public and private theatres and auditoriums. [2] |
Jason Loewith [3] | |
Deborah Ellinghaus [4] | |
Linda E. Rosenzweig [5] | |
Revenue (2017) | $7,541,789 [2] |
Expenses (2017) | $6,125,750 [2] |
Employees (2016) | 229 [2] |
Volunteers (2016) | 330 [2] |
Website | www |
Located in Olney, Maryland, the Olney Theatre Center offers a diverse array of professional productions year-round that enrich, nurture, and challenge a broad range of artists, audiences and students. One of the two official state theaters of Maryland, Olney Theatre Center is situated on 14 acres (57,000 m2) in the middle of the Washington–Baltimore–Frederick "triangle." There are three indoor venues: the Historic Theatre, the Roberts Mainstage, and the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab. There is also an outdoor venue, the Root Family Stage at Omi’s Pavilion.
The Roberts Mainstage seats 429 patrons, with a small theatre lab added in 1999. [6]
As of November 2023, Olney Theatre Center has won 28 Helen Hayes Awards since the award's founding in 1985 and received 208 nominations. [7] [8] [ needs update ] It is one of only two theaters in the country to operate under an Actors' Equity Association Council of Stock Theaters (COST) contract.
In 1938, Olney Theatre was founded as a summer theater and restaurant by Stephen E. Cochran, attorney and judge Harold C. Smith, and theater manager Leonard B. McLaughlin. [9] [10] Olney Theatre was built on the Woodlawn Lodge estate, [9] which was the site of a former roller skating rink in what was then rural Montgomery County. Olney Theatre is situated on unceded land that is the ancestral home of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe. [11]
Stephen Cochran was the first managing director and actress Ethel Barrymore was the first associate director. [9] [12] The National Academy of Stage Training, a professional school of drama that had been founded by Cochran in 1932, moved to the Olney Theatre and began its first summer course there on June 20, 1938. [13] [11] The class was taught by Dorothy Martin and George Vivian. [11]
Olney Theatre's first production, The Lady Has a Heart, had its first performance on July 25, 1938. [14] The play was about a butler who was elected to the parliament of Hungary on a modified New Deal platform. [14] The first show was sold out. [14] Elissa Landi and Leslie Denison starred, along with Gordon Richards, Howard Ferguson, and Zoyla Talma. [14] [15] Olney Theatre had a rustic feel, with inverted peach baskets serving as chandeliers and an open-air lobby with an oak tree growing in it. [14] [16] Olney Theatre advertised itself as the South's first professional summer theater. [17]
C. Y. Stephens, an owner of High's Dairy Stores, purchased property and remodeled it to become better suited for theater in 1940.
In 1946, Olney Theater was under the joint management of Glenn Taylor, Redge Allen, and Evelyn Freyman. It presented summer theater where shows featured well-known stars such as Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, Tallulah Bankhead, and Helen Hayes. The theater was a five-show summer stock theater on the straw-hat circuit, along with 238 other theaters around the country.
Players, Inc. (subsequently known as the National Players) was Olney Theatre Center's touring company. It was created by Father Gilbert V. Hartke in 1949. It brought live theater and educational programming to students and public audiences across the United States and overseas.
In 1952, C.Y. Stephens invited Father Hartke to come to Olney for a meeting where he was asked to take over the theater. The two negotiated, and Father Hartke took over management of the property under his nonprofit touring company's umbrella. Stephens agreed not to charge Players, Inc. rent, and to reimburse them up to a $10,000 loss. Father Hartke then moved Players, Inc. to Olney to establish a summer theater.
After losses in 1953 and 1954, which Stephens underwrote, the decision was made to produce only five plays in 1955. Despite much critical success, Olney still sustained a loss of $3,495.61 in 1955. Consequently, Father Hartke asked William H. Graham, Sr. to serve as Olney Theatre's general manager. His work, combined with the directorial talents of Robert Moore, Leo Brady, and Jim Waring drew large audiences, favorable reviews, and resulted in a profit of nearly $7,000 in 1956.
In 1960, after the production of Rashomon, directed by Robert Moore, Stephens told Father Hartke that he had decided to give him the theater. Stephens gradually transferred all of the property's stock to Players. Father Hartke became the corporation's president, a position he held for 33 years.
Governor Blair Lee recognized Olney Theatre as the official State Summer Theater of Maryland in July 1978. [18]
Father Hartke died in 1986. [19] The next year, Maryland State Arts Council designated Olney a "major arts organization", making it the only arts institution outside of Baltimore to hold such status at the time. [20] The theater was producing five three-week productions per season, primarily from May to September.
In 1991, Olney Theatre began a capital campaign to match a $625,000 state grant. The money was to be used for much needed improvements to the facilities and to realize Father Hartke's goal of operating year-round.
Olney Theatre added two shows to its 1993 season, and it began production in April and ending around late October. A scene shop and a costume shop were added to the mainstage building. Prior sets were built outside, and costumes were built on the Crawford House porch.
Jim Petosa was appointed artistic director of the newly renamed Olney Theatre Center in 1994. Petosa renewed emphasis on 20th-century American classics, musical theater, new works, and area premieres.
From 1998 to 1999, Olney Theatre Center celebrated the 50th consecutive touring year of National Players. During these 50 years, National Players had reached 2,400,000 audience members, traveled 1,760,000 miles (2,830,000 km), including ten tours outside the United States and five receptions at the White House, and gave over 6,000 performances. Olney Theatre Center began year-round performances with a seven-show mainstage season.
The Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab was built in 1999 as the first step towards a new master campus plan. A year later, Olney Theatre Center began a capital campaign for a $10.5 million expansion. In 2003, The Kresge Foundation awarded Olney Theatre Center a Special Opportunities Initiative grant of $1 million. The next year, Olney Theatre Center acquired an additional 5 acres (20,000 m2) for its cultural campus. In 2005, Olney Theatre Center opened its new amphitheater, the Root Family Stage at Will's Place, which gave a permanent home to its Summer Shakespeare Festival. Olney Theatre Center held the grand opening of its Mainstage theater, a 429-seat facility with stadium seating and advanced technical capabilities. Olney Theatre Center expanded its mainstage season to eight plays and introduced its New Play Initiative with the world premiere of In the Mood in 2006. Olney Theatre Center also held its first Gala Celebration in over twenty years.
In 2007, Olney Theatre Center added a family entertainment series and formed Olney Theatre Institute, which reinforced its education initiative. [21]
After 19 years with Olney Theatre, Petosa resigned as artistic director in 2012. [22] Martin Platt was hired as the new artistic director. [23] Platt resigned after six months. [24] Jason Loewith became the new artistic director in 2013. [25]
In 2016, Olney Theatre had a mortgage of $4.8 million, down from $6 million in 2013. The operating budget for the 2016 season was a little less than $6 million. [6]
Since the theater was founded in 1938 it has produced many works that have gone on to later acclaim. Among them are:
This memory play by Irish playwright Hugh Leonard was part of Olney's ongoing collaboration with him. Da had its world premiere at the Olney Theatre Center in 1973 under the direction of Jim Waring. The show later on ran on Broadway [28] and received four Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Play in 1978. [29]
Originally produced by Jim Waring for the Catholic University of America, producer Susan Rose saw the production at Olney and, along with Gail Berman, raised $150,000 to remount the show at Ford's Theatre in downtown Washington, D.C. The success of the show led to a Broadway production [30] which received seven Tony Award nominations, including a nomination for Best Musical in 1982. [31]
A solo show by the English actor Ian McKellen. This play was praised by the Washington Post. [32] McKellen later helped to raise money for the 1938 Original Theatre's dressing rooms refurbishment. [33]
John Riggins, a well-known former American football player, [34] starred in this play and surprised fans from all over the country with his acting skills. [35] [36] The play, which was written by playwright Bernie DeLeo, world premiered at Olney Theater Center and ran for four weeks.
Written by Lauren Gunderson, I and You received its rolling world premiere at Olney. It later received a West End run in 2018 with Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams. [37] The play was nominated for The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding Original New Play or Musical at the 2015 Helen Hayes Awards. [38]
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Olney Theater had to postpone all its current and upcoming in person productions at that time, and moved to online programing. One of the productions was [39] The Humans by Stephen Karam. New York Times critic Jesse Green called the Zoom-produced video, "a blistering virtual production". [40]
After the Covid-19 pandemic, Olney Theatre Center resumed in-person performances. Disney's Beauty and the Beast became a holiday production, the director of the production was Marsha Milgrom Dodge. This production was notable for casting the actress Jade Jones, a queer and a plus size actor, as Belle. The actor cast as the Beast, Evan Ruggiero, lost a leg to cancer. Tracy Lynn Olivera was nominated for the Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical Helen Hayes Award. [41]
Following the success of Beauty and the Beast, Olney Theatre Center produced the world-premiere of the new musical A.D. 16. The book was by This Is Us writer and producer Bekah Brunstetter and the music and lyrics were written by Cinco Paul, who is known for his contributions to the Despicable Me franchise. The play was well received by the Washington Post. [42] It won the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award [43] and Outstanding Choreography in a Musical Helen Hayes Award. [44]
The Meredith Willson production of The Music Man [45] in Olney Theatre was well known for its unique performance in English with ASL and English supertitles which was an essential part of the experience for hearing audiences. The show was praised by The Washington Post, [46] DC Theater Arts, [47] MD Theatre Guide [48] and Talkin' Broadway. [49] The Music Man was nominated for nine Helen Hayes Awards, winning three, including a win for Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical. [50]
Year | Award Name | Recipient Name | Production Name | Result | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 1985 | Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Production | BRIGID CLEARY | Enter a Free Man | Nominated |
2. | PEGGY COSGRAVE | Crimes of the Heart | Nominated | ||
3. | Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Production | SCOTT HARLAN | Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? | Nominated | |
4. | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Production | MARCIA GAY HARDEN | Crimes of the Heart | Nominated | |
5. | Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Production | TOM TONER | The Gin Game | Nominated | |
6. | RICHARD BAUER | Enter a Free Man | Nominated | ||
7. | 1986 | Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Production | BRIGID CLEARY | Miss Firecracker Contest | Nominated |
8. | Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Production | PATRICK RICHWOOD | The Foreigner | Won | |
9. | Outstanding Resident Play | Foreigner | Foreigner | Nominated | |
10. | Outstanding Resident Musical | Baby | Baby | Nominated | |
11. | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Production | MARCIA GAY HARDEN | Miss Firecracker Contest | Nominated | |
12. | Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production | KATE CORBLEY | Miss Firecracker Contest | Nominated | |
13. | Outstanding Actress, Resident Musical | LIZ LARSEN | Baby | Nominated | |
14. | Outstanding Actor, Resident Musical | ROMAIN FRUGE | Baby | Won | |
15. | 1987 | Outstanding Performer, Resident Musical | KIRSTI CARNAHAN | Little Shop of Horrors | Nominated |
16. | Outstanding Resident Musical | Little Shop of Horrors | Little Shop of Horrors | Nominated | |
17. | 1988 | Outstanding Director, Resident Production | JOHN GOING | Noises Off | Nominated |
18. | Outstanding Resident Production | Noises Off | Noises Off | Nominated | |
19. | 1989 | Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical | MARTIN VIDNOVIC | Side by Side by Sondheim | Nominated |
20. | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical | KAREN AKERS | Side by Side by Sondheim | Nominated | |
21. | KIM CRISWELL | Side by Side by Sondheim | Won | ||
22. | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Production | BRIGID CLEARY | House of Blue Leaves | Nominated | |
23. | Outstanding Resident Musical | Side by Side by Sondheim | Side by Side by Sondheim | Nominated | |
24. | Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Production | JOHN MICHAEL HIGGINS | The Butterfingers Angel | Nominated | |
25. | 1990 | Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production | ROSEMARY PARDEE-HOLZ | Lucky Stiff | Nominated |
26. | Outstanding Director, Resident Production | JOHN GOING | Lucky Stiff | Nominated | |
27. | Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical | EVAN PAPPAS | Lucky Stiff | Won | |
28. | Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Production | RICHARD BAUER | Return of Herbert Bracewell | Nominated | |
29. | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical | LORRAINE SERABIAN | Lucky Stiff | Nominated | |
30. | TIA SPEROS | Lucky Stiff | Nominated | ||
31. | Outstanding Resident Musical | Lucky Stiff | Lucky Stiff | Won | |
32. | Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production | JAMES KRONZER | The Return of Herbert Bracewell | Won | |
33. | 1991 | Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production | RUSSELL METHENY | Secret Rapture | Nominated |
34. | Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Production | DAVID MARKS | You Can't Take It With You | Nominated | |
35. | LELAND ORSER | Secret Rapture | Nominated | ||
36. | Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Production | HALO WINES | You Can't Take It With You | Nominated | |
37. | 1992 | Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Production | RICHARD BAUER | I'm Not Rappaport | Nominated |
38. | 1993 | Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production | DANIEL MACLEAN WAGNER | Prelude to a Kiss | Nominated |
39. | Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production | JAMES KRONZER | Prelude to a Kiss | Nominated | |
40. | Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play | CAROLYN PASQUANTONIO | The Miracle Worker | Nominated | |
41. | 1994 | Outstanding Actor, Resident Musical | FLOYD KING | Show Me Where The Good Times Are | Nominated |
42. | Outstanding Actress, Resident Musical | ROBIN BAXTER | Show Me Where The Good Times Are | Nominated | |
43. | LORRAINE SERABIAN | Show Me Where The Good Times Are | Won | ||
44. | Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production | ROSEMARY PARDEE | Lend Me a Tenor | Nominated | |
45. | Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play | KEN RUTA | Shadowlands | Nominated | |
46. | Outstanding Resident Musical | Show Me Where the Good Times Are | Show Me Where the Good Times Are | Nominated | |
47. | Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play | JOHN NEVILLE-ANDREWS | Shadowlands | Nominated | |
48. | 1995 | Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical | PEDRO PORRO | The Sweet Revenge of Luisa May | Nominated |
49. | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical | KAREN CULLIVER | The Sweet Revenge of Luisa May | Nominated | |
50. | BARBARA MCCULLOUGH | The Sweet Revenge of Luisa May | Nominated | ||
51. | Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production | JAMES KRONZER | The Night of the Iguana | Nominated | |
52. | 1996 | Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production | ROSEMARY PARDEE | When We Are Married | Nominated |
53. | Outstanding Director, Resident Musical | JAMES A. PETOSA | Jaques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris | Won | |
54. | Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production | DANIEL MACLEAN WAGNER | The Passion of Dracula | Nominated | |
55. | DANIEL MACLEAN WAGNER | A Streetcar Named Desire | Nominated | ||
56. | Outstanding Resident Musical | Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris | Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris | Nominated | |
57. | Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production | JAMES KRONZER | A Streetcar Named Desire | Nominated | |
58. | 1997 | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical | ANITA HOLLANDER | The Fifth Season | Nominated |
59. | Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production | DANIEL MACLEAN WAGNER | Broken Glass | Won | |
60. | Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production | JAMES KRONZER | Broken Glass | Nominated | |
61. | 1998 | Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production | JULE EMERSON | Importance of Being Earnest | Nominated |
62. | Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play | CHRISTOPHER LANE | Romeo & Juliet | Nominated | |
63. | The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play | CAROLE LEHAN | Look! We Have Come Through! | Nominated | |
64. | JAMES A. PETOSA | Look! We Have Come Through! | Nominated | ||
65. | 1999 | Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production | ROBIN STAPLEY | Camille | Nominated |
66. | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play | HALO WINES | Holiday Memories | Nominated | |
67. | 2000 | Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play | CHRISTOPHER LANE | Equus | Won |
68. | 2001 | Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production | HOWARD TVSI KAPLAN | Man of La Mancha | Nominated |
69. | Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play | CHRISTOPHER LANE | Therese Raquin | Nominated | |
70. | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play | VALERIE LEONARD | Therese Raquin | Nominated | |
71. | Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production | DANIEL MACLEAN WAGNER | Therese Raquin | Nominated | |
72. | 2002 | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical | PEGGY YATES | She Loves Me | Nominated |
73. | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play | KELLY MCANDREW | Holiday | Nominated | |
74. | Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play | DAVID MARKS | The Rivals | Nominated | |
75. | Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical | SHERRI L. EDELEN | She Loves Me | Nominated | |
76. | 2003 | Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play | SUSAN LYNSKEY | The Laramie Project | Nominated |
77. | 2004 | Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play | UZO ADUBA | Translations of Xhosa | Nominated |
78. | 2005 | Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical | TRACY LYNN OLIVERA | Carousel | Nominated |
79. | 2006 | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play | CAROLYN PASQUANTONIO | The Miracle Worker | Nominated |
80. | MARYBETH WISE | The Miracle Worker | Nominated | ||
81. | Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production | CHARLIE MORRISON | Oliver! | Nominated | |
82. | Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production | JAMES KRONZER | Oliver! | Nominated | |
83. | 2007 | Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production | CHARLIE MORRISON | The Elephant Man | Won |
84. | Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production | JAMES KRONZER | The Foreigner | Nominated | |
85. | Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play | JAMES SLAUGHTER | An Enemy of the People | Nominated | |
86. | 2008 | Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play | ARNIE BURTON | I Am My Own Wife | Nominated |
87. | Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production | MARIE ANNE CHIMENT | I Am My Own Wife | Nominated | |
88. | 2009 | Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production | CHARLIE MORRISON | Rabbit Hole | Nominated |
89. | Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play | DEIDRA LAWAN STARNES | Doubt: A Parable | Nominated | |
90. | The Canadian Embassy Award for Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play | Rabbit Hole | Rabbit Hole | Nominated | |
91. | 2011 | Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical | BOBBY SMITH | Annie | Nominated |
92. | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical | CARRIE A. JOHNSON | Annie | Nominated | |
93. | Outstanding Resident Musical | Annie | Annie | Nominated | |
94. | Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical | JAMES KONICEK | Annie | Nominated | |
95. | Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical | JENNA SOKOLOWSKI | Annie | Nominated | |
96. | 2012 | Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical | Sound of Music | Sound of Music | Nominated |
97. | Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical | ALAN WIGGINS | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Nominated | |
98. | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical | JESSICA LAUREN BALL | The Sound of Music | Nominated | |
99. | Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Production | CHRISTOPHER YOUSTRA | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Nominated | |
100. | Outstanding Resident Musical | The Sound of Music | The Sound of Music | Nominated | |
101. | Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical | BOBBY SMITH | The Sound of Music | Nominated | |
102. | Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical | TRACY LYNN OLIVERA | The Sound of Music | Nominated | |
103. | 2013 | Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical | JAMES GARDINER | Little Shop of Horrors | Nominated |
104. | Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical | BOBBY SMITH | Little Shop of Horrors | Nominated | |
105. | 2014 | Outstanding Choreography, Resident Musical | TARA JEANNE VALLEE | The King and I | Nominated |
106. | Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical | A Chorus Line | A Chorus Line | Nominated | |
107. | Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical | BRYAN KNOWLTON | A Chorus Line | Nominated | |
108. | Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical | JESSICA VACCARO | A Chorus Line | Won | |
109. | Outstanding Lead Actress, Visiting Production | ANDRUS NICHOLS | Bedlam's Saint Joan | Nominated | |
110. | Outstanding Resident Musical | A Chorus Line | A Chorus Line | Won | |
111. | Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical | JENNIFER CORDINER | A Chorus Line | Nominated | |
112. | 2015 | Outstanding Choreography in a Play HAYES | BEN CUNIS (FIGHT & MOVEMENT CHOREOGRAPHER), CHRISTOPHER D'AMBOISE (CHOREOGRAPHER) | Colossal | Won |
113. | Outstanding Director of a Musical HAYES | JASON LOEWITH | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Nominated | |
114. | Outstanding Director of a Play HAYES | WILL DAVIS | Colossal | Won | |
115. | Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical HAYES | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Nominated | |
116. | Outstanding Ensemble in a Play HAYES | Colossal | Colossal | Nominated | |
117. | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical HAYES | SAM LUDWIG | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Won | |
118. | Outstanding Lighting Design HAYES | COLIN K. BILLS | Colossal | Nominated | |
119. | Outstanding Musical Direction HAYES | CHRISTOPHER YOUSTRA | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Nominated | |
120. | Outstanding Musical HAYES | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Nominated | |
121. | Outstanding Play HAYES | Colossal | Colossal | Nominated | |
122. | Outstanding Sound Design HAYES | CHRISTOPHER BAINE | Colossal | Won | |
123. | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical HAYES | GEORGE DVORSKY | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Nominated | |
124. | LAWRENCE REDMOND | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Nominated | ||
125. | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical HAYES | SHERRI L EDELEN | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Nominated | |
126. | The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding Original New Play or Musical | ANDREW HINDERAKER | Colossal | Won | |
127. | LAUREN GUNDERSON | I And You | Nominated | ||
128. | The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play HAYES | JOSEPH CARLSON | Colossal | Nominated | |
129. | 2016 | Outstanding Choreography in a Musical HAYES | TOMMY RAPLEY | Carousel | Nominated |
130. | TARA JEANNE VALLEE | The Producers | Nominated | ||
131. | Outstanding Director of a Play HAYES | JEREMY COHEN | Bad Dog | Nominated | |
132. | Outstanding Ensemble in a Play HAYES | Bad Dog | Bad Dog | Nominated | |
133. | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical HAYES | MICHAEL DI LIBERTO | The Producers | Nominated | |
134. | TALLY SESSIONS | Carousel | Nominated | ||
135. | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical HAYES | JESSICA LAUREN BALL | Guys and Dolls | Nominated | |
136. | LAUREN WEINBERG | Guys and Dolls | Nominated | ||
137. | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play HAYES | HOLLY TWYFORD | Bad Dog | Nominated | |
138. | Outstanding Play HAYES | Bad Dog | Bad Dog | Nominated | |
139. | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical HAYES | DOREA SCHMIDT | Carousel | Nominated | |
140. | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play HAYES | NAOMI JACOBSON | Bad Dog | Nominated | |
141. | 2017 | Outstanding Choreography, Musical HAYES | CHRISTOPHER D'AMBOISE | Evita | Nominated |
142. | SERGIO TRUJILLO | Carmen: An Afro-Cuban Jazz Musical | Nominated | ||
143. | Outstanding Direction, Musical HAYES | WILL DAVIS | Evita | Nominated | |
144. | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical HAYES | CHRISTINA SAJOUS | Carmen: An Afro-Cuban Jazz Musical | Nominated | |
145. | Outstanding Original Play or Musical Adaptation | MOISÉS KAUFMAN (BOOK & LYRICS), EDUARDO MACHADO (BOOK), ARTURO O'FARRILL (MUSIC) | Carmen: An Afro-Cuban Jazz Musical | Nominated | |
146. | Outstanding Performer, Visiting Production | SHAWN PFAUTSCH | The Mikado | Nominated | |
147. | Outstanding Visiting Production | The Mikado | The Mikado | Nominated | |
148. | 2018 | Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding Original New Play or Musical | ANDREW HINDERAKER | The Magic Play | Nominated |
149. | Outstanding Choreography in a Musical HAYES | MARCOS SANTANA | In The Heights | Nominated | |
150. | Outstanding Costume DesignHAYES | HELEN Q. HUANG | Fickle: A Fancy French Farce | Nominated | |
151. | Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical HAYES | In The Heights | In The Heights | Nominated | |
152. | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical HAYES | KEVIN MCALLISTER | Annie | Nominated | |
153. | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical HAYES | RAYANNE GONZALES | In The Heights | Won | |
154. | BRITTANY CAMPBELL | My Fair Lady | Nominated | ||
155. | Outstanding Original Play or Musical Adaptation | MEG MIROSHNIK | Fickle: A Fancy French Farce | Nominated | |
156. | Outstanding Production in a Musical HAYES | In The Heights | In The Heights | Won | |
157. | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical HAYES | MICHAEL J. MAINWARING | In The Heights | Nominated | |
158. | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical HAYES | VALERIE LEONARD | My Fair Lady | Nominated | |
159. | 2019 | James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play HAYES | SONG KIM | Aubergine | Nominated |
160. | Outstanding Choreography in a Musical HAYES | TARA JEANNE VALLEE | Elf the Musical | Nominated | |
161. | TARA JEANNE VALLEE | On The Town | Nominated | ||
162. | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical HAYES | DAVID SCHLUMPF | Elf the Musical | Nominated | |
163. | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical HAYES | TRACY LYNN OLIVERA | On The Town | Nominated | |
164. | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play HAYES | JULIA COFFEY | Labour of Love | Nominated | |
165. | Outstanding Visiting Production | H.M.S. Pinafore | H.M.S. Pinafore | Nominated | |
166. | 2020 | Outstanding Choreography in a Musical HAYES | KATIE SPELMAN | Cabaret | Nominated |
167. | BYRON EASLEY | Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical | Nominated | ||
168. | GRADY MCLEOD BOWMAN | Singin' In The Rain | Nominated | ||
169. | Outstanding Choreography in a Play HAYES | PAIGE HERNANDEZ, CLIFF WILLIAMS III | The Royale | Nominated | |
170. | Outstanding Costume Design HAYES | PEI LEE | Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical | Nominated | |
171. | Outstanding Direction in a Musical HAYES | ALAN PAUL | Cabaret | Nominated | |
172. | Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical HAYES | Once | Once | Nominated | |
173. | Outstanding Ensemble in a Play HAYES | Oil | Oil | Nominated | |
174. | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical HAYES | MALINDA KATHLEEN REESE | Once | Won | |
175. | RHETT GUTER | Singin' In The Rain | Nominated | ||
176. | MASON ALEXANDER PARK | Cabaret | Won | ||
177. | GREGORY MAHEU | Once | Nominated | ||
178. | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play HAYES | CATHERINE EATON | Oil | Nominated | |
179. | JOHN TRACY EAGN | Ken Ludwig's A Comedy of Tenors | Nominated | ||
180. | Outstanding Lighting Design HAYES | COLIN K. BILLS | Cabaret | Nominated | |
181. | Outstanding Musical Direction HAYES | CHRISTOPHER YOUSTRA | Cabaret | Nominated | |
182. | utstanding Production in a Musical HAYES | Cabaret | Cabaret | Nominated | |
183. | Once | Once | Nominated | ||
184. | Outstanding Production in a Play HAYES | Oil | Oil | Nominated | |
185. | Outstanding Set Design HAYES | WILSON CHIN | Cabaret | Nominated | |
186. | MILAGROS PONCE DE LEON (SET DESIGNER), CLINT ALLEN (PROJECTIONS/MEDIA DESIGNER) | Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical | Nominated | ||
187. | Outstanding Sound Design HAYES | ROWE, MATT | Cabaret | Nominated | |
188. | KENNY NEAL | Oil | Nominated | ||
189. | KENNY NEAL | The Royale | Won | ||
190. | Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical HAYES | DONNA MIGLIACCIO | Cabaret | Nominated | |
191. | TRACY LYNN OLIVERA | Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical | Nominated | ||
192. | JACOB SCOTT TISCHLER | Singin' In The Rain | Nominated | ||
193. | 2023 | Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical | DANI STOLLER & AWA SAL SECKA | The Joy That Carries You | Won |
194. | Outstanding Choreography in a Musical HAYES | KATIE SPELMAN | A.D. 16 | Won | |
195. | Outstanding Direction in a Musical HAYES | SANDRA MAE FRANK & MICHAEL BARON | The Music Man | Won | |
196. | Outstanding Direction in a Play HAYES | JASON LOEWITH & KEVIN MCALLISTER | The Joy That Carries You | Nominated | |
197. | Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical HAYES | The Music Man | The Music Man | Won | |
198. | Outstanding Ensemble in a Play HAYES | The Joy That Carries You | The Joy That Carries You | Nominated | |
199. | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical HAYES | JAMES CAVERLY | The Music Man | Won | |
200. | ADELINA MITCHELL | The Music Man | Nominated | ||
201. | VISHAL VAIDYA | The Music Man | Nominated | ||
202. | Outstanding Lighting Design HAYES | ALBERTO SEGARRA | The Joy That Carries You | Nominated | |
203. | Outstanding Musical Direction HAYES | CHRISTOPHER YOUSTRA | The Music Man | Nominated | |
204. | Outstanding Production in a Musical HAYES | The Music Man | The Music Man | Nominated | |
205. | Outstanding Production in a Play HAYES | The Joy That Carries You | The Joy That Carries You | Nominated | |
206. | Outstanding Supporting Performer in a MusicalHAYES | ANDREW MORRILL | The Music Man | Nominated | |
207. | NICKI RUNGE | The Music Man | Nominated | ||
208. | TRACY LYNN OLIVERA | Beauty And The Beast | Nominated |
Helen Hayes MacArthur was an American actress whose career spanned 82 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award. She was also the first person to win the Triple Crown of Acting. Hayes also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, from President Ronald Reagan in 1986. In 1988, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit American Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work.
The Helen Hayes Awards are theater awards recognizing excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are named in tribute of Helen Hayes, who is also known as the "First Lady of American Theatre." They are presented by Theatre Washington, sponsored by TodayTix, a ticketing company, and 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.
The Helen Hayes Awards are given to resident theatre productions in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. They include awards for the production itself, the direction, the acting, design and the stage plays themselves.
Stefan Sittig is an American theatre director, choreographer, educator, performer and podcast host.
Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C., and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. Its theater complex was completed for the company in 2010; it is called The Mead Center for American Theater.
Gilbert V. Hartke was an American director, playwright, and priest of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). He was founder of The Catholic University of America's Department of Speech and Drama, one of the first university drama programs in America. Hartke developed his curriculum during a time when drama was not considered a discipline in Catholic universities.
Zelda Fichandler was an American stage producer, director and educator.
Forum Theatre was a non-profit theatre company based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 2004 as Forum Theatre and Dance, it worked out of the Warehouse Theatre, the H Street Playhouse and, in its final years, out of a black box theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland. The company focused on plays that featured storytelling and theatricality. The company also aimed to host productions dealing with topics that lent themselves to post-show discussions, which the theatre hosted in the lobby. It was known for producing "new and recent plays at revolutionarily low prices," according to The Washington Post. The Forum Theatre ceased operations on July 31, 2018.
Ari Roth is an American theatrical producer, playwright, director and educator. From 2014 to 2020 Roth served as the Artistic Director of Mosaic Theater Company of DC and was formerly the Artistic Director of Theater J at the Washington, D.C. Jewish Community Center from 1997 to 2014. Over 18 seasons at Theater J, he produced more than 129 productions and created festivals including "Locally Grown: Community Supported Art," "Voices from a Changing Middle East", and Theater J's acclaimed "Beyond The Stage" and "Artistic Director's Roundtable" series. In 2010, Roth was named as one of the Forward 50, honoring nationally prominent "men and women who are leading the American Jewish community into the 21st century, and in 2017 he was given the DC Mayor's Arts Award for Visionary Leadership. In 2021, Roth launched a new partnership with A. Lorraine Robinson, founding Voices Festival Productions, to be the new home for his long-running "Voices From a Changing Middle East Festival." Their first public event was a virtual benefit in support of "Ukrainian Playwrights Under Siege" in partnership with the Arts Club of Washington.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre company located at 641 D Street NW in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1980, it produces new plays which it believes to be edgy, challenging, and thought-provoking. Performances are in a 265-seat courtyard-style theater.
Round House Theatre is a nonprofit theater company based in Bethesda, Maryland.
Synetic Theater is a non-profit physical theater company located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It performs at the Crystal City Theatre in Arlington Virginia. Since its formation its productions have received numerous awards.
Jared Mezzocchi is an American theatre director and projection designer.
Avant Bard Theatre is a small, professional, nonprofit theater based in Arlington, VA. The company was founded in 1990 under the name Washington Shakespeare Company; its name was changed to WSC Avant Bard in August 2011; its name was subsequently changed to Avant Bard Theatre in October 2017. Avant Bard focuses on producing "bold and experimental productions of classic and contemporary works".
Michael J. Bobbitt is an American playwright, director, choreographer, and performing arts leader based in Boston. He will become executive director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council on February 1, 2021. Bobbitt was the artistic director of Adventure Theatre-MTC, the longest-running children's theater in the Washington metropolitan area, for 12 years before becoming artistic director of the New Repertory Theatre in greater Boston on August 1, 2019. Bobbitt's work has been recognized frequently as both a nominee and a recipient of the annual Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in theater.
Mason Alexander Park is an American actor. They began their career in regional theatre, winning a Helen Hayes Award. On television, they are known for their roles in the Netflix adaptations of the anime Cowboy Bebop (2021) and Neil Gaiman's The Sandman (2022–), and the Quantum Leap (2022–) revival on NBC.
Ethan McSweeny is an American theatre director. He served as artistic director of the American Shakespeare Center from 2018 to 2021.