Thursday, May 28, 2026
By Callie Solomon
On May 18, over 1,600 members of the D.C. theater community gathered at The Anthem for the 42nd annual Helen Hayes Awards. “It’s like the Tony Awards but here in Washington, D.C.,” Helen Hayes Award winner Justin Schmitz told WTOP News.
Since 1983, the Helen Hayes Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in professional theater in the D.C. region. Hosted by Felicia Curry, Derrick Truby and Holly Twyford, the ceremony honored productions presented during the 2025 calendar year. This year, 149 eligible productions were considered across 41 categories.
Arena Stage received eight Helen Hayes Awards—the most of all the individual theater organizations—for their productions of “Damn Yankees” and “Fremont Ave.” Closely following, Round House Theatre received six awards. Adventure Theatre MTC and Spooky Action Theater received five awards, and Signature Theatre received four.
The inaugural Transformative Cultural Impact Award was presented to arts advocate, business leader and philanthropist Adrienne Arsht. It recognized her decades-long commitment to advancing arts and culture, both nationally and internationally. Arsht has made significant investments in several cultural institutions, including the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Since 2013, the Helen Hayes Awards nominees have been divided into two categories: Helen and Hayes. Helen Awards are presented to productions with majority non-Union casts, and Hayes Awards are presented to productions with majority Union casts.
Helen Awards:
Outstanding Director of a Play: Autumn Angelettie, “Furlough’s Paradise” from Theater Alliance
Outstanding Director of a Musical: Alexandria Wailes, “A Strange Loop” from Visionaries of the Creative Arts & Deaf Austin Theatre
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical: Katie McManus, “Falsettos” from The Keegan Theatre; Fran Tapia, “Professor Woland’s Black Magic Rock Show” from Spooky Action Theater
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Play: Stephen Kime, “The Margriad” from Avant Bard Theatre; Jacob Yeh, “Birthday Candles” from 1st Stage
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical: Facundo Agustín, “Botiquín de boleros Columbia Heights (Columbia Heights Bolero Bar)” from GALA Hispanic Theatre; Jeremy Allen Crawford, “Professor Woland’s Black Magic Rock Show” from Spooky Action Theater
Outstanding Production – Play: “The Immigrant” from Synetic Theater in association with Theater J
Outstanding Production – Musical: “Professor Woland’s Black Magic Rock Show” from Spooky Action Theater
Hayes Awards:
Outstanding Director of a Play: Tom Story, “The Inheritance: Parts One and Two” from Round House Theatre
Outstanding Director of a Musical: Lili-Anne Brown, “Play On!” from Signature Theatre
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical: Rob McClure, “Damn Yankees” from Arena Stage; Douglas Sills, “Fiddler on the Roof” from Signature Theatre
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Play: Adam Poss from “The Inheritance: Parts One and Two” from Round House Theatre; AnJi White, “Paradise Blue” from Studio Theatre
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical: George Abud, “The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical” from Signature Theatre; Jordan Donica, “Damn Yankees” from Arena Stage
Outstanding Production – Play: “The Inheritance: Parts One and Two” from Round House Theatre
Outstanding Production – Musical: “Damn Yankees” from Arena Stage
A complete list of winners can be found here.