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It’s that time of year again: Last night at the National Theatre, TheatreWashington announced the nominees for this year’s Helen Hayes Awards. Among the sprawling nomination categories, The Shakespeare Theatre Company came away with the most nominations, with 13 of its 26 nominations coming from its hit productions of Man of La Mancha and Kiss Me, Kate. The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Salome also cleaned up, with 10 nominations. Signature Theatre’s West Side Story also hit it big with 10 nominations, but Constellation Theatre’s Avenue Q had the most nominations, with 14.
The ceremony for this year’s Helen Hayes Awards will take place on May 23; details and a venue are still TBD. Below, see a list of all of the nominees.
Outstanding Choreography in a Musical-HAYES Production
Parker Esse
West Side Story
Signature Theatre
Michele Lynch
Kiss Me, Kate
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Tommy Rapley
Carousel
Olney Theatre Center
Tara Jeanne Vallee
The Producers
Olney Theatre Center
Outstanding Choreography in a Musical-HELEN Production
Rachel Leigh Dolan
Avenue Q
Constellation Theatre Company
Rachel Leigh Dolan
Oliver!
Adventure Theatre MTC
Jessica Beth Redish
Silence! The Musical
Studio Theatre
Outstanding Choreography in a Play-HAYES Production
Robert Barry Fleming
Destiny of Desire
Arena Stage
Melanie George
Women Laughing Alone With Salad
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Thomas W. Jones II
Uprising
MetroStage
Andrea Moon
When She Had Wings
Imagination Stage
Ami Shulman
Salomé
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Outstanding Choreography in a Play-HELEN Production
Dane Figueroa Edidi
Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea
Theater Alliance
Casey Kaleba, Matthew R. Wilson
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Constellation Theatre Company
Kelly Maxner, Mollye Maxner
Occupied Territories
Theater Alliance
Jonathan Ezra Rubin
Flying V Fights: Heroes & Monsters
Flying V
Irina Tsikurishvili (Choreography), Ben Cunis (Fight Choreography)
Much Ado About Nothing
Synetic Theater
Outstanding Musical Direction-HAYES Production
Ben Cohn
Dear Evan Hansen
Arena Stage
George Fulginiti-Shakar
Man of La Mancha
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Jon Kalbfleisch
Cabaret
Signature Theatre
Jon Kalbfleisch
Simply Sondheim
Signature Theatre
Jon Kalbfleisch
West Side Story
Signature Theatre
Outstanding Musical Direction-HELEN Production
George Fulginiti-Shakar
Las Polacas – The Jewish Girls of Buenos Aires
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Karen Hansen
IMPOSSIBLE! A Happenstance Circus
Happenstance Theater
Walter “Bobby” McCoy
Old Wicked Songs
1st Stage
Jake Null
Avenue Q
Constellation Theatre Company
Michael Winch
Doctor Caligari
Pointless Theatre
Outstanding Costume Design-HAYES Production
Jess Goldstein
Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery
Arena Stage
Susan Hilferty
Salomé
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Collin Ranney
Flowers Stink
The Kennedy Center
Alejo Vietti
Kiss Me, Kate
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Julie Weiss
Destiny of Desire
Arena Stage
Outstanding Costume Design-HELEN Production
Robert Croghan
The Cripple of Inishmaan
Scena Theatre
Sabrina Mandell
IMPOSSIBLE! A Happenstance Circus
Happenstance Theater
Kendra Rai
Alice in Wonderland
Synetic Theater
Erik Reagan Teague
Last of the Whyos
Spooky Action Theater
Kara Waala
Avenue Q
Constellation Theatre Company
Outstanding Lighting Design-HAYES Production
Colin K. Bills
The Originalist
Arena Stage
Michael Gilliam
The Blood Quilt
Arena Stage
Donald Holder
Salomé
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Thom Weaver
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Folger Theatre
Japhy Weideman
Dear Evan Hansen
Arena Stage
Outstanding Lighting Design-HELEN Production
Christopher Annas-Lee
Yerma
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Dan Covey (Lighting Design), Michael Redman (Projections Design)
Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea
Theater Alliance
A.J. Guban
Avenue Q
Constellation Theatre Company
Robbie Hayes
The Good Counselor
1st Stage
Robbie Hayes
Very Still & Hard to See
Rorschach Theatre
Outstanding Set Design-HAYES Production
Michael Carnahan
The Blood Quilt
Arena Stage
Andrew Cohen, Brian MacDevitt
Murder Ballad Studio Theatre
Susan Hilferty
Salomé
Shakespeare Theatre Company
David Korins (Set Design), Peter Nigrini (Projection Design)
Dear Evan Hansen
Arena Stage
Allen Moyer
Man of La Mancha
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Outstanding Set Design-HELEN Production
Vicki R. Davis
Last of the Whyos
Spooky Action Theater
Silvia de Marta
Yerma
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Brian Gillick
Very Still & Hard to See
Rorschach Theatre
Patti Kalil
Doctor Caligari
Pointless Theatre
Giorgos Tsappas
Jarry Inside Out
Spooky Action Theater
Outstanding Sound Design-HAYES Production
Christopher Baine
When She Had Wings
Imagination Stage
Mark Bennett
Salomé
Shakespeare Theatre Company
David Budries, Nathan A. Roberts
The Widow Lincoln
Ford’s Theatre
Frank DiSalvo Jr.
It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
Washington Stage Guild
Timothy M. Thompson (Sound Design), Toshi Reagon (Composer)
The Blood Quilt
Arena Stage
Outstanding Sound Design-HELEN Production
Frank DiSalvo Jr.
Very Still & Hard to See
Rorschach Theatre
Mariano Marin
Yerma
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Kenny Neal
Old Wicked Songs
1st Stage
Matthew M. Nielson
Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea
Theater Alliance
Tom Teasley
The Fire and The Rain
Constellation Theatre Company
Outstanding Director of a Musical-HAYES Production
Kathryn Chase Bryer
Wiley and the Hairy Man
Imagination Stage
Matthew Gardiner
West Side Story
Signature Theatre
Michael Greif
Dear Evan Hansen
Arena Stage
Colin Hovde
A Year with Frog and Toad
Imagination Stage
Alan Paul
Man of La Mancha
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Outstanding Director of a Musical-HELEN Production
Mariano Caligaris
Las Polacas – The Jewish Girls of Buenos Aires
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Matt Conner, Stephen Gregory Smith
The Turn of the Screw
Creative Cauldron
Toby Orenstein, Lawrence B. Munsey
Ragtime, The Musical
Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Alan Paul
Silence! The Musical
Studio Theatre
Allison Arkell Stockman
Avenue Q
Constellation Theatre Company
Outstanding Director of a Play-HAYES Production
Jeremy B. Cohen
Bad Dog
Olney Theatre Center
Yaël Farber
Salomé
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Eleanor Holdridge
Queens Girl in the World
Theater J
Aaron Posner
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Folger Theatre
Gaye Taylor Upchurch
Animal
Studio Theatre
Outstanding Director of a Play-HELEN Production
José Luis Arellano García
Yerma
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Randy Baker
Very Still & Hard to See
Rorschach Theatre
Timothy Douglas
Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea
Theater Alliance
Mollye Maxner
Occupied Territories
Theater Alliance
Joshua Morgan
In Love and Warcraft
No Rules Theatre Company
Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical-HAYES Production
A Year with Frog and Toad
Imagination Stage
Cabaret
Signature Theatre
Dear Evan Hansen
Arena Stage
Man of La Mancha
Shakespeare Theatre Company
West Side Story
Signature Theatre
Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical-HELEN Production
Avenue Q
Constellation Theatre Company
Oliver!
Adventure Theatre MTC
Ragtime, The Musical
Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Silence! The Musical
Studio Theatre
The Turn of the Screw
Creative Cauldron
Outstanding Ensemble in a Play-HAYES Production
Bad Dog Olney
Theatre Center
The Blood Quilt
Arena Stage
Jumpers for Goalposts
Studio Theatre
Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery
Arena Stage
Salomé
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Outstanding Ensemble in a Play-HELEN Production
Flying V Fights: Heroes & Monsters
Flying V
IMPOSSIBLE! A Happenstance Circus
Happenstance Theater
In Love and Warcraft
No Rules Theatre Company
Occupied Territories
Theater Alliance
Yerma
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Outstanding Performer, Visiting Production
Victoria Clark
Gigi
The Kennedy Center
Carmen Cusack
Bright Star
The Kennedy Center
Dani de Waal
Once
The Kennedy Center
Darrell D’Silva
Dunsinane
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Angela Lansbury
Blithe Spirit
The National Theatre
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical-HAYES Production
Clyde Alves
Kiss Me, Kate
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Max Clayton
West Side Story
Signature Theatre
Jeffry Denman
Kid Victory
Signature Theatre
Sean Ewing
West Side Story
Signature Theatre
Ryan Fitzgerald
West Side Story
Signature Theatre
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical-HELEN Production
Mikey Cafarelli
Avenue Q
Constellation Theatre Company
David James
The Addams Family, a New Musical Comedy
Toby’ s Dinner Theatre
Shawn Kettering
The Addams Family, a New Musical Comedy
Toby’ s Dinner Theatre
Vaughn Ryan Midder
Avenue Q
Constellation Theatre Company
Ethan Miller
The Turn of the Screw
Creative Cauldron
Tom Story
Silence! The Musical
Studio Theatre
John Sygar
Garfield, The Musical With Cattitude
Adventure Theatre MTC
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical-HAYES Production
Natascia Diaz
West Side Story
Signature Theatre
Laura Dreyfuss
Dear Evan Hansen
Arena Stage
Robyn Hurder
Kiss Me, Kate
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Anastacia McCleskey
Murder Ballad
Studio Theatre
Dorea Schmidt
Carousel
Olney Theatre Center
Jennifer Laura Thompson
Dear Evan Hansen
Arena Stage
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical-HELEN Production
Jenna Berk
Avenue Q
Constellation Theatre Company
Ana Fontán
Las Polacas – The Jewish Girls of Buenos Aires
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Jade Jones
Once on This Island
Creative Cauldron
Justine “Icy” Moral
Avenue Q
Constellation Theatre Company
Emily Zickler
Avenue Q
Constellation Theatre Company
The James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play-HAYES Production
Stanley Bahorek
Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery
Arena Stage
Liam Forde
Jumpers for Goalposts
Studio Theatre
Ian Merrill Peakes
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Folger Theatre
Craig Wallace
The Guard
Ford’s Theatre
Michael Willis
Sons of the Prophet
Theater J
The James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play-HELEN Production
Iker Lastra
Yerma
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Jon Hudson Odom
Passion Play
Forum Theatre
Thomas Rowell
Occupied Territories
Theater Alliance
Vato Tsikurishvili
Much Ado About Nothing
Synetic Theater
Nathan Jan Yaffe
Occupied Territories
Theater Alliance
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play-HAYES Production
Maggie Erwin
Rapture, Blister, Burn
Round House Theatre
Kimberly Gilbert
Uncle Vanya
Round House Theatre
Naomi Jacobson
Bad Dog
Olney Theatre Center
Jane Pfitsch
Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery
Arena Stage
Dawn Ursula
Zombie: The American
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play-HELEN Production
Danielle Bourgeois
One in the Chamber
Forum Theatre
Nanna Ingvarsson
The Cripple of Inishmaan
Scena Theatre
Lolita Marie
Doubt, a Parable
1st Stage
Luz Nicolás
Yerma
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Kerri Rambow
Night Falls on the Blue Planet
Theater Alliance
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical-HAYES Production
Michael Di Liberto
The Producers
Olney Theatre Center
Tally Sessions
Carousel
Olney Theatre Center
Douglas Sills
Kiss Me, Kate
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Bobby Smith
Simply Sondheim
Signature Theatre
Anthony Warlow
Man of La Mancha
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical-HELEN Production
Franco Cabanas
Oliver!
Adventure Theatre MTC
Matt Dewberry
Avenue Q
Constellation Theatre Company
Rick Hammerly
Oliver!
Adventure Theatre MTC
Kevin McAllister
Ragtime, The Musical
Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Martin Ruiz
Las Polacas – The Jewish Girls of Buenos Aires
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Tally Sessions
Silence! The Musical
Studio Theatre
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical-HAYES Production
Jessica Lauren Ball
Guys and Dolls
Olney Theatre Center
MaryJoanna Grisso
West Side Story
Signature Theatre
Amber Iman
Man of La Mancha
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Barrett Wilbert Weed
Cabaret
Signature Theatre
Lauren Weinberg
Guys and Dolls
Olney Theatre Center
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical-HELEN Production
Katy Carkuff
Avenue Q
Constellation Theatre Company
Felicia Curry
Oliver!
Adventure Theatre MTC
Elizabeth Rayca
Ragtime, The Musical
Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Isabelle Smelkinson
Dogfight
The Keegan Theatre
Karen Vincent
Kiss Me, Kate
NextStop Theatre Company
The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play-HAYES Production
Adam Wesley Brown
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Folger Theatre
Ramzi Choukair
Salomé
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Edward Gero
The Originalist
Arena Stage
Mitchell Hébert
Uncle Vanya
Round House Theatre
Michael Russotto
The Whale
Rep Stage
The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play-HELEN Production
Michael Kevin Darnall
Last of the Whyos
Spooky Action Theater
Philip Hosford
Old Wicked Songs
1st Stage
Mark Jaster
IMPOSSIBLE! A Happenstance Circus
Happenstance Theater
Matthew Pauli
Our Town
Faction of Fools Theatre Company
Alex Vernon
IMPOSSIBLE! A Happenstance Circus
Happenstance Theater
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play-HAYES Production
Janet Ulrich Brooks
Women Laughing Alone With Salad
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Caroline Clay
The Blood Quilt
Arena Stage
Alexandra Henrikson
Ironbound
Round House Theatre
Holly Twyford
Bad Dog
Olney Theatre Center
Dawn Ursula
Queens Girl in the World
Theater J
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play-HELEN Production
Mabel Del Pozo
Yerma
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Gwen Grastorf
IMPOSSIBLE! A Happenstance Circus
Happenstance Theater
Sabrina Mandell
IMPOSSIBLE! A Happenstance Circus
Happenstance Theater
Sarah Olmsted Thomas
IMPOSSIBLE! A Happenstance Circus
Happenstance Theater
Irina Tsikurishvili
Much Ado About Nothing
Synetic Theater
Anu Yadav
In Love and Warcraft
No Rules Theatre Company
Outstanding Original Play or Musical Adaptation
Sheri Wilner (Book), Julia Jordan (Book & Lyrics), Adam Gwon (Lyrics & Music)
Cake Off
Signature Theatre
Caleen Sinnette Jennings
Darius & Twig
The Kennedy Center
Marc Schubring (Book), David S. Craig (Lyrics), Niko Gaik (Music)
Double Trouble
Imagination Stage
David Ives
The Metromaniacs
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Julie Jensen
Mockingbird
The Kennedy Center
Yaël Farber
Salomé
Shakespeare Theatre Company
The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding Original New Play or Musical
Clare Lizzimore
Animal
Studio Theatre
Katori Hall
The Blood Quilt
Arena Stage
Steven Levenson (Book), Benj Pasek (Lyrics & Music), Justin Paul (Lyrics & Music)
Dear Evan Hansen
Arena Stage
Martyna Majok
Ironbound
Round House Theatre
Caleen Sinnette Jennings
Queens Girl in the World
Theater J
Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences
A Year with Frog and Toad
Imagination Stage
Flowers Stink
The Kennedy Center
Mockingbird
The Kennedy Center
When She Had Wings
Imagination Stage
Wiley and the Hairy Man
Imagination Stage
Outstanding Visiting Production
Blithe Spirit
The National Theatre
Dunsinane
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Once
The Kennedy Center
Outstanding Musical-HAYES Production
Cabaret
Signature Theatre
Dear Evan Hansen
Arena Stage
Kiss Me, Kate
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Man of La Mancha
Shakespeare Theatre Company
West Side Story
Signature Theatre
Outstanding Musical-HELEN Production
Avenue Q
Constellation Theatre Company
Las Polacas – The Jewish Girls of Buenos Aires
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Once on This Island
Creative Cauldron
Ragtime, The Musical
Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Silence! The Musical
Studio Theatre
Outstanding Play-HAYES Production
Bad Dog
Olney Theatre Center
The Blood Quilt
Arena Stage
Queens Girl in the World
Theater J
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Folger Theatre
Salomé
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Outstanding Play-HELEN Production
Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea
Theater Alliance
Occupied Territories
Theater Alliance
Old Wicked Songs
1st Stage
Very Still & Hard to See
Rorschach Theatre
Yerma
GALA Hispanic Theatre
The John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company
Arts on the Horizon
Pallas Theatre Collective
The Welders
Handout photo by Stan Barouh