Arena is tops at Helen Hayes Awards with seven wins
On Monday, Washington area theater professionals and their fans gathered at the Anthem for the 35th annual Helen Hayes Awards. There’s no way around it, doling out prizes for 47 categories takes time, a LOT of time. But overall, the evening was light and celebratory; a happy salute to last year’s offerings from the nation’s fastest-growing theater region.
Nominees were again grouped in Helen and Hayes cohorts depending on the number of Equity members in the production. (Hayes productions have more Equity members.) But unlike previous years, there were no runaway winners among the nominated productions.
Arena Stage garnered the most wins with seven, distributed over different productions including the sensational “Anything Goes,” “Indecent,” “Dave,” and “Two Trains Running.”
Nonetheless, Outstanding Production in a Play (Hayes) went to Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s “Gloria,” a fascinating tale of office rage by ubiquitous playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Constellation Theatre Company took Outstanding Play (Helen) for “Melancholy Play: A Contemporary Farce.”
As for musicals, Outstanding Production in a Musical (Hayes) went to Shakespeare Theatre Company’s “Camelot.” Accepting the award, out director Alan Paul dedicated the honor to his mentor, STC’s revered outgoing artistic director Michael Kahn. And 1st Stage took Outstanding Production in a Musical (Helen) for “Fly by Night,”
Many of the award recipients were LGBT including a deserving Jimmy Mavrikes who took Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical (Helen) for his turn as an insecure, small-town teenager who finds summer love with the popular boy from school in Signature’s “Girlfriend.”
Presenters were also drawn from the LGBT pool, including actors Jade Jones and Maulik Pancholy, actor/director Holly Twyford, actor/choreographer Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi, Founding theatreWashington Board Chair Victor Shargai and theatreWashington’s thoughtful president and CEO Amy Austin.
Some smart person shrewdly cast out actor/director Rick Hammerly and actor Felicia Curry as the evening’s co-hosts. Both past Helen Hayes Award winners, the pair brought energy, humor and a sense of respect for the community and love for theater to the event. When they were offstage, things dimmed.
Two extremely worthy productions were singled out for best ensembles (Hayes): Signature Theatre’s musical “The Scottsboro Boys,” staged by out director Joe Calarco, and Studio Theatre’s “The Wolves,” a compelling play about teenage girls by Sarah DeLappe.
The show’s in-memoriam sequence featured video montage of theater folks who died over the last year, stirringly accompanied by vocalist Nova T. Payton. Among those remembered was Darius Smith who not incidentally won this year’s award for Outstanding Musical Direction (Hayes) for Ford’s Theatre’s “The Wiz.”
Unfortunately, the sheer number of categories and speeches prevents more musical performances. It’s too bad. More songs would broaden the event’s appeal.
Notably, Maria Rizzo won two awards: She took outstanding supporting actress in a musical (Hayes) for her delightful turn as an appealing gun moll in Arena’s production of Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” and Outstanding lead actress in a musical (Helen) for playing Roxie Hart in the Keegan Theatre’s revival of “Chicago.”
The charming Natsu Onoda Power also took home two awards. She won both script adaptation and set design for “The Lathe of Heaven,” a Helen-categorized production from Spooky Action Theatre and Georgetown University.
Natascia Diaz was honored her gorgeous work as Fosca in Signature’s “Passion,” (a Hayes musical) the 19th century set tale of an ill-fated romance between a handsome Italian officer and an ugly, undervalued woman.
The prestigious Helen Hayes Tribute went to director Jennifer L. Nelson. She expressed the value of taking a chance on someone you don’t know as well as diversity, themes that recurred throughout many acceptance speeches. Another repeated message: Parents, take your kids to see theater. Spark their interest and they may one day be collecting prizes before a festive audience in a massive venue.
The full list of 2019 Helen Hayes Awards (multiple names under one category indicate ties):
James MacArthur Award for outstanding supporting actor in a play — Helen
Ryan Tumulty, “Flood City,” Theater Alliance
James MacArthur Award for outstanding supporting actor in a play — Hayes
Kim Sullivan, “Familiar,” Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Outstanding supporting actress in a musical — Helen
Caroline Wolfson, “Fly by Night,” 1st Stage
Outstanding supporting actress in a musical — Hayes
Maria Rizzo, “Anything Goes,” Arena Stage
Outstanding supporting actor in a musical — Helen
DeCarlo Raspberry, “Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Outstanding supporting actor in a musical — Hayes
Hasani Allen, “The Wiz,” Ford’s Theatre
Outstanding sound design — Helen
Roc Lee, “The Lathe of Heaven,” Spooky Action Theater and Georgetown University
Outstanding sound design — Hayes
Ken Travis, “Camelot,” Shakespeare Theatre Company
Outstanding costume design — Helen
Erik Teague, “The Trial,” Synetic Theater
Outstanding costume design — Hayes
Kara Harmon, “The Wiz,” Ford’s Theatre
Alejo Vietti, “Anything Goes,” Arena Stage
Outstanding musical direction — Helen
Britt Bonney, “Girlfriend,” Signature Theatre
Jake Null, “Chicago,” Keegan Theatre
Outstanding musical direction — Hayes
Darius Smith, “The Wiz,” Ford’s Theatre
Outstanding choreography in a musical — Helen
Rachel Leigh Dolan, “Chicago,” Keegan Theatre
Outstanding choreography in a musical — Hayes
Parker Esse, “Anything Goes,” Arena Stage
Outstanding choreography in a play — Helen
Irina Tsikurishvili, “Sleepy Hollow,” Synetic Theater
Outstanding choreography in a play — Hayes
Stephanie Paul, “The Wolves,” Studio Theatre
Outstanding supporting actress in a play — Helen
Mary Myers, “45 Plays for 45 Presidents,” NextStop Theatre Company
Tuyet Thi Pham, “The Small Room at the Top of the Stairs,” Spooky Action Theater
Outstanding supporting actress in a play — Hayes
Cheryl Lynn Bruce, “Familiar,” Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Outstanding ensemble in a musical — Helen
“Fly by Night,” 1st Stage
Outstanding ensemble in a musical — Hayes
“The Scottsboro Boys,” Signature Theatre
Outstanding production — theater for young audiences
“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” Imagination Stage
Outstanding original play or musical adaptation
Natsu Onoda Power, “The Lathe of Heaven,” Spooky Action Theater and Georgetown University
Charles MacArthur Award for outstanding original new play or musical
Heather Raffo, “Noura,” Shakespeare Theatre Company
Outstanding visiting production
The Second City’s “She the People,” Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Outstanding performer — visiting production
Ephraim Sykes, “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations,” Kennedy Center
Outstanding ensemble in a play — Helen
“The Frederick Douglass Project,” Solas Nua
Outstanding ensemble in a play — Hayes
“The Wolves,” Studio Theatre
Outstanding direction in a play — Helen
Nick Martin, “Melancholy Play: A Contemporary Farce,” Constellation Theatre Company
Outstanding direction in a play — Hayes
Kip Fagan, “Gloria,” Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Eric Rosen, “Indecent,” Arena Stage
Outstanding direction in a musical — Helen
Kathryn Chase Bryer, “Fly by Night,” 1st Stage
Outstanding direction in a musical — Hayes
Tina Landau, “Dave,” Arena Stage
Outstanding lead actor in a musical — Helen
Jimmy Mavrikes, “Girlfriend,” Signature Theatre
Outstanding lead actor in a musical — Hayes
Corbin Bleu, “Anything Goes,” Arena Stage
Outstanding lead actress in a play — Helen
Regina Aquino, “The Events,” Theater Alliance
Outstanding lead actress in a play — Hayes
Erika Rose, “Queens Girl in Africa,” Mosaic Theater Company
Outstanding lighting design — Helen
Brian S. Allard, “Titus Andronicus,” Synetic Theater
Outstanding lighting design — Hayes
Robert Wierzel, “Camelot,” Shakespeare Theatre Company
Outstanding set design — Helen
Natsu Onoda Power (set designer), Danny Carr (projection designer), “The Lathe of Heaven,” Spooky Action Theater and Georgetown University
Outstanding set design — Hayes
Emily Lotz, “The Princess & The Pauper: A Bollywood Tale,” Imagination Stage
Robert Prosky Award for outstanding lead actor in a play — Helen
Josh Adams, “The Events,” Theater Alliance
Matthew R. Wilson, “Swimming With Whales,” 1st Stage
Robert Prosky Award for outstanding lead actor in a play — Hayes
Eugene Lee, “Two Trains Running,” Arena Stage
Outstanding lead actress in a musical — Helen
Debora Crabbe, “As You Like It,” Keegan Theatre
Maria Rizzo, “Chicago,” Keegan Theatre
Outstanding lead actress in a musical — Hayes
Natascia Diaz, “Passion,” Signature Theatre
Outstanding production in a musical — Helen
“Fly by Night,” 1st Stage
Outstanding production in a musical — Hayes
“Camelot,” Shakespeare Theatre Company
Outstanding production in a play — Helen
“Melancholy Play: A Contemporary Farce,” Constellation Theatre Company
Outstanding production in a play — Hayes
“Gloria,” Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Published at Tue, 14 May 2019 16:20:19 +0000
