Attendees of this year’s Helen Hayes Awards on May 14, 2018 will be heading to a new part of DC for DC theatre’s biggest night. theatreWashington has announced that this 34th year of the awards will be held at The Anthem at DC’s new District Wharf.

The $60 million dollar rock concert venue, which can receive as many as 6,000 standing/dancing fans of popular rock bands, will be scaled down to allow seating for evening. Doors will open at 5:30 pm so that guests can take advantage of the bars, gathering spots and outdoor space overlooking the river. The Awards ceremony itself will begin at 7:30pm. The After-Party will be held throughout The Anthem immediately following the presentations.
Tickets are $100 for reserved seating and $275 for VIP premium seating. Tickets for members of the theatre community (artists and administrators) will be $50, reduced from previous years, subsidized by Artist Supporter tickets.

Thanks to expanded seating capacity, theatreWashington wishes to welcome all members of the community. theatreWashington President and CEO Amy Austin commented, “This year’s Helen Hayes Awards will shine a spotlight on the depth of professional theater in the Washington region. There are thousands of working theater artists and administrators who make up this vibrant community. They are a fiercely creative local industry who produce, market, and create work on stages seven days a week, 365 days a year. This celebration is for them. The spectacular venue at The Anthem will be filled to the rafters with enthusiasm and pride for the collective contribution to the culture of the nation’s capital.”
Michael J. Bobbitt, five-time Helen Hayes Award nominee, choreographer and Artistic Director of Adventure Theatre MTC, and Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan, recipient of last year’s Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play-Hayes Production for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, will host the festivities. A selected group of D.C.-area artists and theater administrators will present awards in 47 categories. Presenters include Victoria Murray Baatin, Weldon Brown, Tom Howley, Nanna Ingvarsson, Karen Lange, HB MacArthur, Ouida Maedel, Helen Murray, Ines Nasarra, Dat Ngo, Marni Penning, Tuyet Pham, Psalmayene 24, John Stange, Michele Caesar Turner, Matthew Ward, and Jacob Yeh.
A full list of this year’s 258 nominations can be found here.
The Helen Hayes Tribute will honor Nancy Robinette, a fixture of Washington’s stages for over 35 years, actor . One of the community’s most respected artists, Robinette received her first of 18 Helen Hayes nominations in 1987 for Christmas on Mars at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Since then, she has also graced the stages of Shakespeare Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, Scena Theatre, Round House Theatre, Arena Stage, and others. Robinette made her Broadway debut in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in 2016 and is appearing in Annie Baker’s John at Signature Theatre.
All tickets are now available for purchase through the theatreWashington website.
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