By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to The AFRO 

Theatre Washington honored the region’s stellar theater community during the 42nd Annual Helen Hayes Awards, held at The Anthem on the District Wharf on May 18.

This year’s ceremony, hosted by actors Felicia Curry and Derrick Truby, and actor/director Holly Twyford, included performances from the Helen Hayes Awards Ensemble that illustrated the creativity of the local theater community. 

The most-awarded productions of the evening included “Damn Yankees” from Arena Stage with eight honors, followed by “The Inheritance: Parts One and Two” from Round House Theatre, and “Professor Woland’s Black Magic Rock Show” from Spooky Action Theater, each with five honors. Both Arena Stage and Round House Theatre picked up an additional award for “Fremont Ave.,” and “Bad Books,” respectively. 

Amy Austin, president and CEO of Theatre Washington, an alliance that promotes an environment of creative and diverse regional theaters, said with a tradition that spans 42 years of recognizing the best in the industry, those who win or are nominated for an award consider it among the highlights of their career. 

“Many people who live in the D.C. area may be unfamiliar with the Helen Hayes Awards, unless they’re part of the theater community,” Austin said. “But for us, it represents a major accomplishment – it means you’ve been recognized by your peers which is something that doesn’t come easy in this profession.”

“And while we may not have the glitz and glamour of Broadway in New York City, Washington, D.C., has a proud legacy of its own within the theater world. Arena Stage has been here for over 75 years – even before The Kennedy Center. And rather than yield to the discriminatory practices prevalent in the 1950s when it opened, Arena Stage, under the direction of its first artistic director and co-founder, Zelda Fichandler, bears the distinction of being the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C.,” Austin continued. “There’s something for everyone on the stages in this region – from Shakespeare’s ‘Merry Wives’ being set in the Caribbean to works being done in both Spanish and English.”

Native Washingtonian Ashleigh King, who served as co-director and choreographer for the awards, said this year’s theme, “Make a Scene,” speaks to the power of words which in a city like D.C., often have life or death implications. 

“Through the words delivered by the actors, staged theatrical performances remind us of the transformative power of empathy and often share portraits of cultures different from one’s own,” King said. “The theaters in the region are among the most diverse in the country with some working with huge budgets and others with more limited funds producing works from church basements. But none of them are afraid to take risks and they’re willing to make bold statements.”

“For two hours, a room full of strangers hear stories, listen to those around them react with laughter and applause, and are touched by human experiences that they may not have felt for a while or ever. But they feel them,” Kind added. “And while change may not happen overnight, those feelings people experienced during a performance go with them as they move forward in their own lives.”

Austin agreed and said this year’s ceremony and chosen theme showcase “the essential role of theater in today’s world as both an art form and a platform for conversation, change, and reflection.” 

The Helen Hayes Awards honored work presented during the 2025 calendar year from 149 eligible productions, including 42 musicals, 107 plays, and 33 world premieres. Awards were presented across 41 categories, including gender-inclusive performance categories. 

Austin said as the awards platform has continued to expand, even smaller theater companies and part-time actors find encouragement.

“Since our founding in 1983, Theatre Washington has emerged as the official representative for the area’s robust and diverse theater scene,” Austin said. “Some only have about 100 seats, while others put on productions in churches or are run by immigrants from Eastern Europe. But even if an actor or a stagehand cannot commit to making theater a full-time job, they can be part of the theatrical community. So, everyone gets a chance to both participate and to be recognized.” 

“We’re the only large scale awards system for the theater community in Washington, D.C. – at least for now. And it’s an opportunity that becomes more exciting each year.”

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Now is the time to act if you want to be one of the first people to experience D.C.’s newest museum.

Tickets are now available for the museum underneath the Lincoln Memorial, which opens to the public June 25. The timed-entry tickets are free, aside from a $1 service fee per reservation.

Starting Tuesday, those who’d like to check out the museum can reserve tickets online 30 days in advance of visiting.

Individuals can reserve up to six tickets per transaction. Once the museum opens, free, same-day tickets will also be distributed starting at 8:45 a.m. at the Korean War Veterans Memorial kiosk on Daniel Chester French Drive, just south of the Lincoln Memorial, according to the National Park Service, which noted supplies will be limited and demand is expected to be high.

The museum features 15,000 square feet of exhibit area and will introduce visitors to a “dramatic, previously unseen space beneath the memorial,” the park service said in a news release.

“This cavernous structural chamber contains a soaring grid of concrete columns that support the memorial above and offers a striking view of the engineering that made the iconic monument possible. The experience will feature interactive displays and a multimedia presentation that explores how the memorial’s meaning has evolved over the last century,” the park service said.

Exhibits will not only tell the story of the memorial’s construction and Lincoln himself, they will also explore the memorial’s long-standing role as the backdrop for protests, rallies and, perhaps most notably, demonstrations during the Civil Rights Movement.

“So to tell that story in a more full manner, in a museum of this size, I think is going to be really important,” park service spokesman Mike Litterst told WTOP last year.

WTOP’s Luke Lukert contributed to this report.

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