The 2012 Theater Hall of Fame inductees include actors Betty Buckley and Sam Waterston, directors Trevor Nunn and Michael Kahn, producer/director Andre Bishop, playwrights Paula Vogel and Christopher Durang and, posthumously, costume designer Martin Pakledinaz. Buckley was unable to be part of the ceremony because she is currently in London in rehearsals for the upcoming revival of Dear World.
Presenters included Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn, Tony winner Christine Baranski, playwright Jon Robin Baitz, playwright Sarah Ruhl and costume designer Susan Hilferty.
Founded in 1971 by James M. Nederlander, Earl Blackwell, Gerard Oestreicher and L. Arnold Weissberger, the Theater Hall of Fame honors Lifetime Achievement in the American Theater. The annual ballot has 50 nominees in 10 categories. Over 250 members of the Theater Hall of Fame and American Theater Critics Association are the voting body. The top eight nominees receiving the most votes are annually inducted.
