DC's Helen Hayes Winners Include Candide, The Liar, Clybourne Park, Oklahoma!, Thurgood

By Kenneth Jones
April 25, 2011

The 2011 Helen Hayes Awards, celebrating excellence in Washington, DC-area professional theatre, were handed out April 25 at the Warner Theatre. David Ives' The Liar, Arena Stage's Oklahoma! and Mary Zimmerman's revised revival of Candide fared well.

Laurence Fishburne, Hollis Resnik, Caroline Sheen, Geoff Packard, Lauren Molina, Naomi Jacobson, Ed Dixon, Josh Lamon and more took home acting awards.

The Charles MacArthur Award for new play went to David Ives for Shakespeare Theatre Company's The Liar, what the playwright called a "translaptation" (i.e., a translation with a heavy dose of adaptation) of the 1643 verse comedy by Pierre Corneille.

There were multiple recipients in several categories. The award for Outstanding Production of a Resident Play went to both Folger Theatre's Hamlet and Woolly Mammoth's Clybourne Park. The latter returns for an encore run this summer (on the heels of the title's recent win of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama).

The 2011 Helen Hayes Award recipients (representing the 2010 calendar year) are:

Outstanding Choreography, Resident Production
Parker Esse, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage

Outstanding Costume Design, Resident Production
Anastasia Ryurikov Simes, Othello, Synetic Theater

Outstanding Director, Resident Musical
Mary Zimmerman, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Director, Resident Play
Howard Shalwitz, Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Paata Tsikurishvili, Othello, Synetic Theater

Outstanding Lead Actor, Non-Resident Production
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood, The Kennedy Center

Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Musical
Geoff Packard, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company

Nicholas Rodriguez, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage

Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production
Caroline Sheen, Mary Poppins, The Kennedy Center

Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical
Lauren Molina, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Play
Erika Rose, In Darfur, Theater J

Outstanding Lighting Design, Resident Production
Colin K. Bills, The Master and Margarita, Synetic Theater

Outstanding Musical Direction, Resident Production
George Fulginiti-Shakar, Oklahoma!, Arena Stage

Outstanding Set Design, Resident Production
Daniel Ostling, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Sound Design, Resident Production
Tom Teasley, The Ramayana, Constellation Theatre Company

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Musical
Ed Dixon, Sunset Boulevard, Signature Theatre

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Musical
Hollis Resnik, Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Resident Play
Naomi Jacobson, Richard II, Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Supporting Performer, Non-Resident Production
Josh Lamon, Hair, The Kennedy Center

The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play or Musical
The Liar, David Ives, Shakespeare Theatre Company

The Helen Hayes Tribute, sponsored by Jaylee Mead
Tommy Tune (previously announced)

The James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play
Louis Butelli, Henry VIII, Folger Theatre

The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor, Resident Play
Johnny Ramey, Superior Donuts, The Studio Theatre

Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Musical
Sycamore Trees, Signature Theatre

Outstanding Ensemble, Resident Play
Othello, Synetic Theater

Outstanding Non-Resident Production
Thurgood, The Kennedy Center

Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences
If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Adventure Theatre

Outstanding Resident Musical
Candide, Shakespeare Theatre Company

Oklahoma!, Arena Stage

Outstanding Resident Play
Clybourne Park, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Hamlet, Folger Theatre

The John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company
No Rules Theatre Company (previously announced)

Factory 449: a theatre collective (previously announced)

The Washington Post Award for Innovative Leadership in the Theatre Community
Ford's Theatre, for their "History on Stage" and "History on Foot" programs (previously announced)

Visit helenhayes.org.