The 44th Annual Theater Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held Jan. 26 at the Gershwin Theatre.

Inductees include the previously reported director/choreographer Susan Stroman, actor F. Murray Abraham, actor Alvin Epstein, actor Blythe Danner, former theatre critic Frank Rich, Chairman of the Shubert Organization Philip J. Smith, playwright Alfred Uhry and director Marshall Mason.

Jim Dale will serve as the Master of Ceremonies. Presenters include Bernadette Peters, Cherry Jones, Andre Bishop, Dana Ivey, Lynne Meadow, John Lee Beatty, Rocco Landesman and Brian Kulick.

Terry Hodge Taylor produces.

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.

To be eligible for inclusion on the annual voting ballot, a nominee must have at least 25 years in the American theatre with five major credits on Broadway or be a leading pioneer of Off-Broadway or regional theatre.

Each summer, over 250 members of the Theater Hall of Fame and American theatre critics cast their vote.

Last year's inductees included actors Cherry Jones and Ellen Burstyn; directors Jerry Zaks, George C. Wolfe and Lynne Meadow; producer Cameron Mackintosh; designer David Hays; and, posthumously, playwright Lorraine Hansberry.

Visit theaterhalloffame.org.