2026 Helen Hayes Award
May 18, 2026
For tickets, click here theaterwashington.org
When Tom Storey, a retired director, took on the daunting task of directing “The Succession, Parts 1 and 2” at the Roundhouse Theater last year, he knew that casting would be critical, perhaps most important, to the production’s success. So the story wasn’t confusing.
Written by queer playwright Matthew Lopez, “The Inheritance” (inspired by E. M. Forster’s 1910 novel “Howard’s End”) is based on gay culture after the AIDS crisis.
The story focused on actors he knew and actors he didn’t know. He wanted players with less drama and perhaps more empathy for the LGBTQ experience. In the end, the production’s 13-member cast was entirely queer, with the exception of local favorite Nancy Robinette, who played the wisecracking housekeeper Margaret.
It’s clear that Story’s vision resonated with viewers. Roundhouse’s The Inheritance was the most nominated film at this year’s Helen Hayes Awards, receiving 14 nominations. It is also one of the highest-grossing films in Roundhouse history.
The gay cast members, who range in age from approximately 22 to 60, worked hard and had fun along the way, earning recognition for their efforts along the way with a Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama.
The ensemble included Jamar Jones as Tristan, a brilliant doctor who decides there is no place for a gay, HIV-positive black man in America and leaves New York for Canada. For the experienced actor, his participation in The Succession was very profound. “I think it was a divinely orchestrated work.”
He added, “I feel like it’s really rare to be able to work on a show of that scale… of scale, time, virtual strangers who really get into the rhythm. We became friends. I never felt insecure, I never felt resistant to trying things. I could be as big or as bold as I wanted to be, or as small as I wanted to be. Fail, fail, try again. I never felt judged.”
Jones considers Richmond home, but says he’s “based where the work is.” Now he’s back at the Roundhouse rehearsing for Susan-Lori Parks’ play-within-a-play, Sally & Tom (May 27-June 28), a meta-exploration of the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings.
Jones played both a modern-day violinist and a slave fiddler, which required him to learn “air fiddle.” “I want to express my art and be as accurate as possible. With my instructor, I’ve improved my bow movement. Next up is finger placement.”
Will he leave the stage as a violinist? “I’ll report back on the night of the closing ceremony. I might have added something to the list of special skills on my resume.”
For nearly a decade, Jones worked in the field of living history, interpreting, performing, and writing about enslaved people in colonial Virginia. Among the many historical figures he played was Jupiter (Thomas Jefferson’s long-time slave servant), an experience that proved to connect and prepare him for his current roles.
The 42nd Annual Helen Hayes Awards Ceremony, which recognizes excellence in professional theater at the DMV, will be held on Monday, May 18, 2026 at the Anthem at District Wharf in Washington, DC. Named after Broadway’s legendary First Lady Helen Hayes, the program consists of an awards ceremony hosted by Felicia Curry, Awa Sal Secca and Derick Truby, followed by an after-party at a nearby venue. Mr. Whitlow.
Nominations were made in 41 categories, with films chosen from 149 eligible works published in the 2025 calendar year, classified as either ‘Helen’ (non-equity/low equity presence) or ‘Hayes’ (high equity presence).
The numerous nominations are the result of 49 scrutinized jurors considering 1,997 entries, including design, direction, choreography and performance. The works under consideration include 42 musicals, 107 plays, and 33 world premieres.
This year’s queer nominees are:
Fran Tapia, a past Helen Hayes Award winner and nominee, will compete against himself this year for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical (Helen). She was nominated for her memorable turn as a diva bartender at the Gala Theater’s Columbia Heights Bolero Bar. This musical is an immersive musical centered on songs of longing and immigration, set in conflicting and diverse regions on the eve of the presidential election.
“It was a tough time because a lot of what was happening on the show was happening in the neighborhood,” says Tapia, who lives in Columbia Heights, just eight minutes from GALA.
Tapia, who has been based in D.C. since 2019, said, “It means a lot to be recognized in a country that is not my homeland, but one that has a stronghold on the arts. And the variety of roles that I have been able to play speak to the richness of DC Theater and the collaborators who have trusted me with these roles.”
Her other personal nomination is for the title role in Spooky Action Theater’s “Professor Worland’s Black Magic Rock Show,” a passionately comedic political satire. She approached the mysterious central character as a non-binary person.
Tapia (“Chilean, Latina, queer and proud immigrant”) says both performances, although very different, involved particularly strong characters. She is grateful that viewers have responded positively to her work.
Stanley Bahorek, who moved to Washington, D.C., with her husband four years ago, is best known as an accomplished actor with numerous Broadway and regional credits (including playing gay son Carl in Studio Theater’s recent production of Mother Play). He is currently nominated for an Outstanding Musical Direction Award (Helen Award) for his work on DC’s Visionaries of the Creative Arts (VOCA) production of A Strange Loop in association with Def Austin Theatre. He earned this nomination as did Walter “Bobby” McCoy.
Michael R. Jackson’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Strange Loop tells the story of Asher, a black queer theater usher who attempts to write a musical. VOCA’s take on this production is seen through a Deaf BIPOC lens, with the Deaf actor (actor Gabriel Silva) playing the Deaf Asher. Invited by director and longtime friend Alexandria Wales (who is deaf), Bahorek (who is hearing) joined the creative team as a sort of associate director/music supervisor hybrid.
“I am fluent in conversational American Sign Language (ASL),” he says. “I served as a sherpa between hearing and deaf creators. It was a great thrill to be a part of VOCA’s biggest production to date.”
If he and McCoy take home the award, who will give the acceptance speech? Bahorek paused for a moment before responding, “That’s something we still need to talk about. And soon.”
A complete list of winners is available at: theaterwashington.org Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
