Theatre Washington Unveils 2026 Victor Shargai Leadership Award Recipients

Theatre Washington, in partnership with community advocate Craig Pascal, has announced the recipients of the 2026 Victor Shargai Leadership Award. The honorees are award-winning playwright, director, and actor Psalmayene 24 and Share Fund, led by Julie Jacobson and Pamela Nash.

The Victor Shargai Leadership Award recognizes individuals, groups, or institutions whose service and creative leadership have strengthened the Washington, DC-area theatre community. Established in 2021, the award honors the legacy of Victor Shargai, a longtime champion of DC-area theatre who supported artists and institutions through sustained advocacy, board service, and philanthropy. Shargai also served as a chair and member of the Theatre Washington Board of Directors and played a key role in the Helen Hayes Awards.

Recipients are nominated through an open peer process and selected by a committee that includes Jane Lang, Abel Lopez, and Craig Pascal. Theatre Washington President and CEO Amy Austin said the award reflects Shargai’s passion for community-building and noted that this year’s honorees exemplify leadership rooted in commitment to Washington, DC and its people.

2026 Honorees

Psalmayene 24 is a DC-based theatre artist whose work spans playwriting, directing, performance, and dance. After studying at Howard University, he became deeply involved in the city’s creative communities, developing projects across the region’s theatre landscape. His work includes Cinderella: the Remix at Imagination Stage, Word Becomes Flesh at Theater Alliance, Dear Maple at Mosaic Theater Company, Out of the Vineyard at Joe’s Movement Emporium, and Metamorphoses at Folger Theatre, with Young John Lewis forthcoming at Mosaic Theater Company. He is a six-time Helen Hayes Award nominee and two-time recipient and is recognized for sustained collaborations with DC-area artists and institutions, as well as for amplifying voices often marginalized in mainstream theatre.

Share Fund is a grant-making organization founded in 2011 by Julie Jacobson, with Pamela Nash serving as executive director. The organization focuses on strengthening the DC region through broad support across the nonprofit sector, including housing, food security, workforce development, education, healthcare, and the arts. Since its founding, Share Fund has distributed $117 million in grants, with an annual budget of approximately $10 million. In a single recent year, the fund supported 275 organizations, including numerous DC-area theatre companies and cultural institutions.

The 2026 Victor Shargai Leadership Award Celebration will take place in conjunction with the Helen Hayes Award nominations at Studio Theatre in Washington, DC. Tickets will be available with standard pricing and a pay-what-you-can option for industry professionals. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

Through its programs and partnerships, Theatre Washington supports the professional theatre community across the region, including through the Helen Hayes Awards, Theatre Week, Theatre Work, the Taking Care Fund, and additional workforce and institutional initiatives.