Ariana DeBose and Solea Pfeiffer to Honor Vanessa Williams at Signature Theatre Gala
They join previously announced host Michael Urie and artists Norm Lewis, Nancy Anderson, Mark G. Meadows, Nova Y. Payton and Awa Sal Secka.
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On March 16, 2026, Virginia’s Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre will honor star of stage and screen Vanessa Williams with the company’s fifteenth Stephen Sondheim Award. The Stephen Sondheim Award will be presented at a black-tie Gala Benefit at The Anthem and will benefit Signature Theatre’s artistic, education, and community programs. Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose and Broadway star Solea Pfieffer will be joining previously announced host Michael Urie and artists Norm Lewis, Nancy Anderson, Mark G. Meadows, Nova Y. Payton and Awa Sal Secka in paying tribute to Ms. Williams with live performances. The evening’s tribute performances will be accompanied by Jon Kalbfleisch and Mark G. Meadows.
Signature’s Sondheim Award Gala honors individuals who have made important contributions to the American Musical Theater. This spring, Signature is thrilled to celebrate Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award nominee Vanessa Williams. A multi-hyphenate artist whose career has transcended any specific medium, Williams earned a Tony Award nomination for her performance of the Witch in 2002’s Broadway revival of Into the Woods, directed by 2015 Stephen Sondheim Award honoree James Lapine. In addition, Williams appeared in the 2010 original Broadway production of Sondheim on Sondheim and starred as Cora Hoover Hooper in the 2022 MasterVoices concert production of Anyone Can Whistle at Carnegie Hall. Perhaps best known for her Emmy Award-nominated performance as Wilhelmina Slater in ABC’s Ugly Betty, Williams is currently starring as another iconic fashionista in the original West End production of The Devil Wears Prada.
Table sponsorship for the 2026 Sondheim Award Gala ranges from $12,000 to $100,000 and includes rewarding, year-long visibility and entertainment benefits. Individual tickets to the full evening including dinner are $1,500. For information or reservations, please contact the Development Office at 571.527.1828 or events@sigtheatre.org.
This year, performance-only tickets are available for the Sondheim Award Presentation to Vanessa Williams for $75 and can be purchased online, or by calling the box office at 703.820.9771. All performance-only tickets will be held at will call at The Anthem starting at 5:30PM. Doors to the Award Presentation open at 6PM, with tribute performances beginning at 6:30PM.
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