Nathan Lane to Receive 2024 Stephen Sondheim Award From Signature Theatre

On April 29, 2024, Virginia's Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre will honor star of stage and screen Nathan Lane with the company's thirteenth Stephen Sondheim Award. The Stephen Sondheim Award will be presented at a black-tie Gala Benefit at the Embassy of Italy and will benefit Signature Theatre's artistic, education, and community programs. This year's Gala Benefit will be chaired by H. Mac and Michele-Anne Riley. More information can be found online at SigTheatre.org/SondheimGala.

“Nathan Lane is an icon of the stage and screen, and we are thrilled to celebrate his incredible contributions to the American musical theater at Signature's Stephen Sondheim Award Gala in April,” said Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner. “Mr. Lane won the 1996 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical with his critically acclaimed performance as Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. His collaborative relationship with Stephen Sondheim continued over the years, most notably as a writing partner on the Broadway production of The Frogs. Mr. Lane now joins a distinguished group of honorees who have received this award over the past decade. We look forward to celebrating his historic career this spring with a festive and joyous evening at the Italian Embassy.”

“A beloved fixture of the American musical, Nathan Lane is an ideal recipient of the 2024 Stephen Sondheim Award,” said Managing Director Maggie Boland. “Our annual Sondheim Award Gala brings the community together to raise necessary funds to support Signature's mission while celebrating extraordinary artists who have had a tremendous impact on the musical theater canon. We are immensely grateful to the many generous individuals and companies who participate in this event, especially this year's chairs H. Mac and Michele-Anne Riley, and we look forward to another wonderfully successful evening this spring.”

“This annual event has become legendary in American regional theater, and we could not be more excited about Signature's 2024 Sondheim Award Gala honoring the extraordinary Nathan Lane," said Gala Chairs, H. Mac & Michele-Anne Riley. “We are thrilled and honored to support Signature's amazing storytelling and impactful arts education programming, and we hope you will join us for a truly memorable evening at the Italian Embassy on April 29.” 

Signature's Sondheim Award Gala honors individuals who have made important contributions to the American Musical Theater. This spring, Signature is thrilled to celebrate Tony and Emmy Award-winner and film favorite Nathan Lane. A frequent collaborator with Stephen Sondheim, Lane won his first Tony Award for his performance in the 1996 revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. After winning a second Tony Award in 2001 for The Producers, Lane revised the book and starred in the 2004 Broadway debut of Sondheim's The Frogs. In addition to his award-winning performances onstage, Nathan Lane is best known for his onscreen work in The Birdcage, his Emmy Award-winning performance in Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, and his voice work as Timon in Disney's beloved film The Lion King.

Table sponsorship for the 2024 Sondheim Award Gala ranges from $12,000 to $100,000 and includes rewarding, year-long visibility and entertainment benefits. Individual tickets are $1,200. For information or reservations, please contact the Development Office at 571 527 1828 or events@sigtheatre.org.

ABOUT Nathan Lane

Nathan Lane was most recently seen in A24's Dicks: The Musical, alongside Megan Mullally, Bowen Yang and Megan Thee Stallion and in Ari Aster's Beau is Afraid, alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Ryan, as well as the second season of Hulu's Only Murders in the Building as Teddy Dimas, alongside Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez. This role earned him a Primetime Emmy Award in the category of “Guest Actor in A Comedy Series.” He recently received a second Emmy nomination for this role. On stage, he recently starred in a new play called Pictures from Home, written by Sharr White, about the artistic and emotional relationship between a photographer and his aging parents, alongside Danny Burstein and Zoë Wanamaker. Broadway credits include: It's Only A Play, The Nance, The Iceman Cometh, Present Laughter, Merlin, Wind In The Willows, Some Americans Abroad, On Borrowed Time, Guys and Dolls, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Love! Valour! Compassion!, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, The Man Who Came To Dinner, The Producers, The Frogs, The Odd Couple, Butley, November, Waiting For Godot, The Addams Family and Angels in America. Other TV roles include The Gilded Age, American Crime Story: The People Vs. O.J. Simpson, and recurring roles on Modern Family and The Good Wife. He has received one Primetime Emmy Award, eight Primetime Emmy nominations, two Daytime Emmy Awards and a People's Choice Award. He has appeared in many films including Ironweed, The Birdcage, Frankie and Johnny, The Lion King, Mousehunt, Stuart Little, Nicholas Nickleby, and The Producers. In 2006, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 2008, he was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.  

ABOUT THE Stephen Sondheim AWARD

In 2009, Signature Theatre inaugurated the Stephen Sondheim Award in recognition of the importance of Mr. Sondheim's work to Signature and to theatre in general. Previous award recipients have included Angela Lansbury (2010), Bernadette Peters (2011), Patti LuPone (2012), Harold “Hal” Prince (2013), Jonathan Tunick (2014), James Lapine (2015), John Weidman (2016), Sir Cameron Mackintosh (2017), John Kander (2018), Audra McDonald (2019), Carol Burnett (2022), and Chita Rivera (2023).

The award, established in 2009, is given to an individual for his or her career contributions to the American Musical Theater along with interpreting, supporting, or collaborating on works by Sondheim. Signature has produced 34 total Stephen Sondheim productions, more than any other theatre in the United States.

Photo credit: Luke Fontana

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