theatreWashington to Announce 2015 Helen Hayes Award Nominees Next Monday

theatreWashington will announce the 2015 Helen Hayes Awards nominees on Monday, January 26th, 2015 in the National Theatre's Helen Hayes Gallery. Artists and audiences, both local and international, will be able to watch the nomination announcements live via webcast for the third consecutive year. This year's Awards will mark the first results from new rules and guidelines that were implemented for the 2014 theatre season.

More than 150 theatre leaders from across the region will be in attendance to hear the names of the artists and productions who will be nominated for Helen Hayes Awards in 47 categories for outstanding achievement from 188 eligible productions produced during the 2014 calendar year.

For the first time, Washington area theatre notables will be revealing the list of nominees, including Thembi Duncan, producing artistic director for the African Continuum Theatre Company; James Konicek, actor; James Kronzer, award-winning set designer; JoJo Ruf, executive and creative director of The Welders and managing director of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University; Kimberly Schraf, actor and co-director of the Honors Conservatory at the Theatre Lab; and Christopher Henley, former artistic director of WSC Avant Bard.

The culmination of a year-long judging process and rigorous statistical analysis, the nominations announcement will kick off this year's Helen Hayes Awards celebration, to be held on Monday, April 6.

The Helen Hayes Awards, now in its 31st year, recognizes and celebrates outstanding achievement in over 90 professional theatres throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Named for the legendary First Lady of the American Theatre, nominated artists and companies exemplify the excellence found on all Washington stages, which, in turn, propel Washington as a nationally and internationally recognized thriving theatre town.

The 2015 Helen Hayes Awards Nominations webcast can be seen live on theatrewashington.org, and on theatreWashington's Facebook page, beginning at 7:30pm. A complete list of the 2015 Helen Hayes Awards nominees will also be available on theatrewashington.org at 9pm on Monday, January 26th.

The Helen Hayes Awards is just one element of theatreWashington, an organization dedicated to strengthening, representing, and supporting all segments of Washington's professional theatre community, including theatre companies, artists, staff, and diverse audiences of all ages. During three decades of support and advocacy, theatreWashington has played a vital role in the transformation of the city's cultural identity, and the resulting revitalization of the community as a whole.

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