"I'd like to thank the CVS on 7th Street for being open all hours after the show. I'd like to thank Chop't Salad. I don't know how they do it..."

If there were awards for funniest speech at the 27th annual Helen Hayes awards, Candide's Geoff Packard would have been a contender. more ›

It takes a Hines brother to unseat Irina Tsikurishvili. more ›

It was a good year for the musical. Especially the Signature musical. more ›

The Helen Hayes awards nominating committee this year recognized what theatergoers have been aware of for some time now - that tiny companies like Keegan Theater, Solas Nua and Rorschach are doing stellar work in the city that should be recognized. more ›

Tonight, the D.C. theater community will descend on Warner Theater, decked out in tuxes, kilts, ball gowns and whatever else the artsy crowd comes up with to approximate “black tie” attire. It's the night each year they get the chance to party their brains out and recognize the outstanding contributions they've made this year; it's the Helen Hayes Awards. As busy theater critics with day jobs, we don’t get the chance to attend and review... more ›

, natch. more ›

DCist theater critic Missy Frederick contributed to this report. Signature Theatre's production of Urinetown took top honors at last night's Helen Hayes Awards, D.C.'s local theater awards ceremony, taking home 8 prizes including director of a musical (Joe Calarco), choreographer (Karma Camp), four different acting awards (Will Gartshore is pictured right accepting his award for lead actor in a musical, which he shared in a tie with Michael McElroy from Big River), and outstanding resident... more ›

Sure, there probably aren’t too many office pools going around wagering on whether Scott Bradley will take Tony Cisek in the set design category. But lack of watercooler chatter aside, tonight is an important night for the D.C. theater community. more ›

For D.C.'s avid area theatre-goers, the Helen Hayes Awards is a chance to locally honor some of the nation’s great theatre. For Post critic Peter Marks, it’s an opportunity to receive at least a scintilla of exposure to the shows he’s spent the past year avoiding. And for the dedicated theatrical practitioners who create these superlative works -- it’s prom. And everyone is a winner at the Helen Hayes Awards. That’s what the abundance of liquor at the afterparty is there to ensure. But this year, D.C.’s premiere theatre awards show took it to heart, having arrived at a voter impasse over two of the bigger awards of the night, sensibly chose to hand out some extra hardware and honor some multiple winners. Even with the extras, host E. Faye Butler did her duty and brought the show in for a landing in a scant 120 minutes -- truly deserving of an award herself. After all, those cocktails -– they do not quaff themselves. more ›

The nominations for the Helen Hayes Awards were announced last night, despite the cancellation of the traditional reception at the Canadian Embassy. As today's Post notes, the nominations had their share of surprises. Not surprising, especially to veterans of the D.C. theater scene, was the dominance of the Kennedy Center (17 nominations), Signature Theatre (15 nominations) and the Shakespeare Theatre (14 nominations). With pockets significantly deeper than smaller theater companies, large theaters can spend significant... more ›