Signature, 1st Stage, Keegan Win 41st Helen Hayes Awards DC

The 41st Helen Hayes Awards, held on May 19, 2025, at The Anthem in Washington, DC, celebrated the best in the region's professional theatre with over 1,600 attendees. Signature Theatre led the evening with six awards, including four for the innovative musical "Private Jones," which combined spoken English, American Sign Language, British Sign Language, and Foley effects to tell the story of a deaf Welsh sniper in World War I. The musical "Mexodus," a live-looped hip-hop show exploring the southbound underground railroad to Mexico, won outstanding production of a musical along with awards for direction and lead performance. The 2025 awards recognized 165 productions from 2024, including 57 musicals, 108 plays, and 37 world premieres, with honors split into "Helen" and "Hayes" tracks based on Actors’ Equity involvement and adjudicated gender inclusively. Other notable winners included 1st Stage's "The Nance," which earned four awards in the Helen categories, and The Kennedy Center, which secured two trophies for "Nine" and one for "Tick, Tick ... Boom!" The ceremony, hosted by Felicia Curry and Mike Millan and directed by award-winning choreographer Ashleigh King, also honored Robert Hooks with a special tribute for his pioneering contributions as an actor, producer, and activist advancing Black representation in the arts.