Annie Totah

This evening, the 2023 Helen Hayes Awards took place at The Anthem on the District Wharf, with over 1,600 theatre-makers and theatre supporters in attendance. Esteemed Washington theatre artists Naomi Jacobson, Erika Rose, Holly Twyford, and Christopher Michael Richardson hosted an evening showcasing the vibrant and diverse community of professional theatre artists in the Washington region.

Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie are pleased to announce Lavern Chatman, vice president of business development at EDJ Associates and Arena Board of Trustees member as the chairwoman, and Annie Simonian Totah, Armenian Assembly of America's Board of Trustees member and recipient of their 2018 Distinguished Humanitarian Award, as the honorary chairwoman of the 2019 Arena Stage Annual Gala

Business leaders, philanthropists, survivors, and researchers attended LUNGevity Foundation's Musical Celebration of Hope Gala to celebrate the extraordinary progress in lung cancer research at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium. Scroll down for photos from the event!