Oscar and Tony Award winning actor and arts advocate chosen for prestigious Helen Hayes Tribute.
By Michael M.Clements
Kevin Spacey during a Q&A session. (Photo by Pinguino)
The 28th Helen Hayes Awards have reached out to anything but a “usual suspect” for their annual Helen Hayes Tribute. Actor, producer, arts advocate, theatre owner and all-around Thespian extraordinaire Kevin Spacey will be honored on Monday, April 23, 2012, at the Warner Theatre. The tribute, sponsored by Jaylee Mead, is typically given to actors, but this year the focus will be on Spacey’s prominence as an arts advocate.
Throughout Spacey’s 30 year career, he has worked as a director, screenwriter, producer, singer and is currently the Artistic Director at the Old Vic, one of London’s oldest theaters. He has earned his reputation of being one of the hardest working actors in the business, with respect to James Brown of course. It won’t be Spacey’s first DC-based award – he was a The Shakespeare Theatre Company Will Award Recipient in 2006.
The Helen Hayes Award hardware adds to a haul that includes two Oscars, a Tony Award, and a Drama Desk Award, as well as the London Critics Circle, London Evening Standard and Laurence Olivier Theatre award for best Actor. In 999, when he was granted a star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Helen Hayes Awards is a program established by theatreWashington, an institution consisting of 80 theater companies in the DC area. If you haven’t heard, Washington has the second largest number of annual productions in the US, following New York City. Be proud of that. We are. Welcome to Washington Mr. Spacey.
The awards ceremony will be followed by the Ovation Gala at the JW Marriott Hotel. Click Here for more information.
