Stacy Keach, , , , and More Receive Awards

The 2009 Helen Hayes Awards, honoring outstanding work in Washington DC area professional theatres, were presented in a live ceremony on Monday, April 13.

Arena Stage's production of the musical , now on Broadway, was named Outstanding Non-Resident Production. The award for Outstanding Resident Musical went to Signature Theatre's revival of Les Miserables, while Outstanding Resident Play was given to both Studio Theatre's Blackbird and Shakespeare Theatre 's Twelfth Night.

Among the many acting winners were Stacy Keach (Frost/Nixon), David Margulies (The Happy Time), Alice Ripley (Next to Normal), Nilaja Sun (No Child ...), Natascia Diaz (ROOMS a Rock Romance), Chita Rivera (), Helen Carey (Major Barbara), and Aaron Tveit (Next to Normal).

Aaron Tveit has won the Helen Hayes Award (Outstanding Supporting Performer, Non-Resident Production) and was nominated for the Lucille Lortel award, for his portrayal of Gabe in the Second Stage and productions of Next to Normal. His other credits include: Broadway: (Fiyero), (Link). Off-Bway: Saved (). Tours: Hairspray, . Upcoming Broadway: (Frank Jr). Film: Ghost Town, upcoming Howl. TV: "Hindsight" (Lifetime).

NEXT TO NORMAL opened at Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre on February 13, 2008 and was significantly reworked in a subsequent out-of-town run at Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage, where it opened on December 10, 2008. The musical's unusual trajectory from a Off-Broadway premiere to an out-of-town regional theatre engagement and then back to Broadway is unprecedented.

In his review of the Arena Stage production, Peter Marks of , wrote, "NEXT TO NORMAL is a moving, blisteringly honest, and inordinately powerful new musical, sung with a wallop by a six-member cast that includes the astonishing Alice Ripley, and dexterously directed by . Writers and have stocked the musical with beautiful songs that get to the heart of the story- and simply get to the heart." And Jayne Blanchard in The Washington Times called the show, "A transcendent production of a powerful new American musical with a bristling, contemporary rock score, smart lyrics and raw energy." Next to Normal is a contemporary musical that explores how one suburban household copes with crisis. With provocative lyrics and an electrifying score of more than 30 original songs, Next to Normal shows how far two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their family's world intact.

NEXT TO NORMAL received five Helen Hayes Award nominations for its Arena Stage engagement, including Outstanding Non-Resident Production, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Non-Resident Production (Alice Ripley), Outstanding Lead Actor in a Non-Resident Production (J. Robert Spencer), and Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Non-Resident Production (Aaron Tveit and ). For its sold-out Second Stage Theatre engagement, NEXT TO NORMAL won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Score and also received the following accolades: Lucille Lortel Award nominations for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Featured Actor (Aaron Tveit), and Outstanding Lighting Design (); nominations for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley) and Outstanding Music; Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical and Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley); and a Drama League nomination for Outstanding Musical, among others.