On March 16, 2026, Virginia’s Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre will honor star of stage and screen Vanessa Williams with the company’s fifteenth Stephen Sondheim Award. The Stephen Sondheim Award will be presented at a black-tie Gala Benefit at The Anthem and will benefit Signature Theatre’s artistic, education, and community programs. This year’s Sondheim Award Gala will be hosted by Emmy® Award nominee Michael Urie, Ms. William’s co-star on Ugly Betty. Paying tribute to Ms. Williams with live performances is Grammy® and Tony® Award nominee Norm Lewis. Signature favorites Mark G. Meadows, Nova Y. Payton and Awa Sal Secka will also perform. The evening’s tribute performances will be accompanied by Jon Kalbfleisch and Mark G. Meadows. More information about both Gala dinner reservations (starting at $1,500) and single performance-only tickets ($75) can be found online at SigTheatre.org/Sondheim-Gala.
“Vanessa Williams is an icon of stage and screen, and Signature is thrilled to celebrate her wonderful contributions to the American musical theater at our 2026 Sondheim Award Gala this March,” said Signature Theatre Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner. “Across a remarkable Broadway career, Ms. Williams has brought depth, musicality, and star power to an extraordinary range of roles, earning a Tony Award nomination in 2002 for her acclaimed performance as the Witch in Into the Woods. Her artistic connection to the work of Stephen Sondheim has continued through celebrated appearances in Sondheim on Sondheim and in a special concert presentation of Anyone Can Whistle honoring his legacy. Ms. Williams now joins a distinguished group of honorees who have received this award. We look forward to celebrating her historic, varied career this spring with a joyous evening at The Anthem.”
“I have admired Vanessa Williams throughout her career, and one unforgettable highlight is her sublime performance in Sondheim on Sondheim on Broadway,” said Signature Theatre Managing Director Maggie Boland. “I was fortunate to be in the audience for that show when the Roundabout Theatre Company announced that they would rename the Henry Miller’s Theatre after Stephen Sondheim, and seeing Ms. Williams standing next to Mr. Sondheim on the stage as he reacted to the announcement was a truly transcendent moment. We’re thrilled to honor Ms. Williams with the Sondheim Award as we bring the community together to raise funds to support our mission while celebrating extraordinary artists who have had a tremendous impact on the musical theater canon. We couldn’t ask for a more worthy honoree, and we are immensely grateful to the many generous individuals and companies who will celebrate her with the whole Signature community at another wonderfully successful Gala this spring.”
Signature’s Sondheim Award Gala honors individuals who have made important contributions to the American Musical Theater. This spring, Signature is thrilled to celebrate Grammy®, Emmy® and Tony® Award nominee Vanessa Williams. A multi-hyphenate artist whose career has transcended any specific medium, Williams earned a Tony Award nomination for her performance of the Witch in 2002’s Broadway revival of Into the Woods, directed by 2015 Stephen Sondheim Award honoree James Lapine. In addition, Williams appeared in the 2010 original Broadway production of Sondheim on Sondheim and starred as Cora Hoover Hooper in the 2022 MasterVoices concert production of Anyone Can Whistle at Carnegie Hall. Perhaps best known for her Emmy Award-nominated performance as Wilhelmina Slater in ABC’s Ugly Betty, Williams is currently starring as another iconic fashionista in the original West End production of The Devil Wears Prada.
Table sponsorship for the 2026 Sondheim Award Gala ranges from $12,000 to $100,000 and includes rewarding, year-long visibility and entertainment benefits. Individual tickets to the full evening including dinner are $1,500. For more information about sponsorship and tickets contact the Development office at 571.527.1828 or events@sigtheatre.org.
This year, performance-only tickets are available for the Sondheim Award Presentation to Vanessa Williams for $75 and can be purchased at SigTheatre.org by calling the box office at 703.820.9771. All performance-only tickets will be held at will call at The Anthem starting at 5:30PM. Doors to the Award Presentation open at 6PM, with tribute performances beginning at 6:30PM.
About The Author
