{"id":239004,"date":"2026-05-21T05:28:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T05:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/239004\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T05:28:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T05:28:25","slug":"ruben-santiago-hudson-ali-louis-bourzgui-and-more-to-receive-actors-equity-foundation-26-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/239004\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Ali Louis Bourzgui and More to Receive Actors’ Equity Foundation ’26 Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Actors\u2019 Equity Foundation has revealed the recipients of its 2026 awards for theatre artists. These honors will be awarded at a ceremony emceed by Julie Halston<\/a>, a previous recipient of the Foundation’s Richard Seff<\/a> Award.<\/p>\n

The\u202fRichard Seff<\/a> Award\u202ffor two veteran actors is awarded to\u202fLinda Emond<\/a>\u202f(Susan Slater in Becky Shaw), and\u202f Ruben Santiago-Hudson<\/a> (Bynum Walker in Joe Turner\u2019s Come and Gone). The Seff Award has been presented annually since 2004 to character actors, 50 years old or older, who have been members of Actors\u2019 Equity Association for at 25 years or longer, for the best performance in a featured or unfeatured supporting role in a Broadway or off-Broadway production. Recent recipients include Linda Lavin<\/a>, Francis Guinan<\/a>, Jessica Hecht<\/a> and Francis Jue<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The\u202fClarence Derwent<\/a> Award\u202ffor the two most promising performances of the season is given to\u202fMcKenzie Kurtz<\/a>\u202f(Betsy in Schmigadoon and Heather Chandler in Heathers) and\u202fAli Louis Bourzgui<\/a> (David in The Lost Boys). Established in 1945, the Clarence Derwent<\/a> Award has previously been presented to future luminaries at the beginning of their careers including Judy Holliday<\/a>, Frederick O\u2019Neal, Gene Wilder<\/a>, Morgan Freeman<\/a> and, most recently, Nicholas Barasch<\/a> and Julia Lester<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The\u202fJoe A. Callaway<\/a> Award\u202ffor the two best performances in a classical play is awarded to\u202fMcKinley Belcher<\/a> III (Aaron in Red Bull Theater\u2019s Titus Andronicus and Caius Martius in Coriolanus at Theatre for a New Audience) and\u202fOlivia Reis<\/a> (Antigone in Oedipus and Lavinia in Red Bull Theater\u2019s Titus Andronicus). The Callaway Award was established in 1989, with past recipients including Alfre Woodard<\/a>, Victor Garber<\/a>, Frank Langella<\/a>, Kate Burton<\/a> and, most recently, Steven Epp<\/a> and Kimber Elayne Sprawl<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Michael McCarty<\/a> Recognition Award, honoring Los Angeles\u2013based Equity members who have built their lives in the theatre, is awarded to stage manager Linda M. Tross. This award is named for Michael McCarty<\/a>,\u202fa veteran Equity actor who died in 2015 in\u202fSanta Barbara at the age of 68. He left a\u202fportion of his estate to establish an award to\u202fbe presented annually by the Actors\u2019 Equity\u202fFoundation to an Actors\u2019 Equity member\u202fover the age of 50 residing in Los Angeles.\u202fThe award is intended for a \u201clunch bucket\u201d\u202ftheatre professional, not a star, who has\u202fmade a life in the theatre.<\/p>\n

The Patrick Quinn<\/a> Award for Distinguished Service to Actors, honoring an individual who has worked tirelessly for the betterment of actors and stage managers, is awarded to Sandra Lundwall Nance, a former Equity councilor who co-founded Save the Theatres, Inc. Recent recipients include Brian Stokes Mitchell<\/a>, Christine Toy Johnson<\/a> and Nancy Daly.<\/p>\n

Previously announced was the 2026 Paul Robeson<\/a> Award, the humanitarian award jointly administered by the Foundation and Actors\u2019 Equity Association, which this year will be presented to Sheryl Lee<\/a> Ralph.<\/p>\n

The Foundation will hold a ceremony to present these awards on June 22 at Green Fig in New York City. In addition to hosting by Halston, the accompanist for the evening\u2019s festivities will be Tina deVaron<\/a>. That ceremony will also include the presentation of Actors\u2019 Equity Association\u2019s ACCA Award for Outstanding Broadway Chorus (winners to be announced).<\/p>\n

The Judges Panel for the seasonal performance awards included: Joe Dziemianowicz<\/a>, New York Theatre Guide; Adam Feldman<\/a>, Time Out New York; Elysa Gardner, New York Sun, New York Stage Review; Kobi Kassal, Theatrely; and Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter, New York Stage Review.<\/p>\n


\n \"Theater
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

\n 2026 Theater Fans’ Choice Awards – Live Stats\n <\/p>\n

\n Best Touring Production – Top 3\n <\/p>\n

\n 1.
\n Hadestown <\/p>\n

\n 9.9% of votes\n <\/p>\n

\n 2.
\n Hamilton <\/p>\n

\n 9.1% of votes\n <\/p>\n

\n 3.
\n Les Mis\u00e9rables <\/p>\n

\n 8.6% of votes\n <\/p>\n

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