The Helen Hayes Awards

Last night I attended the Helen Hayes Awards at the Warner Theater. Hundreds of members of DC's robust arts community--artists, benefactors, and appreciators--were there to celebrate our city's place as one of the country's strongest and best places for professional theater. I felt an extraordinary sense of pride to be surrounded by the best that the arts have to offer.

I grew up going regularly to Arena Stage, which was where my appreciation for theater began. Since then, I have had the opportunity to branch out to experience many productions at theaters, including the Washington National Shakespeare Company and the Kennedy Center. How many other U.S. cities can claim the number of nonprofit theaters that we have here in DC? Not many.

Besides the quality of life that Washington theater offers us, the theaters have become critical to our economic success as a city. Where theaters flourish, so do neighborhoods. The Studio and Source were keystones to the now-vibrant 14th Street corridor. Restaurants, Whole Foods, and great retail establishments grew up around those theaters, with lofts and a host of mixed-use
buildings following.

Not only to the arts stimulate economic growth, but they provide another outlet for young people in our city to express themselves. The arts have done tremendous work to help the neediest residents in our city.

Washington theater is now a destination for tourism, a magnet for new businesses to establish themselves in DC, and they provide thousands of jobs. They also enrich the lives our youth. The arts are for more than our enjoyment; they make economic and social sense.