NEW YORK CITY: The Stage Managers’ Association (SMA) has announced the recipients of its 2020 Del Hughes Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Art of Stage Management. This year’s recipients are Patreshettarlini (Pat) Adams and Alden J. Vasquez.
The Del Hughes Award, instituted in 1986, is named after Broadway and television stage manager (and television director) Del Hughes. Nominations for this award are submitted by industry members with honorees chosen each February. A virtual Del Hughes Awards event is scheduled for Sept. 21, 2020 with additional details to be announced.
Additionally, SMA is recognizing Robert Sutherland-Cohen with the Founders Award, which is a special recognition “for embodying the values expressed by the Founders of the SMA” and is given on behalf of the SMA Founders.
Adams is the resident stage manager at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, and has been with the organization since 1996. During her 30 years as a member of Actors’ Equity, Adams’s career has included work at Crossroads Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ; the National Black Arts Festival, Atlanta, GA; the National Black Theater Festival, Winston-Salem, NC; and traveling with acclaimed dance company, Noche Flamenca! She is proud to serve as Secretary for the Philadelphia Area Liaison Committee; a Christ-Servant Minister and Trustee Chairperson at Emmanuel UMC; and a member of Theatre Philadelphia’s Board of Directors.
Vasquez has been a stage manager for 36 years and is currently a production stage manager at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago where he has proudly stage managed 29 productions of A Christmas Carol, plus more than 85 productions. Among his other credits are Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Trinity Rep, Peninsula Players, Manhattan Theatre Club, Arizona Theatre Company, Madison Theatre Company as well as Chicago’s Remains Theatre and Teatro Vista Theatre Company. Alden is an adjunct professor at DePaul University where he has taught stage management for 23 years. Alden is a United States Air Force veteran and is married to author, director, and actor Jerry Miller.
Sutherland-Cohen’s production stage management credits span Broadway, Off-Broadway, regionally, New York City Opera, Lincoln Center Festivals, and he was the Tropicana Entertainment Operations Manager for a decade. Robert was a SMA founding member, past chairperson, and was instrumental in forming USITT’s Stage Management Mentor Project. Robert retired as associate professor (emeritus) of Brooklyn College, department of theatre. His books include Introduction to Theatre Production (Focal Press). Sutherland-Cohen was nominated by the Jazz Journalists Association for Career Excellence in Photography (2020).
Now in its 39th year, the Stage Managers’ Association is a professional organization for working stage managers throughout the United States with a mission to recognize, advocate for, and provide continuing education, networking, and community for stage managers across the country.
