Recent School of Design & Production alum wins Helen Hayes Award

UNCSA alumni were nominated for and won major awards in theater this month.

Gisela Estrada (M.F.A. ’23), an alumna from the School of Design and Production (D&P), won the Helen Hayes Award for outstanding set design for “Covenant” at Theater Alliance. She is one of three alumni who were nominated for the awards, including D&P alumnus Jonathan Dahm Robertson (B.F.A. ’15), for outstanding set design for “The Nance” at 1st Stage, and Drama alumnus Jon Hudson Odom(College Arts Diploma ’08), for outstanding lead performer in a play, for “Metamorphoses” at the Folger Theatre.

The Helen Hayes Awards were presented on May 19 at The Anthem on the District Wharf to honor the outstanding achievements in Washington, D.C.’s professional theater community. The honors were presented in 41 categories, divided into "Helen" and "Hayes" tracks based on the use of Actors’ Equity contracts.

A man and woman sitting together on a wooden stage, appearing relaxed and engaged in a discussion.

"Covenant" Scenic Design by Gisela Estrada / Photo: Gisela Estrada

Drama alumnus Luis Quintero (B.F.A. ’16) was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for outstanding musical for his “Medea: Re-Versed,” which he wrote, adapted from Euripides, and was produced by Red Bull Theater and Bedlam in a co-production with Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival.

The Lucille Lortel Awards — the only New York theater award to exclusively honor outstanding achievement off-Broadway — were presented at the Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts on May 4. The Lortel Awards, produced by the Off-Broadway League and the Lucille Lortel Theatre, featured 70 eligible productions.

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February 25, 2026