The Board of Directors and Advancement Committee of Theatre Washington, in partnership with Craig Pascal, community advocate and husband of Victor Shargai, are thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2026 Victor Shargai Leadership Award: award-winning playwright, director, and actor Psalmayene 24 and philanthropist and theater champion Share Fund, with leadership by Julie Jacobson and Pamela Nash.
The Victor Shargai Leadership Award (VSLA) recognizes individuals, groups, or institutions whose outstanding service and creative leadership have strengthened the Washington, DC-area theater community. Theatre Washington established the award in 2021 in collaboration with Craig Pascal to honor Pascal’s late husband and beloved DC-area theater champion, Victor Shargai. For decades, Victor was an avid supporter of the Washington, DC region’s theater community, its artists, and its institutions — generously donating his time and resources to theaters of all sizes. Additionally, Victor served as a long-time chair and member of the Theatre Washington Board of Directors and played a vital role in the annual Helen Hayes Awards. In honor of Victor’s legacy and leadership, the VSLA recognizes individuals or groups who have demonstrated exceptional initiative, collaboration, advocacy, and personal generosity in support of the Washington, DC-area theater community.
The honorees are nominated by their peers in an open nomination process, then reviewed by a selection committee: Jane Lang, Eugene M. Lang Foundation Founder and Chair Emerita, ATLAS Performing Arts Center; Abel Lopez, Board of Directors (former Chair), Theater Washington; and Craig Pascal.
“Victor Shargai was an inspirational leader in our community in so many ways, it is his relentless passion to connect and celebrate Washington, DC-area theater that defines his legacy. He was our ultimate champion for decades, and I’m thrilled that we will now annually celebrate his impact by recognizing leaders who carry on the work and spirit of community-building,” said Amy Austin, Theatre Washington’s President and CEO. “This year, we lift up the thoughtful and impactful leadership of Psalmayene 24 and Share Fund’s Julie Jacobson and Pamela Nash. Though their contributions to the theater industry in the DC area are different, in both cases their work is centered around a commitment to Washington, DC, and its people, making our region a more vibrant and just place to live and work. Our recipients lead by example, they build long and lasting relationships with colleagues and collaborators, and they give credit and gratitude to others generously. I look forward to celebrating them on February 23.”
2026 Honorees
Psalmayene 24 is a prolific theater artist — playwright, director, dancer, and performer. Psalmayene 24 made Washington, DC, his artistic home after being a student at Howard University. In the 1990s, he immersed himself in creative communities in dance, music, spoken word, and theater. Since that time, he has created and led projects across the DC-area theater scene, including Cinderella: the Remix at Imagination Stage, Word Becomes Flesh at Theater Alliance, Dear Maple at Mosaic Theater Company, Out of the Vineyard at Joe’s Movement Emporium, Metamorphoses at Folger Theatre, and the much-anticipated upcoming Young John Lewis at Mosaic Theater Company. He is a six-time nominee and two-time recipient of the Helen Hayes Award. Psalmayene 24 is a passionate advocate for local communities, consistently amplifying voices and narratives that are often marginalized in mainstream theater. He holds long and loyal artistic collaborations with artists such as Tony Thomas, Kate Bryer, Nick “the 1da” Hernandez, and Paige Hernandez, and organizations such as Imagination Stage, Studio Theatre, and Mosaic Theater Company.
Share Fund is a grant-making organization founded by Julie Jacobson, with support from Executive Director Pamela Nash. Founded in 2011, the Fund focuses on building a stronger DC region and serving its people, with broad gifts across the nonprofit sector, to organizations that address food insecurity, unhoused populations and affordable housing, jobs and workforce development, youth services, education and literacy, environment, healthcare, and the arts and theater. The Fund has distributed gifts totaling $117 million dollars since its inception, with an annual budget of approximately $10 million. In 2025, 275 organizations were the recipients of grants from Share Fund, including DC-area theaters Alliance for New Music-Theatre, Arena Stage, Atlas Performing Arts Center, Avant Bard Theatre, Constellation Theatre, ExPats Theatre, Flying V Theatre, Folger Shakespeare Library, Ford’s Theatre, GALA Hispanic Theatre, Happenstance Theater, Imagination Stage, IN Series, Keegan Theatre, Longacre Lea, MetroStage, Mosaic Theater Company, NextStop Theatre Co, Nu Sass, Olney Theatre Center, Prologue Theatre, Rorschach Theatre, Round House Theatre, SCENA Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Solas Nua, Spooky Action Theater, Studio Theatre, Synetic Theater, Taffety Punk Theatre Company, Theater Alliance, Theater J, The Theatre Lab, Theatre Prometheus, Theatre Washington, Voices Festival Productions, We Happy Few Productions, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and Young Playwrights’ Theater.
Victor Shargai Leadership Awards Celebration
The 2026 Victor Shargai Leadership Award Celebration will take place in tandem with the 2026 Helen Hayes Award nominations at Studio Theatre in Washington, DC, on February 23, 2026. Tickets for the event are $95, with a “Pay What You Can” option for industry professionals. Sponsorship opportunities are available for $1,000. For more information, visit: theatrewashington.org/2026-victor-shargai-leadership-award-and-helen-hayes-awards-nominations
Theatre Washington
Through collaborative partnerships and programs, Theatre Washington supports the Washington, DC, area’s professional theater community to celebrate artistic achievement, strengthen the theatrical workforce, support institutional growth and advancement, and cultivate collective action. Theatre Washington’s core programs include the Helen Hayes Awards, Theatre Week, Theatre Work, and the Taking Care Fund.
