The Anderson-Hopkins Award for Excellence in the Theater Arts presented four awards Monday night, November 17, 2025, at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. The Award was presented to the following artists: Ivania Stack, costume design; Michael Russotto, acting; Rayanne Gonzales, acting; and Paige Hathaway, set design (See biographies below).
The $5,000 cash award is given to honor performers, designers, or other theater-makers whose careers demonstrate great accomplishments to date and promise for the future.
The Anderson-Hopkins Award is not intended to reward lifetime achievement nor outstanding success in a single performance, although both may be considered in selection. Instead, it recognizes still-creating theater-makers who have made a long-term commitment to theater in the Washington, DC region.
Artists who receive this honor have been performing in the Washington, DC region for a minimum of ten years with at least two performances in the last two years. During their career they have demonstrated excellence through tangible acknowledgements; for instance, by critical acclaim in reviews or Helen Hayes Award nominations. To date, the organization has given out $140,000 to 28 recipients.
The Anderson-Hopkins Award was established in 2017, and is funded for 20 years from the Estates of Richard B. Anderson. and his longtime life partner, William L. Hopkins, who were avid theatergoers and supporters, and felt that their personal growth was fostered by Washington, DC’s theaters and theater community. The Award is intended to give back to that same community.
Anderson-Hopkins Award – 2025 Recipient Bios
Ivania Stack, costume design
Ivania Stack is a costume designer based in the Washington, DC Area. With over 20 years of experience, she has designed costumes for over 300 shows. Her work has been seen at many DC area and regional theatres including: Arena Stage, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, The Shakespeare Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Gulf Shore Playhouse, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Wilma Theatre, Everyman Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (Company Member), Village Theatre, Riverside Theatre, Round House Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Studio Theatre, Theatre J, and Gala Hispanic Theatre. Ivania is the professor of Costume Design for the MFA in Design program at The University of Maryland, College Park. She is also a proud member of United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829. Ivania’s most recent project is Fiddler on the Roof at Signature Theatre. Upcoming project: 1776 at Ford’s Theatre, March 2026.
Michael Russotto, actor
Michael Russotto, son of a Navy doctor, came to DC in 1979 to study filmmaking at American University. He had done community theater in high school, but went to film school in college. After graduating in 1983 with a BA in Visual Media, he found himself taking classes at The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory. He started studying acting to learn how to talk to actors, or how to elicit a performance from them and that is where his acting career started.
Michael’s first professional role was Giles the Innkeeper in a production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap at Petrucci’s Dinner Theatre in Laurel, Maryland (Mid-1980s), now defunct. That was followed by small roles at some other theatres that have since closed their doors, such as New Arts Theatre, where he appeared in a production of Summit Conference. A lot of his early work was at Studio Theatre where he had roles in The Slab Boys Trilogy, Playing for Time, Love, Valour, Compassion and As Is, to name just a few. Each time Michael considered moving to a larger market, say New York or L.A., an explosion of growth in the emerging DC theater scene changed his mind.
In 1995, Michael was cast as Cosmo Disney in Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s production of Philip Ridley’s The Pitchfork Disney, which he considers a pivotal moment in his career. Woolly Mammoth became an artistic home, where he appeared in many, many shows over the years, including Lenny and Lou (one of his favorites!) In 2004 Michael became a company member at Woolly Mammoth. Since then, he has had major roles on the Woolly stage in shows including She Stoops to Comedy by David Greenspan (Helen Hayes Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actor), and A Bright, New Boise by Samuel D. Hunter (Helen Hayes Nomination, Outstanding Lead Actor).
In the DC Metro Area, Michael has also performed at numerous theaters. In 2024, Michael played the role of Chauncey Miles in The Nance at 1st Stage where he received the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Performer.
Rayanne Gonzales, actor
Born and raised in the DC area, Rayanne has for more than 20 years has been performing on numerous DC stages in various roles, sometimes performing the same role at different theaters. An early production Rayanne was in was Señor Discretion Himself at Arena Stage back in 2004.
Rayanne in addition to her musical training, is also a classically trained opera singer. That training came in handy during an opening night performance when Rayanne’s microphone malfunctioned, Rayanne didn’t miss a beat and was able to project her voice so that the entire audience could hear her song. Rayanne was just recently seen in Damn Yankees at Arena Stage. She was most recently seen here at Signature’s production of In the Heights, portraying the role of Abuela Claudia. A role that she also performed many times for various theaters and multiple cities. She also played Abuela Claudia in the joint production between Olney Theatre and Round House Theatre. She has been recognized by DC theater lovers for many years.
Paige Hathaway, set designer
Paige Hathaway is a freelance scenic designer based in the Washington, DC area. She received her MFA from the University of Maryland, and during her time there, fell in love with the DC area and its theater community. For over a decade, she has designed in both the DC area and across the nation, occasionally dabbling in film studio design, miniatures, fine art, and event design. Over the years audience members have seen her designs all over the DMV. Locally over the past 10 years she has designed over 65 shows at 15 or more DC theaters. Her designs range from Frozen to Hair, with epic adventure, modern-day search for love, and advice from Dr. Ruth.
Paige received the rising star award from USITT (United State Institute for Theatre Technology) in 2018, as well as Helen Hayes nominations.
