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Honoring the Audience: The Gary Lee Maker Audience Award

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Gary Lee Maker Audience Award winner David Tannous sees hundreds of shows in the Washington area each year.
Rebecca Sheir
Gary Lee Maker Audience Award winner David Tannous sees hundreds of shows in the Washington area each year.

Many awards, such as the D.C. region's Helen Hayes Awards, pay tribute to theater professionals for their outstanding work on the stage. But a new award in Washington is applauding a different set of theater people: the audience. The Gary Lee Maker Audience Award is named for one of Washington's most loving theater supporters, who recently died of cancer. Rebecca Sheir meets the very first winner, who will be presented with the award on June 11, along with the people who decided to start this new theatrical tradition.

[Music: "Broadway Baby" by Mandy Patinkin from Mandy Patinkin Sings Sondheim]

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