Presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing (ATW), the Tony Awards have been held annually in Manhattan since 1947. The ceremony honors excellence in Broadway theater in performance and show and technical categories such as Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, Best Revival of a Musical, and Best Choreography. There are also special awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Isabelle Stevenson Award.
First awarded to Phyllis Newman in 2009 and named after the acclaimed dancer and former ATW president and chairperson, the Isabelle Stevenson Award is given to “an individual from the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations, regardless of whether such organizations relate to the theatre.” Recipients receive a bronze medallion.
Here’s a look at the five most recent winners of the Isabelle Stevenson Award.
1. Billy Porter (2024)
An accomplished, award-winning actor with a pair of Tony Awards, Billy Porter received the Isabelle Stevenson Award at the 77th Tony Awards in 2024. An outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities, Porter has worked with several organizations, including Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, GLAAD, and Planned Parenthood, but received the Isabelle Stevenson Award for his work with the Entertainment Community Fund and Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF).
Porter is an ambassador for the ETAF and was previously awarded the Elizabeth Taylor Commitment to End AIDS Award for his efforts in fighting to eradicate the disease. He also previously earned the GLAAD Vito Russo Award and Michael Kors Award for Outstanding Community Service. Porter, who came out as gay in 1985, said he was “grateful and humbled” to receive the award, acknowledging the challenges he faced because of his sexual identity while passing on wisdom from the late John Lewis: “Never give up hope, never give into hate, and go out there and get into some good trouble.”
Porter received a Tony Award for Best Musical in 2022 as a producer on A Strange Loop. He also won Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Kinky Boots in 2013. Beyond the stage, Porter is an Emmy and Grammy winner and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2. Jerry Mitchell (2023)
Another two-time Tony winner, Jerry Mitchell, received the Isabelle Stevenson Award in 2023. He earned the honor in recognition of more than 30 years of volunteer service, particularly his commitment to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The director and choreographer founded Broadway Bares, a burlesque performance with dancers from The Will Rogers Follies, in 1992 and raised $8,000 for Broadway Cares. The annual event has since raised in excess of $21 million for the nonprofit organization, including nearly $2 million in 2022 and, more recently, $2.3 million in 2024.
Mitchell worked with Porter on Kinky Boots and earned the Tony Award for Best Choreography. He also won Best Choreography for La Cage aux Folles and received nominations for The Full Monty, Hairspray, Never Gonna Dance, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Legally Blonde. He was nominated for Best Direction of a Musical for Kinky Boots.
3. Robert E. Wankel (2022)
A key figure in safely reopening Broadway following the pandemic, Robert E. Wankel, chairman and CEO of the Shubert Organization and chair of The Shubert Foundation, received the Isabelle Stevenson Award in 2022. In particular, he worked on the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) bill, which provided grants of up to 45 percent of gross earned revenue to performing arts businesses impacted by the pandemic. His commitment to charitable and civic organizations, however, extends for several decades.
Wankel has been a board chair of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts for more than 40 years. He is also president of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and chair of the board of The Actors Fund Housing Development Corporation.
4. Julie Halston (2020)
Honored for her volunteer work with the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF), actress Julie Halston received the Isabelle Stevenson Award in 2020. She has been a fierce advocate for awareness and treatment funding for pulmonary fibrosis (PF) since her late husband, newscaster Ralph Howard, was diagnosed with the interstitial lung disease in 2008. She has raised millions of dollars for PFF, continuing her efforts through the pandemic via a virtual talk show with members of the Broadway community.
Halston received Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award nominations for her performance in You Can’t Take it with You and has also appeared in The Divine Sister, Red Scare on Sunset, and Hairspray.
5. Judith Light (2019)
A prominent HIV/AIDS advocate and supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, two-time Tony winner Judith Light received the Isabelle Stevenson Award in 2019. Light has been supporting those affected by HIV/AIDs since the 1980s, having participated in the AIDS Memorial Quilt and the 100-mile African AIDS Trek in 2002. She also works with advocacy groups like Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and GLAAD.