The Stage Managers’ Association of the United States (SMA) has announced the recipients of three separate honors from the Del Hughes Awards. The 2026 honorees of its annual Del Hughes Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Art of Stage Management are theatrical production stage managers Jill Gold, Beverly Jenkins and Ira Mont. In addition, the Del Hughes Awards will honor production stage manager and educator Nancy Uffner with the Founders Award. Jon Goldman and W. Wilson Jones will receive the Special Recognition Award for their service to the SMA.
The 26th annual Del Hughes Awards ceremony will take place on Oct. 26, with leading sponsorship by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The Del Hughes Awards recognize achievement in stage management. Named for Broadway and television stage manager Del Hughes, the awards were instituted in 1986. Nominees are submitted by industry members. A committee of stage managers from around the U.S. determines the honorees. This year’s committee included Patreshettarlini Adams, Robert Bennett, Katrina Herrmann, Claudia Lynch, Melissa A. Nathan, Robin Rumpf, Tree O’Halloran, Matthew Stern, Joel Veenstra and chair Cheryl Mintz.
Lifetime Achievement honoree Gold joined Actors' Equity Association (the labor union for professional performers and stage managers) in 1984 as a stage manager for Los Angeles’ Center Theatre Group. In the 42 years since, she has managed productions throughout California, as well as Off-Broadway and at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. She has also toured with productions of “Les Misérables,” and “Wicked.” Gold teaches stage management for Occidental College and UCLA. As of Sept. 1, she will take over as Center Theatre Group’s resident stage manager.
Jenkins currently serves as the production supervisor for the Broadway and touring productions of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical “The Outsiders.” Over her 35-year theatrical career, she has managed numerous Broadway productions, including “The Piano Lesson,” and “Hadestown.” Jenkins is also a co-founder of Broadway and Beyond: Access for Stage Managers of Color, which provides learning and networking opportunities to current and aspiring stage managers of color. She sits on the boards Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the nonprofit stage management training program Beyond the Stage Door. She was previously the recipient of a Tony Honor for Excellence in Theatre in 2020.
Mont, a stage manager for 40 years, counts “Love! Valour! Compassion!,” “Jagged Little Pill” and “The Producers” among his 20-plus Broadway credits. He sat on Equity Council for 30 years, including 19 years as a vice president, and previously served as an SMA chair. Mont is also a vice president of Broadway Cares and a member of the Foundation for Stage Managers and the Actors’ Equity Foundation boards. He taught stage management to MFA students at Columbia University for 15 years, and still participates in the Theatre Development Fund’s Wendy Wasserstein Project, in which established theater professionals serve as mentors to New York City high school students.
Founders Award honoree Uffner has been a member of Equity for 45 years, during which time her career has spanned regional theater, dance, opera, national tours, event management and education. She has taught and mentored at Eastern Michigan University, Northwestern University and the University of Michigan — the latter for 29 years. She has previously been honored with the University of Michigan (UM) School of Music, Theatre and Dance Teaching Excellence Award, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology Distinguished Achievement in Education Award and UM Emeritus status.
Goldman, the production stage manager for Broadway’s “Fela!,” served as SMA’s treasurer during the late 2000s. During his tenure, he partnered with former SMA chair Rich Costabile to update the organization’s website and technology infrastructure; he would later succeed Costabile as SMA chair. Since 2011, Goldman has worked at Playbill, currently as its chief technology officer.
Fellow Special Recognition honoree Jones began his opera stage management career in 1977. Eleven years later, he became a professional member of the SMA. Jones lent his expertise in information organization and database management to the association, developing a website for SMA in 2000.
The Stage Managers’ Association of the United States is the only national professional organization for working stage managers across the country. Celebrating its 44th anniversary year, the organization provides education and networking opportunities, creates community and advocates for stage managers on Broadway and beyond through initiatives like Operation Observation, Collaborative Connections and A View from the Wings symposiums.
