The Stage Managers’ Association (SMA) has announced its annual Del Hughes Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Art of Stage Management. The distinguished 2025 honorees are theatrical Production Stage Managers Jill Cordle, Marjorie Horne and Judy Martel. In addition to these Lifetime Achievement Awards, the SMA will honor Lisa Dawn Cave with The Founders Award for her prolific career shift into Stage Management, Production Supervising and as a leading advocate for change. This year’s Special Recognition Award will shine the spotlight on the Broadway Advocacy Coalition.
This year the SMA celebrates its 25th Del Hughes Awards. The honor is given to those who represent the finest qualities and artistic achievement in Stage Management throughout their lifelong career. Instituted in 1986, the award was named for Del Hughes, who from 1933 to the 1970s had an illustrious career as a Broadway and television Stage Manager as well as a TV director. From nominations submitted by industry members, honorees are chosen each February by the Awards & Recognition Committee represented by Stage Managers from across the country: Patreshettarlini Adams, Robert Bennett, Katrina Herrmann, Claudia Lynch, Melissa A. Nathan, Robin Rumpf, Tree O’Halloran, Matthew Stern, Joel Veenstra, and Cheryl Mintz (Chair). The SMA thanks Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS for their leading sponsorship of The Del Hughes Awards Event. This year’s event will take place on Monday, October 20th, 2025. Details to be announced.
About the Honorees
During the course of her 40+ year career, Jill Cordle has 23 Broadway shows to her credit as a Production Stage Manager and Stage Manager, 6 of them Tony Award winners. Early career, she spent a decade stage managing in regional, children’s, and Off-Broadway theatre, touring internationally with MOMIX, and was the PSM of the national tour of Cats. Some of the playwrights and directors Jill has had the privilege of working with are Jez Butterworth, David Mamet, Neil Simon, Yasmina Reza, Sam Shepard, Mike Nichols, Matthew Warchus, Stephen Daldry, Joe Mantello, Sam Mendes, Bartlett Sher, Sam Gold, Lynne Meadow, Ian Rickson, Tripp Cullman, Simon Godwin and Mark Brokaw. Jill was the treasurer of the SMA in the mid 1990’s. She is a co-mentor with her husband, Ira Mont, for the TDF Wendy Wasserstein Project.
Marjorie Horne began her stage management career in 1973 at Circle Repertory Company. Besides two very successful commercial productions, I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It On The Road and Greater Tuna, Marjorie has worked for almost every Off-Broadway theater company in NYC, and has 6 Broadway shows to her credit. In 2002 she transitioned to the events arena, stage managing projects ranging from the Clinton Global Initiative, Career Transition for Dancers Galas, to the 9/11 Memorial Presentation, along with numerous political events. In 2006 Marjorie became a Production Supervisor of The Tony Awards. Marjorie is a former Actors’ Equity Councilor, founding member and former Chair of the SMA, and currently on the Advisory Committee for The Broadway Green Alliance.
Wisconsin-based Judy Martel was the Production Stage Manager at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre for 35 seasons, which encompassed 17 Shaw Festivals. With over 200 productions to her credit, her work has brought her to theaters in New York, Connecticut and Illinois, companies ranging from Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Black Arts MKE, Hangar Theatre Company, and Manhattan Punch Line. A 1981 graduate from the Yale School of Drama, Judy went on the join Actors’ Equity and the SMA, serving on several committees, and was the Wisconsin delegate at two national AEA conventions. Judy has been honored with a SMA Lifetime Professional Membership Award in 2020 and currently serves on the board of the Foundation for Stage Managers.
Lisa Dawn Cave was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Her stage management career spans over 30 years. These credits include the Broadway productions of Frozen, Shuffle Along, Fun Home, Rocky, West Side Story (2009), Come Fly Away, The Color Purple, The Woman In White, Julius Caesar, Caroline or Change, Into the Woods, Parade, Smokey Joe’s Café, Bring It On, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Hollywood Arms, and the 1994 revival of Showboat among others. She is currently the Production Supervisor for Disney’s The Lion King and Frozen worldwide. Lisa Dawn serves on the Board of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. She is a founding member of Black Theatre United and Broadway & Beyond: Access for Stage Managers of Color. Her most recent accolade was the recipient of the 2023 Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre.
Broadway Advocacy Coalition (BAC) unites artists and directly impacted advocates to develop story-based artivism that advances justice and drives systemic change. Through their signature Theater of Change Methodology, they leverage arts and storytelling as powerful tools to imagine a world without systemic racism, inspire action across all levels of power, and replace harmful narratives—strengthening organizing efforts in social justice movements. In 2021, BAC received a Special Tony Award for providing an unparalleled platform for marginalized theatre artists and leading the theater industry toward a more equitable future.
Further information about the Stage Managers’ Association: www.stagemanagers.org
