Donna Murphy, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Charles Busch and More Inducted into Theater Hall of Fame

Eight new theater artists have been inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame, which annually honors lifetime achievement in the American theater. Inductees for the 53rd annual edition are the Tony-winning actress Elizabeth Ashley (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), the four-time Tony-winning actor Boyd Gaines (Gypsy), the Tony-nominated actor Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences), the two-time Tony-winning actress Donna Murphy (The King and I), the Tony-nominated actor and playwright Charles Busch (The Tale of the Allergist's Wife), the two-time Tony-winning composer William Finn (Falsettos) and the Tony-winning playwright David Rabe (Hurlyburly). Todd Haimes, the late artistic director of Roundabout Theatre Company, was inducted posthumously.

The 53d annual induction ceremony will take place at Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre on November 18. The host and presenters for the event will be announced at a later date.

The Theater Hall of Fame was founded in 1970 by James M. Nederlander, Earl Blackwell and Gerard Oestreicher. To be eligible for induction, the nominee must have given 25 years of distinguished service to the American theater and have at least five Broadway production credits, or be a leader off-Broadway or in regional theater.

The voting body comprises more than 275 Hall of Fame members and members of the American Theater Critics Association. Terry Hodge Taylor has managed and produced the Theater Hall of Fame and its annual invitation-only ceremony since 1990.