The Tony Awards Administration Committee has announced that Mary-Mitchell Campbell will receive the 2026 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for her unwavering dedication to advocacy work through the arts.
The Isabelle Stevenson Award is presented annually to a member of 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. Previous recipients include Celia Keenan-Bolger, Billy Porter, Jerry Mitchell, Julie Halston, Judith Light, Nick Scandalios, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Stephen Schwartz, Larry Kramer, Rosie O’Donnell, Bernadette Peters, Eve Ensler, and David Hyde Pierce, among others.
Mary-Mitchell is a musical director, supervisor, and arranger, with multiple Broadway musicals to her credit. She is a founding member of Musicians United for Social Equity (MUSE), is on the advisory board of MAESTRA, she has music directed and/or supervised numerous events for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the Serious Fun Children’s Network, and Kristin Chenoweth’s Broadway Bootcamp.
In 2006, Mary-Mitchell Campbell joined forces with a group of motivated Juilliard students to found Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP), created with the belief that every young person has a story and a voice that deserves to be heard. In 2021, after 15 years of delivering arts programming in the United States and around the world as ASTEP, the organization stepped into its next stage of growth as Arts Ignite. The name is new, but the passion is the same: to help young people find their voice through the joy and potency of making art. Marking its 20th anniversary this year, the organization has helped over 45,000 young people globally.
“Mary-Mitchell has taken her extraordinary talents and found a way to channel them into something that will have a lasting impact on our community, and help shape its future,” said Heather Hitchens, President & CEO of the American Theatre Wing and Jason Laks, President of the Broadway League. “Her selfless endeavors have made her so very deserving of this year’s Isabelle Stevenson Award, and we are thrilled to honor her in this way.”
Mary-Mitchell Campbell is a Grammy and Drama Desk Award-winning music director, conductor, orchestrator, composer and arranger. She has helmed the music department for several Broadway shows including: Death Becomes Her, Once Upon A Mattress, Some Like it Hot, The Prom, Mean Girls, Water for Elephants, The Queen of Versailles, Tuck Everlasting, Finding Neverland, Big Fish, The Addams Family, Company, and Sweeney Todd.
In 2022, Mary-Mitchell assumed the role of Music Director for the ENCORES! series at New York City Center. She is enthusiastic, not only about the work, but about the mission of the institution to be an accessible center for the arts for all New Yorkers. Mary-Mitchell also has a strong commitment to the non-profit Off-Broadway community through her work with The Public Theater, The Roundabout Theatre, and Transport Group Theatre Company.
As the Founder & President of Arts Ignite (www.artsignite.org), an international arts education nonprofit with the mission to develop agency in young people through the arts by building their creative capacity, community, and courage, Mary-Mitchell is passionate about ensuring access to arts-rich experiences for all young people. Her work supports youth in discovering the joy and power of making art to tell their stories, spark their imagination, and transform their lives. This year, Arts Ignite is celebrating its 20th anniversary, having served over 45,000 young people in the United States, Africa, South America, and Asia.
Mary-Mitchell’s humanitarian work also includes her deep commitment to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and MAESTRA, where she is on the Advisory Board.
Mary-Mitchell is originally from North Carolina and has taught on the faculties of Juilliard, NYU, and Boston College.
About the Tony Awards
This year’s Tony Awards will return to Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 7. Hosted by P!NK, The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards will broadcast LIVE to both coasts on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (8:00 – 11:00 PM ET/5:00 – 8:00 PM PT). Nominations for the 2026 Tony Awards will be announced on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, and can be streamed on BroadwayWorld.
Tickets are priced at $731.80 (including $136.80 in fees) for Third Mezzanine and $936.60 (including $141.60 in fees) for Second Mezzanine, and are available for purchase now. There is a four ticket limit and all ticket sales are final (Ticketmaster service charges will apply).
