MFONISO UDOFIA, KAREN HOLMES WARD, AND ROBERTS FAMILY TO BE HONORED AT THE HUNTINGTON 2026 SPOTLIGHT GALA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Gabrielle Choi, Associate Director of Publicity
617-273-1520
Information about the event can be found here
MFONISO UDOFIA, KAREN HOLMES WARD, AND ROBERTS FAMILY TO BE HONORED AT THE HUNTINGTON 2026 SPOTLIGHT GALA
The Huntington’s annual event raises vital funds to support its mission and programming, including its award-winning education programs, and celebrates those who have made an extraordinary impact on Greater Boston, the arts, and The Huntington
(BOSTON) – The Huntington announces its annual Spotlight Gala on Monday, May 11, 2026 at the SoWa Power Station (550 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 02118). The event will celebrate honorees as well as the achievement of this transformational season. The Gala supports The Huntington’s artistic, education, and community initiatives. Tickets are available starting at $1,500, and sponsorships starting at $5,000 are still available. Hunt ticket pricing for young patrons starts at $300.
The Spotlight Gala will honor two Wimberly Awardees who have made an extraordinary impact on The Huntington and the larger theatre community: Huntington Trustee and WCVB’s former Director of Public Affairs and Community Services Karen Holmes Ward and award-winning playwright Mfoniso Udofia, whose nine-play Ufot Family Cycle has been bringing Greater Boston together through multigenerational storytelling across venues, genres, and over 35+ partners. The Nancy and Edward‡ Roberts Family will also be presented with an Encore Award, recognizing Lifetime Service.
The May 11th Gala will begin with a cocktail hour at 5:30pm, followed by an auction and “Sponsor a Class” fundraiser to support The Huntington’s educational programs, a delicious dinner catered by MAX Ultimate Food, several performances by talented artists including Tony-nominated actress Emily Skinner (Side Show, Suffs) – last seen at The Huntington in The Light in the Piazza – , and a sneak peek of the world premiere of Mfoniso Udofia’s joyous Ufot Family Cycle finale, Adia & Clora Snatch Joy.
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“The Spotlight Gala is a remarkable celebration of our vibrant creative community and an essential fundraiser for The Huntington’s outstanding theatre education programs,” says Randy Peeler, Chairman of the Board at The Huntington. “This year, we are coming together to honor Trustee Karen Holmes Ward, who also has been a phenomenal host of this event for several years, along with playwright Mfoniso Udofia, whose incredible Ufot Cycle has taken Boston and the wider arts community by storm with its two-year festival. We also are looking forward to honoring the Nancy and Ed Roberts Family with an award celebrating their lifetime impact on the arts, The Huntington, and this community. It’s a night not-to-be-missed!”
WCVB Channel 5’s NewsCenter 5 reporter Danae Bucci will host the evening, and the event is chaired by Huntington Trustee Linda Bukata Aiello, Donald Nelson, Huntington Advisor Bobby Perino-Thompson, and Huntington Trustee Veronica Wiseman.
More information about the event can be found here.
ABOUT THE HUNTINGTON 2026 SPOTLIGHT GALA HONOREES:
Karen Holmes Ward
Wimberly Award Honoree Karen Holmes Ward was previously WCVB’s Director of Public Affairs and Community Services, as well as host and executive producer of CityLine. She was named 2025’s Broadcaster of the Year, was inducted into the 2018 Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame, received the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences ‘Silver Circle’ Award for Lifetime Achievement, and was part of the team honored with a National Association of Broadcasters ‘Service to Community in Television’ Award for WCVB’s community service efforts during and following the Boston Marathon attack. She is a graduate of Boston University’s School of Public Communications and has received honorary doctorates in humane letters and communications from Boston University, Cambridge College, and Merrimack College. At The Huntington, Karen has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2021, served as a spokesperson for the Name a Seat Campaign, and has hosted several Spotlight Galas.
Mfoniso Udofia
Wimberly Award Honoree Mfoniso Udofia is a first-generation Nigerian-American storyteller and educator who has been working with The Huntington for the last two years bringing the 9-play Ufot Family Cycle to life. Upcoming productions include Lifted, In Old Age, and Adia and Clora Snatch Joy. Mfoniso has also written on acclaimed shows like Things Fall Apart on A24, 13 Reasons Why on Netflix, A League of Their Own on Amazon, Let the Right One In on Showtime, and Pachinko (Peabody Award), Little America, and Lessons in Chemistry (Emmy and WGA Nomination) on Apple TV+. She has developed films for HBO, Legendary, and Amazon, and is a recipient of the 2025 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding New Script (The Grove), the 2024 Steinberg Playwright Award, the 2021 Horton Foote Award, the 2017 Helen Merrill Award, and a 2017-18 McKnight National Residency/Commission. She is a member of New Dramatists and a graduate of Wellesley College and American Conservatory Theater.
The Edward‡ and Nancy Roberts Family
Encore Award Honorees Nancy and Edward‡ Roberts have been devoted champions of The Huntington since its very first season in 1982. Drawn by the vitality of a new theatrical voice in Boston, they quickly became regular attendees and donors and began making significant campaign contributions when The Huntington was led by Michael Maso and Nicholas Martin.
Both lifelong educators, Nancy and Edward‡ shared a deep belief in the power of the arts to inspire curiosity, empathy, and rigorous thinking. Nancy served as a professor at Lesley University, where her work focused on Computers in Education. Edward was a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he began and grew the academic study of entrepreneurship and founded the MIT Entrepreneurship Center. Together, they valued institutions that brought ideas to life and fostered meaningful dialogue—qualities they consistently found at The Huntington.
Edward passed away in 2023, but his passion for The Huntington and belief in its mission remain an enduring part of the Roberts’ legacy. In 2024, Nancy relocated to Florida, yet she continues to be a steadfast supporter of The Huntington. Her ongoing commitment honors both their shared history with The Huntington, and their lasting belief in the transformative power of live performance.
Nancy and Edward’s three children – Valerie, Mitchell and Andrea – also have a passion for the arts and have spawned 9 grandchildren who enjoy a good show as well. Mitchell Roberts has been a trustee and past president of the Board of The Huntington since 1996. Simply put, the Roberts Family and The Huntington have enjoyed a beautiful relationship over the past 40 years where both “families” have made life-long impacts on one another.
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ABOUT THE HOST
Danae Bucci is a reporter for WCVB’s award-winning NewsCenter 5 team. A Northeastern University alum and a Bedford, MA native, she joined WCVB in March 2022 from WJCL, the Hearst-owned, local ABC affiliate in Savannah, Georgia where she was a part of their news team since May 2020. Prior to reporting at WJCL, Danae worked at WHDH-TV in Boston, NBC’s Meet the Press, the Colorado Springs Gazette, and several local newspapers including Wicked Local Media Solutions. She is the recipient of several journalism awards including a 2021 “Best Reporter” GABBY from the
Georgia Association of Broadcasters at their annual award ceremony that recognizes excellence in broadcasting. Danae is also a part-time lecturer at Northeastern University and a board member of Boston’s Ellis Square Neighborhood Association. She also volunteers for several community organizations including Girls on the Run and the Lupus Foundation of America Northeast.
ABOUT THE HUNTINGTON
The Huntington, Boston’s leading professional theatre company, celebrates 44 years of outstanding programming and community impact. Led by Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director Loretta Greco and Executive Director Chris Mannelli, and supported by our dedicated Board and staff, we are advancing a visionary plan to elevate our role as a public good through artistic, programmatic, and educational innovation. We believe theatre is a powerful portal to our shared humanity, where audiences can see themselves reflected in the stories of family and intergenerational experiences on our stages. The Huntington uses family-centered narratives to spark curiosity, empathy, and lifelong engagement with the arts. This year, our gala celebrates the important role of family.
The Huntington supports playwrights creating ground-breaking new work, such as the Ufot Family Cycle, and stands as a cultural beacon within Boston’s arts ecosystem. This impact will be amplified by The Huntington’s East Wing expansion, projected to open in the fall of 2027. Join us as we enter a transformational chapter of genre-mixing collaboration and co-creation that both enhances the experience of our current Huntington family and reaches broader audiences across our campuses.
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