Tony winner André De Shields, back on Broadway in the revival of Death of a Salesman, hosts the 51st annual Theater Hall of Fame for Lifetime Achievement in the American Theater induction ceremony November 14 at the Gershwin Theatre. De Shields is a 2019 inductee.

The Theater Hall of Fame Inc.'s previously announced 2022 inductees include playwrights Lynn Nottage and Suzan-Lori Parks; actors Christine Ebersole and Bill Irwin; director Frank Galati; sound pioneer Abe Jacob; and, posthumously, playwright Ntozake Shange. (Mandy Patinkin is unable to attend this year's ceremony and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023.)

Presenters include Scott Frankel, Brandon Dirden, Liesl Tommy, Nevin Steinberg, Corey Hawkins, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

The Theater Hall of Fame was founded in 1970 by James M. Nederlander, Earl Blackwell, and Gerard Oestreicher. To be eligible for nomination, the theatre professional must have at least 25 years in the American theatre, five major productions, or be a leader of Off-Broadway or a regional theatre pioneer. The more than 200 voters are past Hall of Fame inductees as well as members of the American Theater Critics Association.

2021 inductees included performer-playwright Anna Deavere Smith, performers Leslie Uggams and Victor Garber, composer Alan Menken, set designer Bob Crowley, and, posthumously, director Gerald Freedman. (Nottage had been announced for the 2021 celebration but had to withdraw from the evening due to a previous commitment.)

Terry Hodge Taylor produces the annual invitation-only event.