2026 Awards Staff

Sherry Eaker—Producer

Sherry Eaker began producing the Bistro Awards show in 1990 with “Bistro Bits” columnist Bob Harrington, who created the Awards in 1985. Eighty Eight’s was chosen as the first venue, and, after Bob’s passing, the event moved on to the Ballroom, then relocated to The Supper Club in the Broadway District before settling in at Gotham Comedy Club for a comfortable 19-year run. This year will mark the event’s first year at Chelsea Table + Stage, at the NY Hilton Fashion District Hotel. Eaker had been producing the show during her long tenure as editor in chief of Back Stage, but since 2008 she has been producing it under the banner of SEE Theatrical Productions. She is also the editor of BistroAwards.com and sends out a weekly newsletter with the site’s latest posts. Eaker continues to see the importance of recognizing, encouraging, and supporting new and aspiring talent.

Mark Dundas Wood —Associate Producer

Mark Dundas Wood is an arts/entertainment journalist and dramaturg. He began writing for BistroAwards.com in 2011 and has been an associate producer of the Bistro Awards show since 2022. Other writing credits include American Theatre magazine, Back Stage, The Clyde Fitch Report, and Prologue and Illuminations (magazines of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Currently, he contributes work to the Talkin’ Broadway website and the Village Star-Revue in addition to BistroAwards.com. As a dramaturg, Mark has worked with New Professional Theatre and the New York Musical Theatre Festival. He is literary manager for Broad Horizons Theatre Company,

Mary Lahti—Assistant Producer

Mary Lahti is happy to be back for her third year as the Bistro Awards’ assistant producer. She is a two-time MAC Award winner for her shows Woulda, Coulda Shoulda (2023) and A Kid Again (2014). She often volunteers for cabaret and theatre community events especially when they support special causes, such as with Urban Stages’ Winter Rhythms. As an actress, Lahti performs in musical theatre (most recently as Miss Hannigan in Annie), stage plays, film, and TV, and is a member of the senior dance team, The Pacemakers. She loves to collaborate with her talented husband, Jim; write parodies; choreograph; and teach, and she is also an artist and a creative-brainstorming coach. www.marylahti.com 

Gerry Geddes—Director

Gerry Geddes, critic for BistroAwards.com, is an award-winning director, writer, teacher, performer, lyricist, and a contributor to the podcast Troubadours and Raconteurs. He conceived and directed the acclaimed musical revues Monday in the Dark with George (Bistro and MAC Award winner), Put on Your Saturday Suit—Words & Music by Jimmy Webb, Good Time City—The Songs of Leiber & Stoller, and Gerry Geddes & Company (in its seven-year residency at Pangea). He has directed singers André De Shields, Darius de Haas, Helen Baldassare, Lisa Viggiano, and others. He has been active in the cabaret world for over five decades. Gerry has produced numerous award-winning CDs; his lyrics have been performed and recorded here and in Europe. Geddes’s highly regarded workshop, The Art of Vocal Performance, is regularly offered to singers of all levels. His memoir of life in NYC from 1967 to 1995, Didn’t I Ever Tell You This?, is available at barnesandnoble.com.  He is currently at work on his first novel.