Wagner has won Tony Awards for his designs for The Producers, City of Angels, and On the Twentieth Century. In addition, he has received Tony Award nominations for Young Frankenstein, Kiss Me, Kate, Angels in America, Millennium Approaches, Jelly's Last Jam, Dreamgirls, Mack and Mabel, and Jesus Christ Superstar.

Brown's work on Broadway includes Marat/Sade, Jimmy Shine, Fire!, and A Flea in Her Ear. From 1980 forward, he designed extensively at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego for such productions as Resurrection Blues, The Constant Wife, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, Rounding Third, Faith Healer, The Taming of the Shrew, Cymbeline, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Paramour, Henry IV, and The Way of the World, among others. He also designed extensively at other regional theatres such as Seattle Rep, Guthrie Theatre, Stratford Festival, ACT and Arizona Theatre Company.

Other TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Awards winners include costume designer Olivera Gajic, who will receive the TDF/Irene Sharaff Young Master Award, and the theatre costume house, Michael-Jon Costumes, will receive the TDF/Irene Sharaff Artisan Award. The ceremony will also feature a memorial tribute to legendary designer Charles LeMaire.