Celebration Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Celebration Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre company in Los Angeles, founded in 1982. The company is located in West Hollywood, on the west end of Theatre Row
, and specializes in works representing the Gay and Lesbian experience.
area of Los Angeles, to start a company dedicated to producing gay-themed material. In 1993, Robert Schrock took over as artistic director
and moved the company to a 99-seat Equity waiver space in West Hollywood. Since 1999, Schrock has been succeeded by Richard Israel, Derek Charles Livingston, Michael Matthewsand Michael A. Shepperd The current Artistic Director is John Michael Beck.
Theatre Row Hollywood
Theatre Row Hollywood is a popular name for an area of Hollywood, California bounded roughly by La Brea and El Centro Ave and Lexington and Melrose avenues, consisting of approximately 15 theatres.-Venues of Theatre Row Hollywood:...
, and specializes in works representing the Gay and Lesbian experience.
History
Celebration Theatre was founded in 1982 by Charles Rowland, who leased a storefront in the Silver LakeSilver Lake, Los Angeles, California
Silver Lake is a hilly neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California east of Hollywood and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Silver Lake is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups, but it is best known as an eclectic gathering of hipsters and the creative class.The...
area of Los Angeles, to start a company dedicated to producing gay-themed material. In 1993, Robert Schrock took over as artistic director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
and moved the company to a 99-seat Equity waiver space in West Hollywood. Since 1999, Schrock has been succeeded by Richard Israel, Derek Charles Livingston, Michael Matthewsand Michael A. Shepperd The current Artistic Director is John Michael Beck.
Mission
"Celebration Theatre is a community of artists dedicated to presenting innovative, provocative and relevant work that examines the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer experience. We endeavor to challenge society's perception of this community and give a vibrant voice to its evolving identity. "Awards
- R. Christofer Sands, 2002 Ovation Award - Lead Actor in a Musical, Pinafore!
- Play it Cool, 2006 Ovation nomination - World Premiere Musical
- Jessica Sheridan, 2006 Ovation nomination - Lead Actress in a Musical, Play it Cool
- Louis DurraLouis DurraLouis Durra is an American jazz pianist and composer living in Los Angeles. His biological father was saxophonist Trevor Koehler.-as leader:* The Best Of All Possible Worlds -- CD, 2011* Mad World EP -- CD, 2011...
, 2006 Ovation nomination - Musical Direction, Play it Cool - The BacchaeThe BacchaeThe Bacchae is an ancient Greek tragedy by the Athenian playwright Euripides, during his final years in Macedon, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. It premiered posthumously at the Theatre of Dionysus in 405 BC as part of a tetralogy that also included Iphigeneia at Aulis, and which...
, 2007 Ovation nomination - Play Production, Intimate Theatre - Beautiful ThingBeautiful ThingOriginally Beautiful Thing is a play written by Jonathan Harvey and first performed in 1993. A screen adaptation of the play was released in 1996 by Channel 4 Films, with a revised screenplay also by Harvey. Initially, the film was only intended for television broadcast but it was so well-received...
, 2007 Ovation nomination - Play Production, Intimate Theatre - Michael Matthews, 2007 Ovation nomination - Direction of a Play, The Bacchae
- Michael Matthews, 2007 Ovation nomination - Direction of a Play, Beautiful ThingBeautiful ThingOriginally Beautiful Thing is a play written by Jonathan Harvey and first performed in 1993. A screen adaptation of the play was released in 1996 by Channel 4 Films, with a revised screenplay also by Harvey. Initially, the film was only intended for television broadcast but it was so well-received...
- Tim Swiss, 2007 Ovation nomination - Lighting Design, Intimate Theatre, The Bacchae
- Cricket Myers, 2007 Ovation nomination - Sound Design, Intimate Theatre, The Bacchae
- Francesca Casale, 2008 Ovation nominee - Featured Actess in a Play, The Fastest Clock in the Universe
- Women of Brewster Place, the Musical, 2010 Ovation Award - Best Production of A Musical, Intimate Theatre
- Michael Matthews, 2010 Ovation nomination - Best Director of A Musical, Women of Brewster Place, the Musical
- Ameenah Kaplan, 2010 Ovation nomination - Best Choreographer, Women of Brewster Place, the Musical
- Women of Brewster Place, the Musical, 2010 Ovation award - Best Acting Ensemble
- Michael Matthews, 2011 Ovation Nomination, Director of a Play Intimate Theatre , Take Me Out
- Brian Pugach, 2011 Ovation Nomination, Book for an Original Musical, The Next Fairy Tale
- BASH'd! A Gay Rap Opera, 2011 Ovation Nomination, Best Musical Intimate Theatre
- Ameenah Kaplan, 2011 Ovation Nomination, Director of a Musical, BASH'd! A Gay Rap Opera
- DJ Jedi, 2011 Ovation Nomination, Music Direction, BASH'd! A Gay Rap Opera
- 2010/2011 Best Season Ovation Nomination
Current season
- Stories I Can't Tell Mama, Written and Performed by Leslie JordanLeslie JordanLeslie Allen Jordan is an American actor and playwright.- Early life and career :Hailing from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and at a height of 4 ft 11 in , Jordan has made numerous appearances in both film and television...
, January/February 2012 - Christmastime is Queer4 more holiday mirth & mary-ment, December 9, 2011 - December 18, 2011
- What's Wrong with Angry?, Written by Patrick Wilde, Directed by Michael Matthews, - September 9, 2011 - Nov 19, 2011
Past Productions
- BASH'd! A Gay Rap Opera, Written by Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow, Directed by Ameenah Kaplan - June 10, 2011 - July 30, 2011
- The Next Fairy Tale, Book, Music and Lyrics by Brian Pugach, Directed by Michael A.Shepperd - March 11, 2011 - May 21, 2011
- Take Me Out, by Richard GreenbergRichard GreenbergRichard Greenberg is an American playwright. He is the author of over 25 plays including eight South Coast Repertory world premieres: Our Mother's Brief Affair, The Injured Party, The Violet Hour, Everett Beekin, Hurrah at Last, Three Days of Rain Richard Greenberg (1958–present) is an American...
, Directed by Michael Matthews - September 24, 2010 - February 19, 2011 - Title of ShowTitle of show[title of show] is a one-act musical, with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen and a book by Hunter Bell. The show chronicles its own creation as an entry in the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and follows the struggles of the author and composer/lyricist and their two actress friends during the...
, Book by Hunter BellHunter BellHunter Houston Bell is an American book author and one of the stars of the musical [title of show].-Early life:Bell was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and was raised in Wilson, North Carolina until the seventh grade, when he moved to Atlanta, Georgia. He moved to New York City in 1993, and currently...
, Music and Lyrics by Jeff BowenJeff BowenJeff Bowen is an American composer, lyricist and actor. He is best known as one of the authors and stars of the Broadway musical [title of show]. He is currently developing a new musical work titled Now. Here...
, Directed by Michael A.Shepperd - July 16 - September 11, 2010 - Women of Brewster Place, the Musical, Book, Music and Lyrics by Tim Acito, Directed by Michael Matthews - April 23 - June 27, 2010
- Haram Iran, by Jay Paul Deratany, Directed by Michael Matthews - March 5 - April 4, 2010
- Fucking MenFucking MenFucking Men is a play by Joe DiPietro. It premiered at the King's Head Theatre in the London Borough of Islington, directed by Phil Willmott. It opened on 9 January 2009 and was extended three times due to strong sales, and later ran in repertory with Naked Boys Singing...
, by Joe DiPietro, Directed by Calvin Remsberg - January 8 - February 14, 2010 - Women Behind Bars, by Tom Eyen, Directed by Kurt Koehler - November 13 - December 20, 2009
- Fucking MenFucking MenFucking Men is a play by Joe DiPietro. It premiered at the King's Head Theatre in the London Borough of Islington, directed by Phil Willmott. It opened on 9 January 2009 and was extended three times due to strong sales, and later ran in repertory with Naked Boys Singing...
, Book by Joe DiPietro, Directed by Calvin Remsberg - September 11 - November, 2009 - Altar BoyzAltar BoyzAltar Boyz is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker and book by Kevin Del Aguila . Centering on a fictitious Christian boy band from Ohio, the show satirizes, among other things, the phenomenon of boy bands and the popularity of Christian-themed music in...
, Book by Kevin Del Aguila, Music and Lyrics by Gary AdlerGary AdlerGary Adler is an American composer and musical director based in New York. He received two 2005 Drama Desk nominations for his music and lyrics for the off-Broadway show Altar Boyz, which had its premiere in the New York Musical Theatre Festival the year before...
and Michael Patrick WalkerMichael Patrick WalkerMichael Patrick Walker is a composer/lyricist and musician as well as an arranger and orchestrator. He is best known for co-writing the musical, Altar Boyz with fellow composer/lyricist Gary Adler and book writer Kevin Del Aguila...
, Directed by Patrick Pearson - July 10 - August 23, 2009 - Trafficking in Broken Hearts, Written by Edwin Sanchez, Directed by Efrain Schunior - May 15 - June 14, 2009
- The Prodigal Father, Written by Larry Dean Harris, Directed by Michael Matthews - March 27 - April 26, 2009
- Missionary Position, Written and Performed by Steven FalesSteven FalesSteven Heard Fales was born March 17, 1970 in Provo, Utah and raised in California and later Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a classically trained playwright and actor who has gained broad recognition in both the theatre world gay community and the LDS community for his award-winning one-man play, . Its...
- January 9 - February 22, 2009 - The Daddy Machine, Book by Patricia Laughrey, Music and Lyrics by Rayme Sciaroni - October 18 - December 20, 2008
- A Christmas Carol, Adapted by Jason Moyer, Directed by Michael A. Shepperd - November 28 - December 21, 2008
- Porcelain, by Chay YewChay YewChay Yew is a playwright and stage director who was born in Singapore. As of 2007 he lives in New York City. As of July 2011, he becomes Artistic Director of Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago.-Career:...
, Directed by Michael Matthews - October 10 - November 16, 2008 - Sissystrata, by Allain Rochel, Directed by Michael Matthews - August - September 28, 2008
- Songs from an Unmade Bed, Lyrics by Mark Campbell, Directed by Patrick Pearson - June 6 - August 10, 2008
- Coffee will make you Black, Book by April Sinclair Adapted by Michael A. Shepperd, Directed by Nataki Garrett - April - May 25, 2008
- Stupid Kids, by John C. Russell, Directed by Michael Matthews - February - April 6, 2008
- The Fastest Clock in the Universe, by Philip Ridley, Directed by Lynn Ann Bernatowicz - October 12 - November 18, 2007