Cultural Center receives 54 Award Nominations for Theatrical Excellence
JOSHUA TREE — The Hi-Desert Cultural Center’s prestigious Hi-Desert Playhouse theater division has received top honors in the Southern California desert region with an astounding fifty-four Desert Theatre League “Desert Stars Award” nominations for its 2015-2016 season productions. Of the 54 nominations received, twenty-one of them were in the professional division where the Cultural Center tied for the most professional division director and actor nominations across the entire league. Under the direction of Playhouse Artistic Director Howard Shangraw, the season featured published and original works by famed playwrights spanning high-energy comedies and musicals to thought-provoking dramas, exceptional staged readings, and extraordinary youth theater. The Cultural Center received six “Outstanding Production” nominations, nine “Outstanding Director” nominations, and an “Outstanding Original Writing” nomination for the world premier of Charles Evered’s original play An Actor’s Carol. With acting talents spanning Tony Award-winning and Equity actors to community theater and youth, the season productions’ performances garnered a total of thirty “Outstanding Actor/Performer” nominations. The Cultural Center also received eight technical design, backstage, set, makeup/hair, and costume nominations, and last season’s Summer Youth Theater production of The Lion King Jr. received an incredible ten nominations including Outstanding Production. Playhouse Artistic Director Howard Shangraw was the leading individual nominee across the entire league with eight nominations for his work acting, directing, and designing productions of the Hi-Desert Cultural Center.
The Hi-Desert Cultural Center wishes to congratulate all of the actors, directors, musicians, tech crews, stage crews, costumers, make-up artists, house crews, youth theater parents, donors, supporters, and all who made its 2015-2016 season such a phenomenal success. See below for the entire list of the Hi-Desert Cultural Center’s Desert Theatre League award nominations. To learn more about the Desert Theatre League and its important mission, go to: http://deserttheatreleague.org