Shakespeare Festival LA to Honor Luhrmann, Gordon and Seidel with Quill Awards

Shakespeare Festival/LA, an arts education organization that builds communities around the appreciation and production of Shakespeare, will present Baz Luhrmann, Mark Gordon and Steven Seidel with Crystal Quill Awards, acknowledging their enduring contribution to arts education.  The awards will be presented at a cocktail reception on Thursday, November 20th from 6:00 – 8:00pm in the Commissary at 20th Century Fox Studios (10201 Pico Blvd, Century City).  Tickets are $300.00 and can be purchased by calling Levy Pazanti and Associates at (310) 201-5033

Baz Luhrmann exploded onto the scene in 1996 with his interpretation of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.   A critical and financial success, this film brought Shakespeare back to popular culture.  By couching the story in modern times, but not altering its language, Luhrmann's version paved the way for this film to enter the mainstream as well as the classroom.   It is estimated that teachers in more than 40,000 classrooms in the United States use the film to teach Shakespeare annually.

Luhrmann will be in Los Angeles to accept this award and promote his highly-anticipated film Australia starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, which will be released by 20th Century Fox on November 26, 2008.

Mark Gordon is an award-winning producer of numerous film and television shows including Saving Private Ryan, The Day After Tomorrow, "Grey's Anatomy" and "Criminal Minds." Gordon will be honored with a Crystal Quill Award for his deep and personal commitment to education through his long-time service as Chairman and Board Member of Teach for America and his charitable support of Shakespeare Festival/LA's arts and education programs.

Steve Seidel is the Director of Harvard University's Project Zero, a forty-year-old institute that examines the role quality arts education plays in the American education system.  Seidel's forthcoming report commissioned by The Wallace Foundation- "The Qualities of Quality: Understanding Excellence in Arts Education" -will be published by the Arts Education Partnership.   The study selected ten arts programs (one of them being Shakespeare Festival/LA) from over 450 organizations and looked at the arts curriculum they put forward to communities nationwide.  The findings will illuminate how the programs these institutions offer instruct, edify and entertain today's youth.

"Shakespeare Festival/LA is dedicated to making Shakespeare relevant to today's youth, and especially youth living in urban communities" said Ben Donenberg, Executive Artistic Director.  We are proud to honor the accomplishments of our awardees and their commitments to nurturing the expression of creativity in the generations of young people who will benefit from their work.

 The Crystal Quill Awards will be held Thursday, November 20, from 6:00 – 8:00pm in the Commissary at the 20th Century Fox Studios lot (10201 Pico Blvd, Century City).  Tickets are $300.00 and can be purchased by calling Levy Pazanti and Associates, 310-201-5033.

About Shakespeare Festival/LA

Since 1985, Shakespeare Festival/LA has been a cherished community resource. Whether it's through our nationally recognized youth and education programming, or our award-winning, free, professional outdoor productions, SF/LA is committed to making the Bard's works accessible, relevant and enriching for Angelenos from all walks of life.

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