WHEN YOU BELIEVE! Stephen Schwartz to be Honored at The Annenberg Theatre, 5/19

Multiple Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz will be honored with The Desert Ensemble Theatre Company's inaugural Melpomai Award at "When You Believe: A Conversation With and Tribute To Stephen Schwartz" May 19 at 8:00 pm at The Annenberg Theatre. The event will feature a conversation with Schwartz as well as performances of his stage and movie musical hits performed by Tony nominated Andrea McCardle, Kate Flannery (NBC's "The Office") and more. 

Stephen Schwartz, the three-time Academy Award winning composer behind such worldwide Broadway hits as WICKED, GODSPELL and PIPPIN and films including PRINCE OF EGYPT and POCAHONTAS, will be the first recipient of Desert Ensemble Theatre Company's Melpomai Award, to be given annually to honor excellence in the development of theater nationally. His body of work includes the scores for the shows GODSPELL, PIPPIN, THE MAGIC SHOW, THE BAKER'S WIFE, WORKING, CHILDREN OF EDEN, CAPTAIN LOUIS, WICKED, the film PRINCE OF EGYPT (for which he won an Oscar) and the opera SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON. As a lyricist, he worked on Bernstein's MASS, RAGS and the films THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, POCAHONTAS (for which he won two Academy Awards) and ENCHANTED.??He has won many major awards in his field, including three Oscars, four Grammys, four Drama Desk Awards, one Golden Globe Award, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater and a self-described "tiny handful of tennis trophies". He has received six Tony Award nominations, for WICKED, PIPPIN, and GODSPELL, music/lyrics; RAGS, lyrics; and WORKING, music/lyrics, and book. In April 2008, he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2009, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in January 2010 he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. In 2008, WICKED reached its 1900th performance on Broadway, making Mr. Schwartz the only songwriter in Broadway history ever to have three shows run more than 1900 performances.?

Andrea McArdle rocketed to stardom as Broadway's original ANNIE, for which she was the youngest performer ever nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. For her work as ANNIE she won the Theatre World and Outer Critics' Circle Awards. She's also been seen on Broadway in LES MISERABLES, BEAUTY & THE BEAST, STARLIGHT EXPRESS and STATE FAIR. Her television credits include playing Judy Garland in RAINBOW, the "star to be" in ABC's ANNIE and SEARCH FOR TOMORROW.??

Kate Flannery is best known as Meredith on NBC's THE OFFICE. She's been seen on the NY stage in Nora Ephron's LOVE , LOSS AND WHAT I WORE, VALLEY OF THE DOLLS as Neely O'Hara at the Circle in The Square and THE REAL LIVE BRADY BUNCH as Alice at the Village Gate. She's a former member of Chicago's Second City National Tour Co. and the Annoyance Theater. Her original comedy act, the Lampshades has played Joe's Pub and plays Hollywood regularly.  She has guest starred on Disney's WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE HBO's LIFE AND TIMES OF TIM, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, LAST COMIC STANDING, SNL's SATURDAY TV FUNHOUSE, LENO and THE SOUP.

The DETC presents classic and contemporary performances reflecting both the voice of the Coachella Valley and national trends in the arts. Through productions and arts outreach, DETC entertains, educates and inspires Coachella Valley residents. "When You Believe" is directed and moderated by Scott Logsdon with musical direction by Joel Baker. Tickets, priced at $55, $65 and $75 are available at The Annenberg Theater box office, (760) 325-4490,  or online at http://www.psmuseum.org