Orlando Shakes' Artistic Director Jim Helsinger Wins Prestigious Sidney Berger Fund and Award

Jim Helsinger, artistic director of the Orlando Shakespeare Theater (Orlando Shakes) in Partnership with UCF, was awarded the Sidney Berger Fund & Award at the Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA) Annual Conference on Saturday, January 20, 2019. The Sidney Berger Fund & Award was created through a generous contribution by the family of Sidney Berger. Berger was a founding member of STA and former Artistic Director of Houston Shakespeare Festival. The award is dedicated to provide the basis for an annual cash award to a STA member artistic director in recognition of her or his outstanding talent and dedication to the works of William Shakespeare. Previous winners include Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company's Artistic Director Lisa Wolpe and the American Shakespeare Center's Director of Education Sarah Enloe.

After 22 years under Helsinger's leadership, Orlando Shakes has grown from a three-person organization performing two plays per year, to a 30+ employee organization performing 10 plays per year with a $3.5m budget and annual attendance of 75,000. Helsinger's achievements include "Top 10 regional theatre productions of the year" in the Wall Street Journal for The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby and 2017 Theater Year in Review: Critic's Pick for "Best Direction" for The Hound of the Baskervilles in the Orlando Sentinel. BroadwayWorld Regional Awards include "Best Direction of a Musical" for West Side Story, and "Best Direction of a Play" for Henry V and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby.

In addition to his creative success, Helsinger was honored for his part in creating and organizing the Angel Action Wings for Orlando. The Wings served to counterprotest the Westboro Baptist Church at the funeral of Drew Leinonen after the Pulse tragedy in Orlando. The consequent global news coverage of the event led to the Angel Action Wings being used for a number of local and national community events, including the "Beautiful Together" benefit concert held at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. One pair of wings is now in the permanent care of the Smithsonian Institute.

During his tenure as artistic director, Helsinger has produced 131 Shakespeare productions at Orlando Shakes. This includes full-scale productions as a part of the theater's Signature Series and educational programs, such as The Young Company and Shakespeare with Heart. Special guest events at Orlando Shakes have included Sir Patrick Stewart, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michael Dorn, Moises Kaufman, Olympia Dukakis, and Anna Deavere Smith. Helsinger is currently playing Malvolio in Twelfth Night which opens February 21, 2018 at Orlando Shakes. Upcoming projects include the 2019 world premiere of Gertrude and Claudius, commissioned by Orlando Shakes, based on the best selling novel by John Updike, and adapted by Mark St. Germain. Helsinger lives in Orlando with his wife, Suzanne, and two children, James and Rose.

Founded in 1989, Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF produces classic, contemporary, and children's plays. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Jim Helsinger and Managing Director PJ Albert, Orlando Shakes has grown into one of the region's most acclaimed professional AEA theaters, garnering national recognition from The Wall Street Journal's Terry Teachout. "Hence the high quality of Orlando Shakespeare, a company that deserves to be far more widely known outside Florida." With ambitious, high-caliber productions like 2016's West Side Story, Love's Labour's Lost and 2014's Les Miserables and Henry V, the Theater continues to provide an innovative world-class theatrical experience to its guests, while showcasing William Shakespeare's legacy as the cornerstone of the company. Orlando Shakes also offers immersive educational programming that serves Central Florida schools and the local community at large. For more information visit www.orlandoshakes.org.

The Shakespeare Theatre Association was established to provide a forum for the artistic, managerial, educational leadership for theatres primarily involved with the production of the works of William Shakespeare; to discuss issues and methods of work, resources, and information; and to act as an advocate for Shakespearean productions and training. For more information visit www.stahome.org.

The University of Central Florida is a thriving preeminent research university located in metropolitan Orlando. With more than 66,000 students, UCF is one of the largest universities in the U.S. In addition to its impressive size and strength, UCF is ranked as a best-value university by The Princeton Review and Kiplinger's, as well as one of the nation's most affordable colleges by Forbes. The university benefits from a diverse faculty and staff who create a welcoming environment and opportunities for all students to grow, learn and succeed.

Photo Credit: Mikki Schaffner

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