Celebration Theatre Welcomes Brittney S. Wheeler & Nathan Frizzell as Artistic Director & Associate Artistic Director
Brittney S. Wheeler and Nathan Frizzell join Celebration Theatre as the new Artistic Directors, bringing their expertise and passion to the theater.
Celebration Theatre and its Board of Directors announced today that Brittney S. Wheeler has been named Artistic Director and Nathan Frizzell has returned to his previous role as Associate Artistic Director for the theatre company, effective immediately. Comments Celebration Theatre’s Board Chair Parnell Damone Marcano (he/him), “Selecting Brittney S. Wheeler as our Artistic Director, and Nathan Frizzell as our Associate Artistic Director just made sense! Both have been involved with Celebration for a decade or more, so we've been able to see their work onstage, and behind the scenes. They have worked on several productions, and understand the artistic standards our company has set. As a team, they communicate well with one another, and are able to present their artistic vision in a way that demonstrates their knowledge of theater, and what will draw in an audience.”
ABOUT Brittney S. Wheeler & NATHAN FRIZZELL
Brittney S. Wheeler
(she/her) has been a company member for over 10 years in addition to being a decorated, award-winning performer with a passion and expertise in dramaturgy, character analysis and character development. A classically-trained vocalist and seasoned actor born and bred in Los Angeles, Wheeler previously served as the theatre’s Casting Associate for resident Casting Director, Jami Rudofsky (she/her), helping cast several of the theatre’s biggest productions to date. She was invited to join the artistic team as Associate Artistic Director in 2021.. Ms. Wheeler has considered Celebration Theatre to be a life-changing part of her artistic world since 2012, when she joined the cast of the hit production of The Color Purple, A New Musical. A member of AEA and a featured soloist of the Pasadena Chorale, Brittney S. Wheeler holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Concordia University Irvine, and an MA in Theatre Arts from California State University, Northridge.
NATHAN FRIZZELL
(he/him) joined Celebration Theatre in 2005 and has served the company in a variety of pursuits, including Literary Director.
After a brief hiatus, during which time he created his own LGBTQ+ live variety show "The Queer Radio Hour," Nathan revived Celebration's new play reading series, “Celebrating New Works” in 2013 and produced multiple mainstage shows, including critical and commercial successes The Boy From Oz, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, and "Die Mommie Die. Both an actor and writer, Nathan's work in front of the camera can be found on Netflix, Showtime, CBS, The CW and more. He's written for Disney, ABC and on the Emmy-nominated Netflix series "Alexa & Katie."
Celebration Theatre is one of the nation’s oldest LGBTQIA+ theatres. Founded in December 1982 in a Silverlake storefront, the nonprofit was expressly organized as a community theatre “of, by, and for gay and lesbian people and their friends.” Since then, the Los Angeles-based company has mounted theatrical productions representative of, and in support of, the queer community: with a sharp focus on inclusion, visibility, and pride. GLAAD, NAACP, LA theatre awards and many other benchmarks for excellence have recognized the theatre and its artists— performers, writers, directors, designers, musicians, and producers. Scores of LGBTQIA+ luminaries have graced Celebration’s stages over the years as it continues to provide an inspiring and empowering forum for professional and emerging artists, giving voice to the evolving experience of queer culture. CelebrationTheatre.org.
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