Coyote Stageworks Nominated For 13 Desert Theatre League Awards

Coyote StageWorks, the Coachella Valley-based award-winning Actors' Equity professional theater company, announced that it received an impressive 13 nominations for its performances of Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks and The Lady With All The Answers in the previous season. The winners for all categories will be announced at the Desert Theatre League's annual awards presentation in October. Since it was founded, Coyote StageWorks has received 65 Desert Theatre League Awards.

"I am honored that this important theatre organization continues to recognize outstanding local theater," said Founding Artistic Director, Chuck Yates. "It is so gratifying to know that the hard work we all put into producing outstanding theatrical experiences in the Coachella Valley is being rewarded. We are humbled to be included among the fine talent of so many local organizations."

Now in its 31st year of promoting theater in the Coachella Valley and Morongo Basin, the Desert Theatre League has a panel of judges that view performances of the more than 30 producing members, including local high schools competing in youth categories.

The smash hit Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks, starring Loretta Swit and Coyote StageWorks Founding Board and Company Member David Engel, received 8 nominations for the show, which ran for eight performances at the Annenberg Theater in the Palm Springs Art Museum. The popular two-character comedy/drama told the touching tale of a formidable retired woman who hires a dancer to give her private dance lessons and learns to overcome their differences to discover an unlikely but profound connection. The nominations this production received are:

· Outstanding Production of a Drama/Comedy - Professional

· The Michael Cruickshank Award for Outstanding Director of a Drama - Professional (Larry Raben)

· Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama - Professional
(David Engel)

· Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama - Professional
(Loretta Swit)

· Outstanding Set Design - Professional (Josh Clabaugh)

· Outstanding Sound Design - Professional
(David Engel)

· Outstanding Lighting Design - Professional
(Moira Wilkie Whitaker)

· Outstanding Costume Design - Professional
(Bonnie Nipar)

· Outstanding Props and Special Effects - Professional
(Chuck Yates)

The Coyote StageWorks production of The Lady With All The Answers was a well-received one-woman show that starred Gloria Loring, who portrayed the beloved American advice columnist Ann Landers. The production ran 8 performances at the Annenberg Theater and received four nominations. The nominations for this production are:

· Outstanding Production of a Drama/Comedy - Professional

· Outstanding Director of a Comedy - Professional
(Don Amendolia)

· Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy - Professional (Gloria Loring)

· Outstanding Props and Special Effects - Professional
(Chuck Yates)

In several weeks, Coyote StageWorks will announce the details of its ninth season that will run throughout 2017-2018. The 2017-2018 Coyote StageWorks season is generously sponsored by Annette Bloch and David Lee.

Coyote StageWorks is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 company dedicated to advancing theatre as a vital art form in the desert communities of the Coachella Valley. It is their mission to provide a forum for thought-provoking, entertaining, and culturally significant works in an environment that nurtures the creativity of the individual and the enrichment of the community. These shows are not Palm Springs Art Museum or Annenberg Theater presentations.

For more information about Coyote StageWorks and its 2016-2017 season, please visit coyotestageworks.org. Group sales: 760-318-0024. To purchase individual tickets or subscriptions, call 760-325-4490 or visit annenbergtheater.org.