Kathleen & Rob Marshall to Receive Richard Rodgers Award

Pittsburgh CLO, in conjunction with the families of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, will present the 10th Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater to siblings Kathleen Marshall and Rob Marshall. The ceremony will be held in conjunction with the 2008 Pink Frolic Ball on May 10, 2008, at the Omni William Penn Hotel. This awards ceremony will mark the first time that the Richard Rodgers Award will be presented to two Broadway professionals.

Established in 1988, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater recognizes the lifetime contributions of outstanding talents in musical theater. Past recipients include Mary Martin, Dame Julie Andrews, Harold Prince, Sir Cameron Mackintosh, Stephen Sondheim, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Gwen Verdon, Bernadette Peters and Shirley Jones.

A press release states: "Kathleen Marshall and Rob Marshall's remarkable careers as award-winning directors and choreographers make them ideal choices to join this illustrious group of recipients. These talented individuals were also raised in Pittsburgh and earned their equity cards on the Pittsburgh CLO stage. Kathleen Marshall is currently represented on Broadway as the director and choreographer of the revival of Grease. Ms. Marshall launched her impressive Broadway career in 1993 as an Assistant Choreographer for Kiss of the Spider Woman. Her other Broadway credits include the choreography of Kiss Me, Kate, Little Shop of Horrors, Follies, Seussical and 1776 as well as the choreography and direction of Wonderful Town and The Pajama Game."

Best known for his direction of the Academy Award-winning films Chicago and Memoirs of a Geisha, Rob Marshall's impressive musical theater career includes work as a performer, choreographer and director. A six-time Tony Award nominee and George Abbott Award winner, Mr. Marshall received his first Tony nomination for the choreography of Kiss of the Spider Woman. His Broadway choreography credits also include She Loves Me, Damn Yankees, Victor/Victoria, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Company. For television, Mr. Marshall directed and choreographed Disney/ABC's "Annie," which won the prestigious Peabody Award. For his work on "Annie," Mr. Marshall received an Emmy Award for Choreography and an American Choreography Award. Most recently, Mr. Marshall conceived and directed "Tony Bennett: An American Classic." He won the Director's Guild Award for this production and three Emmy Awards for Direction, Choreography, and Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special. Mr. Marshall is currently in production for the motion picture Nine as both its director and producer.

The event will feature dinner coupled with dynamic CLO performances honoring the Marshall's celebrated careers. Mary Rodgers Guettel, an accomplished author, screenwriter and composer and the daughter of the late Richard Rodgers, will present the Richard Rodgers Awards. For more information visit http://www.pittsburghclo.org/

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