Schwatrz

Detroit, MI - Composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, known for his work on the musicals Wicked and Pippin and the films Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt, is the recipient of the fifth annual Sarah Applebaum Nederlander Award for Excellence in Theatre.

On Tuesday, June 13, Stephen Schwartz will spend much of the day on campus at Wayne State.  A question and answer session, "A Conversation with Stephen Schwartz," will take place at 1:30pm in Wayne State\'s Schaver Music Recital Hall, located in the Old Main annex on Hancock Street near Cass Avenue.  This event is free and open to the public, the campus community and students.  During the morning of June 14, Schwartz will conduct a private master class for WSU\'s theatre and music students.

Schwartz will be honored at a gala celebration on Wednesday, June 14, at the Masonic Temple, Detroit. The evening will include a cocktail reception, seated dinner and presentation of the Apple Award, followed by a performance by the first national touring company of the award-winning musical Wicked.  Tickets to The Apple Award event are $275 and can be purchased by calling Wayne State University\'s College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at (313) 577-5336.  All proceeds benefit Wayne State\'s Department of Theatre.

The Apple Award is given in partnership with WSU\'s College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts and the Nederlander Company.  It is named for Sarah Applebaum Nederlander, or "Apple" as she was affectionately known, to honor her dedication to her family and her contributions to building an American theatre dynasty.   The award is given as part of a visiting artist fund which brings acclaimed theatre professionals to WSU\'s campus.  Recipients host master classes for Theatre majors and a question and answer forum open to all WSU students, campus community, and members of the public.

On March 23, Wicked celebrated its 1,000th performance on Broadway. That evening marked another milestone as well, this one for Wicked\'s Stephen Schwartz. Mr. Schwartz is now one of only four composers who have had three Broadway musicals that have run for more than 1,000 performances. His two other long-running shows were Pippin (1944 performances) and The Magic Show (1920 performances).  The other three composers are Andrew Lloyd Webber (The Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Evita), Jerry Herman (Hello, Dolly!, La Cage aux Folles and Mame) and Richard Rodgers (Oklahoma!, South Pacific and The Sound of Music). Schwartz is the recipient of three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards and four Drama Desk Awards.

NOTE: Extended biographical material, photo files, and a complete list of works are available at Stephen Schwartz\'s web site: www.stephenschwartz.com