Theater News

Pasadena Playhouse to Host Event Honoring Artistic Director Emeritus Sheldon Epps

Epps was the company’s artistic director from 1997 to 2017.

Pasadena Playhouse artistic director emeritus Sheldon Epps will be honored at a special event on Sunday, September 17.
Pasadena Playhouse artistic director emeritus Sheldon Epps will be honored at a special event on Sunday, September 17.
(© David Gordon)

Pasadena Playhouse announced the lineup of performers and speakers for a special event on Sunday, September 17, honoring Sheldon Epps, the company's artistic director emeritus and artistic director from 1997 to 2017.

"For those of us who lived through the rebirth of the venerable Pasadena Playhouse, what Sheldon Epps did in shepherding our community through that dark period of the past into the light of the future was nothing short of miraculous," said honorary cochairs Angela Bassett and Courtney Vance in a statement. "For that, and for many other reasons, we all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Sheldon."

Titled Sheldon at the Playhouse — Celebrating 20 Years of Artistic Excellence, the event will be hosted by Wayne Brady, who starred in the Pasadena Playhouse production of Kiss Me, Kate that Epps directed. The evening will feature performances by Sharon Catherine Brown, Yvette Cason, Kacee Clanton, and Dorian Harewood. The list of speakers will include Richard Chamberlain, Jason George, Sharon Lawrence, David Lee, Becky and Kris Lythgoe, Art Manke, and Pasadena mayor Terry Tornek. Gerlad Sternbach will serve as musical director for the show.

In addition to celebrating Epps's artistic contribution to the company, the evening will raise funds to officially name the Playhouse’s artists’ entrance "Epps Alley."

For tickets and more information, click here.