Sarasota, Florida (May 4, 2006) – The Asolo Theatre Company Guild’s Guilder Award Presentation and Annual Installation Luncheon took place on Thursday, May 4, 2006 at 11:30 a.m. at the Palm Aire Country Club, 5601 Country Club Way in Sarasota. Three awards were presented: The Guilder Award, Honorable Mention and Special Recognition.

Richard Milburn Academy in Bradenton is this year’s first place Guilder Award recipient for their production of Beats on the Streets of Life and Death, an original show written and performed by the theatre students under the directorship and guidance of Gabriel V. Ortiz. Ortiz performed his acclaimed, original one-man show My Prodigal Son as part of the Asolo’s Late Night Series in 2004 and was featured in several mainstage productions over two seasons. He began working with the students at MilburnAcademy via a grant from the Charles H. Leach II Foundation and the guidance of the Asolo Education and Outreach program. He now is director of dramatic arts at Richard Milburn Academy, which was first introduced to theatre as a learning experience through the Asolo’s Access to the Arts program. The school received a plaque and their name is engraved on a permanent plaque that hangs in the Asolo’s Mertz theatre.

The Out of Door Academy received honorable mention along with a frame-able certificate for their production of The King and I. Linda Vasilaki is the dramatic arts program director at Out of Door Academy. Special recognition also went to SoutheastHigh School for their insight and courage in undertaking a challenging Greek play. Jason Schissl leads the drama department at Southeast and is a graduate of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training.

The prestigious “Guilder Award” has been presented annually since 1994 to an area high school for theatrical project excellence. Asolo Theatre Company Guild Members attend and critique these projects at high schools throughout Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties. Evaluations, along with background information about the schools’ drama programs, guide award recipient selection. 

The Asolo Theatre Company Guild is dedicated to sharing a passion for live theatre through community outreach programs, which develop present and future audiences and enrich lives. The Guild sponsors the Guilder Award for high school drama, the Play Readers (Asolo Guild Ambassadors to the community), theatre tour guides, education volunteers, and the sponsorship of annual theater trips. The Guild’s programs also include logistical support for Access to the Arts events and other educational activities for the Asolo Theatre Company Education Department. All funds raised by the Guild are used to support the Asolo Theatre Company’s Access to the Arts program. Please contact Tony Amato at 941-739-2370 about Access to the Arts, or Richard Baldau at 941-907-2289 for information on the Guilder Award and participation in the program.