On Monday, September 10, 2018 at 5:30 p.m. the Theatre District Association of Western New York will honor local theatre choreographer, director and educator Lynne Kurdziel Formato by presenting her with a Star at the Theatre District’s Plaza of Stars on the corner of Main & Tupper.

Lynne Kurdziel Formato born and raised in Buffalo recently retired as an Associate Professor of Performing Arts at Elon University, she is currently maintaining a busy professional career as a Director/Choreographer not only in Buffalo but all around the world.  She is a proud member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC) and has over four hundred productions to her credit.

In 2012, Lynne served as Director/Choreographer for the European premiere of Disney’s Aladdin at the Fredericia Theatre in Denmark, remounting it at the Royal Opera House in Copenhagen in the summer of 2013, as well as the Scandinavian premiere of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, the professional Danish Premiere of Young Frankenstein in 2014, and choreographed the Scandinavian premiere of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which was remounted in Copenhagen at the Kongelige Theater, and is currently being revived for the Gothenburg Opera in Sweden. Lynne recently directed and choreographed The Little Mermaid in Sao Paolo, Brazil for IMM Live TDA at Teatro Santander.

From 1991 to 2004 she was a sixteen-time nominee and six-time recipient of the Buffalo New York Artvoice Artie Award in the areas of direction and choreography, recipient of the 2004 Artvoice Career Achievement Award, a 2006 Katherine Cornell Award presented to visiting artists for her choreographic work on Musicalfare’s Urinetown, the 2005 Milton Plesur Award for Excellence in Teaching from the University at Buffalo, the 1996 “Individual Artist of the Year” awarded by the Buffalo and Erie County Council on the Arts, was a recipient of the Elon College Faculty Excellence in Scholarship Award in 2007 and the Elon College Faculty Excellence in Mentorship Award in 2016, was inducted into the St. Joseph’s Collegiate Fine Arts Wall of Honor in 2008, in 2011 she and her family were  inducted into the “Legends of Cradle Beach” for their many years of service to this camp for special needs children. In 2013, Lynne was named as one of recipients of the University at Buffalo’s Zodiaque Dance Company Directors’ Award presented at Celebration 40.  In the 2017-2018 Buffalo theatre season Lynne directed and choreographed 2 smash hits at the Kavinoky Theatre which included THE PRODUCERS and MAMA MIA.  She will return to the Kav this theatre season to direct and choreograph SPAMOLOT then off to Second Generation Theatre for NINE.

“The Theatre District Association is honored to present a theatre artist of local, national and international credentials with a Star in the Plaza of Stars,” said Lisa Ludwig, President, Theatre District Association, Buffalo.  “Lynne Kurdziel Formato’s Star will be enshrined, with the greatest admiration and respect, along with such greats as A.R. Gurney, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Christine Baranski, Brother Augustine Towey, Javier Bustillos, Saul Elkin and Michael Bennett, serving as an inspiration to us and to future generations of theatre artists who aspire to realize their dreams in this profession,” she concluded.

The star-studded public festivities will take place at THE PLAZA OF STARS amongst local theatre professionals, colleagues, patrons and members of the media.   As part of the celebration, the ceremony will also help kick-off the 37^th Annual Curtain Up! event which is the opening of Buffalo’s Theatre Season which takes place September 14^th. A reception will immediately follow the star ceremony at MATINEE located at 698 Main Street.