Biography of Del Shores

Del Shores (writer/director/producer/activist) has written, directed and produced film, television and stage. His new series "Sordid Lives: The Series" premiered on MTV's LOGO July 23, 2008 starring Olivia Newton-John, Rue McClanahan, Leslie Jordan, Beth Grant, Caroline Rhea, Bonnie Bedelia, Jason Dottley and many of the original stage and film cast including Newell Alexander, Rosemary Alexander and Sarah Hunley. Shores created, wrote, directed and executive produced all twelve episodes. It became LOGO's biggest hit to date. Shores' career took off with the play "Daddy's Dyin' (Who's Got The Will?), (1987) which ran two years at Theatre/Theater in Hollywood, winning many Los Angeles theatre awards, including LA Weekly's Best Production and Best Writing. The play has subsequently been produced in over 2500 theatres worldwide. A movie version of "Daddy's Dyin'" was released in 1990 by MGM and Propaganda Films and starred Beau Bridges, Tess Harper, Judge Reinhold, Keith Carradine and Beverly D'Angelo. Shores wrote the screenplay and executive produced the film. "Sordid Lives", his fourth play, opened in Los Angeles May 11, 1996 and ran 13 sold-out months. The critics raved -- ultimately 13 of them awarding the production "Critic's Choice." F. Kathleen Folley of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "Sordid Lives has more laughs than a hunting dog has ticks. Del Shores is a master of the Texas comedy." The play went on to win 14 Drama-Logue Theatre Awards, including three for Shores for writing, directing and producing. He was also nominated for Robby, L.A. Weekly and GLAAD Awards for writing, directing and producing. In 1999, Shores wrote and directed the film version of "Sordid Lives" starring Beau Bridges, Delta Burke, Olivia Newton-John, Bonnie Bedelia, Leslie Jordan, Beth Grant, along with most of the cast from the play. The movie has become a cult phenomenon. Ivor Davis of The New York Times Syndicate called it: "The most delicious combination of emotion and laugh out loud hilarity to come along in the new Millennium...The Birdcage meets the Bible Belt--and the result is the most hilarious comedy of the year." The movie won many festival awards, including Best Film at the New York Independent Film & Video Festival, Atlanta Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival, Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival, South Beach Film Festival, Memphis International Film Festival and the San Diego International Film Festival and racked up a total of thirteen "Audience Awards." In 2002 Twentieth Century Fox released the DVD/Video, which has now sold over 200,000 units. "Sordid Lives" became the longest running film in the history of Palm Springs at the Camelot Theatre (96 weeks) and on October 5, 2006, Shores was given a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars "for his lifetime achievement in the field of entertainment and contribution to the world of prominence of Palm Springs." "Southern Baptist Sissies" is Shores most personal play -- a tragicomedy. It enjoyed a ten-month sold-out run in Los Angeles in 2000 and 2001, then enjoyed a sold-out run at the McKinney Avenue Contemporary Theatre in Dallas. Revived in L.A. in April 2002, "Sissies" enjoyed yet another six month sold-out run, again at the Zephyr Theatre. The play opened at the Bailiwick Theatre in Chicago to rave reviews July 2002 and was the theatres' biggest hit during their "Pride" summer series, garnering two After Dark Awards for Best Direction and Best Ensemble. The original LA production of "Sissies" received 20 Los Angeles Theatre Awards, Shores alone receiving the LA Weekly, Robby and Maddy for Best Direction and the Backstage West Garland, Robby and Maddy for Best Writing. The play was also awarded the prestigious GLAAD Award for Outstanding Production of the Year. In 2003, "The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife" became his most critically acclaimed and darkest play to date. After a six-month sold-out run at the Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles, Shores' won the prestigious Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle's Ted Schmitt Award for World Premiere of an Outstanding New Play. The Circle also awarded the play Best Production and Beth Grant Best Lead Performance. "Trials" also won five Back Stage West Garland Awards (Best Play, Best Direction, Best Writing, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress), two NAACP Awards (Best Play, Best Playwright, 7 nominations, including Best Directing for Shores ), Ovation Awards (Best Actress, 4 nominations, including writing and direction for Shores') seven Maddy Awards (including Best Play, Writing, Direction) and three L.A. Weekly Awards (Best Playwright, Best Ensemble, Best Supporting Actor). For the 2006 revival, the cast won the Ovation Award for Best Ensemble and Shores was nominated for Best Direction and Best Production. Other plays include "Cheatin'" and "Daughters of the Lone Star State." His publisher is Samuel French, Inc. Other than "Sordid Lives: The Series", in television, Shores has written and produced for "Maximum Bob", "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", "Live Shot", "Touched By An Angel", "Ned and Stacey" "Family Ties" "Dharma and Greg". Shores also produced the last three seasons of the ground-breaking, acclaimed Showtime series "Queer As Folk" for which he wrote many episodes. He has written and produced pilots for every network and wrote, directed and executive produced the Showtime movie "The Wilde Girls", staring Olivia Newton-John and Swoosie Kurtz. In 2006 Shores revived three of his plays ("Sordid Lives", "Southern Baptist Sissies", "The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife") in Los Angeles, before taking to the road for a six city successful tour, starring Delta Burke and Leslie Jordan, which played in 1000-1700 seat houses.