Inspiration’s Edge Shines at the 2025 Desert Star Awards

Honoring Late Company and the incredible community behind it.

Last night, Inspiration’s Edge proudly brought home three Desert Star Awards from the Desert Theatre League’s 2025 Desert Star Awards, including one of the night’s highest honors:

Best Production – Drama

Late Company – Inspiration’s Edge

The Michael Cruickshank Award for Best Director – Drama

Liyan McNeltier – Late Company

Best Lead Actress – Drama

Rebecca McWilliams – Late Company

These awards are a testament not only to the artistry of our cast and crew, but to the heart and collaboration that define who we are as a theater company.

About Late Company

Originally staged in Yucca Valley this past spring, Late Company marked one of Inspiration’s Edge’s most powerful and daring productions to date. Written by Jordan Tannahill, the play confronts grief, guilt, and accountability in the aftermath of tragedy; a dinner party that forces two families to confront the unthinkable.

The production was raw, human, and deeply resonant — a reflection of why theatre matters. It sparked conversations, moved audiences to tears, and reminded us that art can hold space for healing and understanding.

A Community of Collaborators

While awards honor a few names, Late Company was the work of many.Every light cue, sound effect, poster, prop, and performance carried the fingerprints of countless volunteers and creative partners who poured their time and heart into bringing this story to life.

To those who were nominated but didn’t win (and to those who weren’t nominated but made this production possible) these awards belong to you too. Your work, passion, and belief in community theatre made Late Company what it was: something unforgettable.

Our gratitude also extends to our audience, the Hi-Desert community who showed up, listened, felt, and supported a small, mobile nonprofit theatre daring to tell a big, emotional story. Your applause, reflections, and word-of-mouth made all the difference.

A Word from Director and IE Co-Founder, Liyan McNeltier

“It’s incredibly humbling to have Late Company recognized in this way. When we founded Inspiration’s Edge, we wanted to create a theatre that wasn’t defined by a building, but by heart — one that meets the community where it is, both literally and emotionally.

Late Company became more than a production; it was a conversation. It opened the door for what we hope this theatre continues to be: deeply human and unendingly co-creative.

To have this show, our team, and our values honored so early in our journey is beyond anything I could have imagined. It’s an honor to help set the stage for who we are becoming as a theatre as well as a reminder of the power of theatre to move, challenge, and heal.”

Why This Moment Matters

For a new, mobile theatre built entirely on collaboration, creativity, and courage, these awards affirm something we’ve believed from the start — that meaningful, professional-quality theatre doesn’t need walls to make an impact.

It needs people. It needs purpose. It needs heart.

Late Company set that foundation not only artistically, but as a statement of what Inspiration’s Edge stands for: empathy, integrity, inclusivity, and growth.

As we continue our inaugural season, we carry this momentum forward into our next productions: from the outrageous fun of The Rocky Horror Show this week, to the magic of A One-Man Christmas Carol in December, and beyond.

Each show, each volunteer, each story builds on this foundation of community, creativity, and care.

Thank You

To our cast, crew, designers, volunteers, partners, audience members, and the entire Desert Theatre League: thank you for seeing us, for believing in local theatre, and for celebrating the art that connects us all.

The edge has never been brighter.

Learn more and see what’s next at InspirationsEdge.org