SDC Foundation Career Development

Observership Program

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2011-2012 Observership Guidelines

 

Deadline: The deadline was June 10, 2011 to be eligible for all opportunities; however applications were accepted through September 15, 2011,.  Later applicants were not eligible for all opportunities.

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) Observership Program grants emerging Directors and Choreographers 25 paid opportunities to observe the work of master Directors and Choreographers as they create new productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway and at leading regional theatres across the country. SDCF Observers have access to the entire rehearsal process, from first rehearsal through previews to opening night. Observers are guaranteed the invaluable opportunity to observe, first-hand, the techniques, disciplines, approaches and insights of master artists as they create new productions and revive classics. The exact nature of each Observership will vary depending on the needs and desires of the master Director or Choreographer. Observerships are selected by committee; master artists in 2010/11 included Rob Ashford, Walter Bobbie, Mark Brokaw, Joe Calarco, Timothy Douglas, Brendan Fox, Gary Griffin, Doug Hughes, Michael Halberstam, JoAnn Hunter, Dan Knechtges, Pam MacKinnon, Kathleen Marshall, Michael Mayer, Lonny Price, Wendy Seyb, Leigh Silverman, Susan Stroman, Tony Taccone, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, and Sergio Trujillo.

Each Observer receives a weekly stipend of $200 and an additional travel stipend. In addition, any Observer who is not already a Member of SDC will be awarded a free one-year SDC Associate Membership.

Application to this year’s program is free to SDC Members and Associates. A $25 application fee is required to apply for those unaffiliated with SDC.

Application forms along with a one-page artistic statement, one-page resume and one letter of recommendation were due to SDCF by June 10, 2011 to be considered for all opportunities. SDCF accepted applications until September 15, 2011, however later applicants were eligible for fewer Observership opportunities. All applicants were invited to an Observership open house on July 12, 2011 as well as other SDCF Programs and special SDC events throughout the year. (Most Programs are free of charge.)

Please contact Foundation@SDCweb.org or  212.391.1070 ext. 244 with any questions.

SDCF’s Observership Program is made possible by generous support from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, New York State Council of the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The 2012-2013 Observership Application will be available in the spring of 2012

Application Tips video now on facebook! Click Here

 

Fellowship Program

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The Denham Fellowship

Submission deadline was SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

In October of 2006 Mary Orr Denham established the Denham Fellowship through a bequest to SDCF in honor of her late husband, Reginald H.F. Denham. The Denham Fellowship is “an annual award to aspiring young directors, and particularly women directors, to further develop their directing skills”. Candidates may apply to the Denham Fellowship under one of two criteria: fee enhancement and self producing. The Denham Fellowship under fee enhancement would serve to augment a fee offered to the Director be a theatre or producer.When the recipient is a self-producing director, the Denham fellowship will serve to cover/augment the Director’s fee. Application to the Denham Fellowship is open to SDC Members and Associates only. Both men and women may apply.

FELLOWSHIP AWARD:

One award of $3,000 will be granted per fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).

DEADLINE TO APPLY:

September 1, 2011 for productions through June 30, 2012

Denham Application

 

The Sir John Gielgud Fellowship

In 1996 this Fellowship originated from a generous contribution from Sir John Gielgud to provide opportunities for early career directors to study the artistic processes of master directors of classical plays.A Gielgud Fellowship Advisory Committee composed of leading directors of classical plays and other established theatre artists select the show, the mentor and the Fellow each year.There is no general application process for this fellowship as potential candidates are invited to apply by committee members.Recommendations of established theatre professionals on the behalf of potential candidates are accepted and considered by the Advisory committee. The Gielgud Fellow receives a monetary award as well as a free one-year Associate Membership.

FELLOWSHIP AWARD:

One award of $3,000 will be awarded as a stipend during the rehearsal period.

DEADLINE TO APPLY:

Varies depending upon production schedule.

 

The Mike Ockrent Fellowship

Nominations for the 2010-2011 Mike Ockrent Fellowship are closed.

Modeled on our prestigious Sir John Gielgud Fellowship in Classical Theatre, the goal of the Mike Ockrent Fellowship is to help early-career directors of promise develop their skills in directing theatre by allowing them to assist a master director on the creation of a big-budget Broadway musical or play. In doing so, the fellowship will present a new generation of gifted artists with a remarkable education in – and unique understanding of – the directorial skills necessary to create theatre on a Broadway scale. One Mike Ockrent Fellowship will be awarded each year. Each fellow will be mentored by a leading director in the field who will share information, insights and resources. The fellow shall have the opportunity to participate in the entire production process, from conceptual meetings, design discussions, casting sessions, rehearsals, previews, etc. The mentor is responsible for including the fellow in the production process. To provide financial assistance to the fellow, SDCF will offer a monetary stipend to the fellow during the rehearsal period. Prospective candidates are invited to apply based on recommendations from an advisory committee of distinguished artists.

FELLOWSHIP AWARD:

One award of $5,000 will be awarded as a stipend during the tenure of the Fellowship.

DEADLINE TO APPLY:

Varies depending on production schedule. Next opportunity be sometime after July 1, 2011.

 

The Shepard And Mildred Traube Fellowship

 

In 1999 the Shepard and Mildred Traube Fellowship was established in celebration of the 40th anniversary of SDC and to honor the legacy of Shepard and Mildred Traube. Shepard Traube was one of SDC’s founders and Mildred Traube served for many years as the SDC’s Executive Secretary. The Traube Fellowship supports the development of future Broadway artists by providing early-career directors and choreographers with the opportunity to assist or observer a master director of choreographers at work on a Broadway production. The Traube Fellowship is administered through and operates as a component of the SDCFoundation’s Observership Program, as such, only the current season’s Observership candidates will be eligible for this Fellowship.

FELLOWSHIP AWARD:

A stipend of $200 per week of rehearsal and preview period plus small travel stipend.

DEADLINE TO APPLY:

Same as Observership Program. See Observership Program for details.

 

Barbara Hauptman Fellowship

In November of 2007 the Barbara Hauptman Fellowship was established by the Boards of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and the SDCF to honor the former Executive Director’s twelve years of service and dedication to the SDC and in recognition of her commitment to the art and craft of stage direction and choreography. This fellowship is designed to provide one undergraduate or graduate level student, with an academic concentration in arts administration, with the opportunity to participate in the daily workings of the SDC and aid in the preparation and research for a national theatrical labor negotiation.

FELLOWSHIP AWARD:

One award of $1,500 will be awarded as a stipend during the tenure of the Fellowship.

DEADLINE TO APPLY:

Varies depending on project schedule. Next opportunity be sometime in spring 2012.