STAGE DIRECTORS & CHOREOGRAPHERS WORKSHOP FOUNDATION INC
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Mission Statement
SDCF celebrates, develops, and supports professional stage directors and choreographers throughout every phase of their careers. We work to build a theatrical community that reflects the cultural, racial, and gender diversity of our nation by creating opportunities for artists of all backgrounds to bring their full, authentic selves to their work as creative leaders in the theatre.
About This Cause
Founded in 1965, Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) is the only service organization in the U.S. with a sole focus of providing resources to directors and choreographers. Our mission is to celebrate, develop, and support professional stage directors and choreographers throughout every phase of their careers. Directors and choreographers create work for the public that activates our humanity through this communal form of storytelling. Guided by SDCF’s core values, we create access to the field for early–and mid–career directors and choreographers, facilitate much needed connection amongst artists and with the public and offer unique platforms to honor an artists’ legacy. SDCF achieves its mission through programming: Lloyd Richards New Futures Residency The Lloyd Richards New Futures Residency is a yearlong residency for mid-career directors and choreographers who are interested in institutional leadership. It is named after Lloyd Richards, a legendary leader of the American Theatre who directed some of the most important plays on Black life of the 20th century. The goals of this residency are to help develop artists to become artistic leaders in the American Theater and are committed, as artists, to illuminating Black cultural experiences on stage. Each resident artist in the program receives $40,000 along with access to health insurance and some assistance for housing and travel along with a guarantee to direct and/or choreograph a production at their theatre in the next three years. SDCF Professional Development Program Core to our work is providing professional development and mentorship through our Shadow, Observership, and Fellowship opportunities, which allow for early and mid-career directors and choreographers to observe and work with experienced artists on Broadway, off-Broadway, and across the country. These opportunities have allowed us to place hundreds of artists into the rehearsal rooms they would not otherwise have access to. In the past five years of the program, SDCF has offered over 170 Observership and Fellowships over the years. Emergency Assistance Fund The global pandemic led to staggering job losses for directors and choreographers. As of spring 2022, SDCF’s Emergency Assistance Fund has supported over 300 directors and choreographers in need pay for basic life necessities including rent, childcare, elder care, medical treatments, and more. Public Programming SDCF reaches hundreds of artists through our public panels about current topics in the field. We also provide opportunities for artists to gather in community to talk about the craft of directing and choreography as well as meet one another to expand their network of support and collaboration. We typically serve over 200 individuals each season. SDCF Podcast Series This podcast features interviews with foundational leaders in the field and theatre makers across the country. Recent episodes spotlighted Sheldon Epps, Robert O’Hara, Bill T. Jones, Anne Kauffman and Emily Mann. Reshared with the public, our podcasts were downloaded over 3,000 times in the last year. SDCF Awards We honor excellence in stage direction and choreography through different awards such as the Gordon Davidson Award for lifetime achievement and distinguished service in regional theater, the “Mr. Abbott” Award for a Broadway Director’s or Choreographer’s lifetime of outstanding contributions, and the Barbara Whitman Award which recognizes an early-career female, trans or non-binary director.