Harold Prince, Tom Schumacher & More to Mentor 2013 T Fellow; Applications Accepted Through 8/1

Applications for the second annual T. Fellowship will be accepted from May 22, 2013 through August 1, 2013. Applications and instructions are available online at www.tfellowship.com.

Final candidates will go through an interview process with the T. Fellowship committee. The Fellow will be announced October 1, 2013 and the program will begin in the fall of 2013.

The Fellowship will expose the Fellow to the widest possible range of contemporary theatrical producing practices while providing opportunities to discuss the shifting role of the creative producer. The T. Fellowship will provide financial, legal, and production support for development of a project and a presentation.

The T. Fellowship mentors are Harold Prince (Mentor and Founder), Margo Lion, Gregory Mosher, Tom Schumacher, Jeffrey Seller and David Stone. The program is managed by Columbia University School of the Arts, and the T. Fellowship Committee Members will serve as mentors to the selected Fellow.

Other advisors and staff for the T. Fellowship program include Victoria Bailey (Executive Director, Theatre Development Fund), Steven Chaikelson (Head of the MFA Theatre Management & Producing Concentration at the School of the Arts), and Ed Wilson (Co-Founder). Orin Wolf and John Pinkard were awarded the first T. Fellowships in 2007.

The T. Fellowship is a one-year program. In the first phase, the Fellow may take classes, apprentice and observe through placements "in the field" with working professionals. During that time, the Fellow will also be working to identify and develop a new theatrical production.

During the second phase of the Fellowship, the Fellow will produce and present the work he or she has developed. The Fellow will receive a stipend of $14,000 with a $20,000 budget for the development of their new theatrical production.

The T. Fellowship was established to honor the legacy of Broadway producer T. Edward Hambleton by supporting and developing a new generation of gifted, emerging creative theatrical producers, who initiate work from the ground up, following a path all their own.

T. Edward Hambleton founded The Phoenix Theatre with Norris Houghton in 1953, making it an early force in the Off-Broadway movement. After 29 consecutive New York seasons and 164 productions as managing director, T. Edward continued the Phoenix commitment by presenting challenging new productions of high artistic quality and assisting emerging playwrights. During its long and distinguished history, the Phoenix presented new works by Robert Audrey, Frank Gilroy, Arthur Kopit, James Saunders, LaTouche and Moross while at the same time offering fresh productions of Shakespeare, Shaw, Pirandello, Brecht, O'Neill, Ionesco, Fry, O'Casey, Sherwood, Gorky, Marlowe, Kaufman and Hart, Sartre, Molière, Miller and Williams, under such directors as Tyrone Guthrie, John Houseman, Ellis Rabb, Gordon Davidson, Hal Prince and Gene Saks with actors including Helen Hayes, Irene Worth, Cynthia Harris, Meryl Streep, Eva Le Gallienne, Jimmy Stewart, Nancy Walker and Carol Burnett. After 1976, the Phoenix concentrated on new plays and the nurturing of new playwrights through its Commission Program. The fruits of these labors include Wendy Wasserstein'sUncommon Women and Others and Isn't It Romantic; David Berry's G. R. Point; Marsha Norman's Getting Out; Ron Hutchinson's Says I, Says He; Peter Handke's A Sorrow Beyond Dreams; and Mustapha Matura's Meetings. Hambleton served as a member of the Board of Directors of Center Stage in Baltimore, Maryland, and as a member of the Board of Governors of the League of American Theatres and Producers. He received a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre in 2000. In 2001, he was added to the Theatre Hall of Fame.

The MFA Theatre Program at Columbia is international, collaborative and interdisciplinary. Named in honor of Oscar Hammerstein II, it is defined by its location in New York City, a global capital of theatre, and by the extensive network of Columbia alumni and faculty who run prestigious Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theatres; direct and perform in Tony- and other award-winning production; work in every level of the professional theatre world; and teach, mentor and engage with students on an ongoing basis. The Theatre MFA programs in acting, directing, playwriting, dramaturgy, stage management, and theatre management & producing seek students who have the talent, vision, and commitment to become exceptional artists. At the School of the Arts, students acquire disciplines rooted deeply in the classics while branching out into new forms and exploring the cutting edge of theatrical art. The best theatre in every culture and in all eras has not only reflected its time but also shaped its society and often helped point it toward the future. The Theatre Program aims to train theatre artists to fulfill that important role in today's society. Among the program's leading faculty are Arnold Aronson, Anne Bogart, Steven Chaikelson, Brian Kulick, Kristin Linklater, Chuck Mee, Gregory Mosher, Christian Parker, Michael Passaro, Andrei Serban, and Niky Wolcz. Visitarts.columbia.edu/theatre for more information.

Columbia University School of the Arts awards the Master of Fine Arts degree in Film, Theatre Arts, Visual Arts and Writing and the Master of Arts degree in Film Studies. The School is a thriving, diverse community of artists from around the world with talent, vision and commitment. The faculty is composed of acclaimed and internationally renowned artists, film and theatre directors, writers of poetry, fiction and nonfiction, playwrights, producers, critics and scholars. Every year the School of the Arts presents exciting and innovative programs for the public including performances, exhibitions, screenings, symposia, a film festival, and numerous lectures, readings, panel discussions and talks with artists, writers, critics and scholars. For more information, visit arts.columbia.edu.

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