BSMS Announces Recipients of Charlie Blackwell Symposium Scholarships for BIPOC Stage Managers

BSMS has announced the five stage managers that have been chosen to receive the first ever Charlie Blackwell Symposium Scholarships for BIPOC stage managers.

Each recipient will receive a complimentary pass to the Broadway Stage Management Symposium as well as a personal meeting with the adjudicator who chose them. The adjudicators (Narda E. Alcorn, Lisa Dawn Cave, Beverly Jenkins, Kenneth J. McGee, & Cody Renard Richard) are all very successful Broadway stage managers of color and had the challenging task of selecting from many wonderful applicants.

The recipients are:

Donovan Andrade: a communication and kinesiology double major from Bahrain. Theatre has been an extremely influential part of his life for half of a decade, providing a way for his voice to speak on subjects in a different medium.

Jourdan Miller: a senior at the University of Rhode Island, double majoring in Film Media and Theatre Arts with subplans in Directing, Stage Management and Design Tech. Jourdan is really excited to be participating in the Symposium this year!

Nakia Shalice Avila: a freelance stage manager from Holly Hill, SC. She is a 2016 alum of Claflin University and is currently pursuing an MFA in Stage Management at Yale School of Drama

Norman Anthony Small: a stage manager, company manager, virtual technical director, and director of production. He has worked at off-Broadway and regional theaters as well as the world-famous Apollo Theater.

Ashani Smith: a senior at Western Carolina University where she will receive her BA in Stage and Screen with a Concentration in Stage Management in May!

The Broadway Stage Management Symposium is thrilled to welcome them to our professional development and networking conference for stage managers. The recipients are also very excited, as Nakia Shalice Avila said, "I am truly elated for the opportunity to partake in this coveted learning and networking experience." Ashani Smith said that she is, "very thankful to the Symposium and Broadway's BIPOC SM community for this opportunity and is looking forward to everything she will learn in May at the convention!" The BSMS is also very grateful for the incredible support of the adjudicators as well as the entire Broadway and global community of stage managers that have supported the conference and it's growth over the last six years.

The Charlie Blackwell Symposium Scholarships for BIPOC stage managers is named for Charlie Blackwell, a black stage manager whose Broadway credits include Nine, Sunday in the Park with George and Jerome Robbins Broadway. He passed away in 1995 and these scholarships honor his legacy, opening doors for the next great generation of BIPOC stage managers.

Applications for 2022 will open February 1st, 2022. More details at: www.broadwaysymposium.com/scholarships

This Broadway Stage Management Symposium is an educational intensive, open to the public, and designed for the growth of stage managers at all levels and experience. (see website for full details, registration, special discounted pandemic pricing, and more). The seventh annual BSMS will be held May 21 - 24, 2021 on an interactive, dynamic digital platform.

Student discounts & group rates available, contact BSMS for more details: info@broadwaysymposium.com

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