Broadway Stage Managers Launch BROADWAY & BEYOND to Expand BIPOC Opportunities in the Industry

A group of Broadway stage managers has launched a new group, aiming to expand BIPOC opportunities in the industry.

Broadway & Beyond: Access for Stage Managers of Color is a newly-formed networking organization that aims to connect early and mid-career BIPOC stage managers with industry professionals.

Founded by veteran stage managers Lisa Dawn Cave, Beverly Jenkins, and Jimmie Lee Smith, Broadway & Beyond will provide opportunities to aspiring and current stage managers of color to learn from industry insiders, meet industry leaders, and provide insights to help BIPOC stage managers start, maintain, and advance a career in the arts and theatre through free networking and educational events. The first event will be held virtually on Thursday, December 17, 2020 from 5:30-7:30pm EST.

Tony-winning director Kenny Leon (A Soldier's Play, American Son) will introduce the event, which will consist of a panel discussion and Q&A with professionals from Broadway, national tours, and regional theaters across the country. BIPOC stage managers interested in participating can learn more and submit an application at BroadwayBeyondAccess.com. Subsequent events are being planned for Spring and Summer 2021.

"The theater industry is a beautiful community to be a part of, and one we are grateful to have forged success and meaningful relationships in," said Broadway & Beyond founders Lisa Dawn Cave, Beverly Jenkins, and Jimmie Lee Smith. "But we recognize the many challenges that face aspiring theater-makers, especially from within BIPOC communities, to making inroads to the small group of decision-makers who produce theater and build out production teams. We want to give BIPOC stage managers direct access to the people who are responsible for filling stage management positions, to eliminate the phrase 'I don't know where to find them' from the hiring process and create necessary opportunity pathways for a group of folks who are woefully underrepresented on production teams around the country."

Broadway & Beyond's first networking event for BIPOC stage managers will include a virtual panel discussion featuring production supervisors, stage managers, and general managers representing organizations including Disney Theatrical Productions, Bespoke Theatricals, Foresight Theatrical, RCI Theatricals, The Alliance Theatre (Atlanta), The Muny (St. Louis), The 5th Avenue Theatre (Seattle), and others. A full list of panelists is available at BroadwayBeyondAccess.com.

Attendance is free, and applicants must register online at BroadwayBeyondAccess.com no later than Sunday, December 13. Participation is capped at 75. Panelists will be provided with the résumés of all confirmed participants in advance of the event and will engage directly with attendees in small break-out groups.

Learn more and register at https://www.broadwaybeyondaccess.com/.