2024 Mike Ockrent Fellowship Recipient To Serve As Fellow On SUFFS On Broadway

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for-profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), has announced that Rebecca Kritzer has been selected as SDCF's 2024 Mike Ockrent Fellow. She will serve as the fellow for Director Leigh Silverman and Choreographer Mayte Natalio on SUFFS on Broadway.

The goal of the Mike Ockrent Fellowship is to support early-career directors and choreographers of promise develop their skills by working with an experienced director or choreographer on the creation of a big-budget musical or play. The Fellowship, established in 2001 by the family of the late director, offers up-and-coming artists a remarkable education in creating theatre on a Broadway scale.

Mike Ockrent was a British stage director whose London productions were Once a Catholic, Educating Rita, Passion Play, Follies and Zenobia for the RSC. Ockrent also directed several productions of Me and My Girl, which earned him Olivier, Ivor Novello and Drama Magazine awards. On Broadway, Ockrent's Me and My Girl was nominated for 13 Tonys and earned him the Drama Desk Award for Best Director. In 1992, Ockrent worked with Susan Stroman on Crazy for You. They were married in 1996 and remained so until Ockrent's death from leukemia in New York in 1999.

Previous recipients of the Ockrent Fellowship are Cassey Kivnick on Jerry Mitchell's Gotta Dance, Paula D'Alessandris on Sean Mathias's No Man's Land/Waiting for Godot, Alex Lippard on Jeff Calhoun's Bonnie and Clyde, Tomé Cousin on George C. Wolfe's A Free Man of Color, Gregg Wiggans on Rob Ashford's Promises, Promises, Elissa Weinzimmer on Casey Nicholaw's Minsky's, Jillian Loyas on Bob Avian's A Chorus Line, and Benjamin Kline on Scott Elliott‘s Barefoot in the Park, Sonjae Kim on Pam MacKinnon's Amelie, Tomé Cousin on George C. Wolfe's The Iceman Cometh, and Ilana Random Toeplitz on Casey Nicholaw's The Prom.

About Rebecca Kritzer

Rebecca Kritzer is a Cuban-American Miami native, living and working in New York as a director, choreographer, writer, performer and arts educator. She is constantly seeking ways to be a thoughtful artist, storyteller, and collaborator. Recently, she was part of the Directing Cohort at the Mercury Store in Brooklyn for their 2023 fall cycle. She directed the musical Cabaret at San Antonio Broadway Theatre, served as both the Associate Director and the Choreographer of In The Heights at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater, and choreographed Aladdin Jr. for Riverdale Children's Theatre. She was the Associate Choreographer for productions of In The Heights (TUTS, Olney Theatre Center) and Sweet Charity (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), and was the Assistant Choreographer for Another Rose, an interdisciplinary theatrical show for Virgin Voyages. As an actor, some favorite credits include: In The Heights (1st Nat'l Tour/OG cast); Wicked (1st Nat'l Tour); Jesus Christ Superstar (50th Anniversary Tour/OG cast). Rebecca earned a BA double major in Journalism and Religious Studies from New York University, with magna cum laude honors. After graduation, she briefly worked in freelance journalism, and is currently revisiting writing as a co-creator of a comedic TV series in development. She believes we are all capable of many talents, but we may not get the opportunity to explore and nurture those discoveries. As an artist, Rebecca is most interested in investigating these possibilities for herself, as well as facilitating these opportunities for others. SDC Associate and AEA member. www.rebeccakritzer.com

About SDC Foundation

Founded in 1965, Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (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.

SDCF is committed to fostering an environment that is inclusive and does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression in its programs or activities. www.sdcfoundation.org.