SDCF Receives $150K Grant From The Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation has received a $150K grant from The Diana King Memorial Fund presented by The Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation. This funding will support the SDCF Lloyd Richards New Futures Residency, an annual yearlong residency for mid-career BIPOC directors and choreographers interested in artistic leadership.

Gray Coleman, Trustee and Vice President of The Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation, said, "I congratulate all at Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation for your dedication and commitment to the professional development of artists. My colleagues and I could not be happier." Dani Barlow, Foundation Director of SDCF, said, "We are thrilled and deeply grateful for the extraordinary grant we have received from The Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation. This grant will have a direct impact on the professional development of some of the future leaders of the American Theatre."

SDCF is now accepting applications from host theatres for the 2023 Lloyd Richards New Futures Residency program until April 17, 2023. The Lloyd Richards New Futures Residency is a yearlong residency for mid-career BIPOC directors and choreographers interested in artistic leadership. Named for the legendary leader of the American theatre, the goal of this program is to forge new alliances between artists pursuing institutional leadership and forward-thinking Artistic Directors that are working to increase diversity and cultural access within the American Theatre. The Resident Artist and Artistic Director will collaborate on discovering new solutions to address the rapidly changing field. As the Resident Artist is exposed to the full spectrum of the job of an Artistic Director, they become a valued member of the organization's artistic staff in this mutually beneficial relationship.

Each Resident Artist in the program receives $40,000 along with access to health insurance and assistance with housing and travel. In addition, the Resident is guaranteed the opportunity to direct or choreograph a production at the host theatre within the three years after completing the residency. SDCF is accepting host theatre applications until 6:00pm ET on Monday April 17, 2023. For a full program description, eligibility criteria for host theatres, and the host theatre application, please visit the SDCF website.

The Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation was established in 1988, and from that time has continued to support individuals, institutions, and organizations committed to educational excellence and professional development.

Diana King was the daughter of the late Lucille and Charles King and grew up in the world of television. Her father founded King World Productions in 1964, which became the country's leading distributor of television syndicated programming. She established the Foundation in 1988 while fulfilling a successful career at King World Productions. During her 30-year tenure as board chair and president, the Foundation awarded hundreds of scholarships to students at colleges and universities around the country, in many instances to individuals who would have been financially unable to continue their studies without this assistance.

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.

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