Stage Directors And Choreographers Society Announces 2018 Standout Moments

Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), the theatrical union that represents over 4,000 professional stage directors and choreographers announced that due to an overwhelming number of "Standout Moments" nominations for the 2018-2019 season, SDC will add an eleventh "Standout Moments," to the traditional list of ten.

The Top Ten "Standout Moments" were established by SDC in 2016 to recognize the important contributions directors and choreographers make every day to create a more inclusive and diverse theatre. The goal is to recognize how directors and choreographers' leadership and decision-making in a production or initiative creates a positive impact on the field, advancing values of equity, diversity, and inclusion. https://sdcweb.org/diversity-inclusion/

"The Union is proud to recognize our Members' commitment and contributions to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in theatres across the country," said Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee Co-Chairs Liz Diamond and Seret Scott. "This past year there were a record number of top moments nominated, demonstrating the many creative ways our Members are striving to build a more diverse and inclusive theatre field. We are thrilled to be able to recognize and add an 11th "Moment" to honor our Members."

The 2018-19 Top Eleven "Standout Moments" Honorees are (in alphabetical order):

• Alexandria Wailes, for her work as a director of artistic sign language (DASL) and for bringing the art form to light as well as for encouraging SDC to establish the practice of having sign interpretation of SDC's Semi-Annual and Annual Membership Meetings.
• Leigh Silverman, for bringing together and supporting the first all-female design team on Broadway for Lifespan of a Fact in New York, NY.
• Hana Sharif, Artistic Director of The Repertory Theatre St. Louis in St. Louis, MO, for launching her artistic leadership by organizing a special block party that allowed the local community to engage with the world-renowned regional theater company.
• Stephen Santa for helping found Jumping Jack Theater in Pittsburgh, PA, which creates original works for audiences with Autism Spectrum Disorder and others with sensory sensitivities.
• Josh Prince, Founding Artistic Director of Dance Lab New York in New York, NY, for establishing in partnership with The Joyce Theater Foundation a developmental lab for female choreographers of color to create new work in classical, neoclassical, and/or contemporary ballet dance.
• Lou Moreno, Artistic Director of INTAR in New York, NY, for establishing the Max Ferrá Directing Fellowship, which offers emerging Latinx directors the chance to develop new work.
• Stephen McKinley Henderson, Phylicia Rashad, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and Michele Shay for founding The Black Arts Institute in New York, NY (in partnership with The Billie Holiday Theatre, the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, and poet Sonia Sanchez), a semi-annual comprehensive program that explores the history of the contemporary Black theater tradition.
• Rick Dildine, Artistic Director of Alabama Shakespeare Theatre in Montgomery, AL, for producing Christina Ham's Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963, directed by Tangela Large and produced in association with the Montgomery Public School system with an all local cast. The production was invited to perform at the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington D.C.
• Ty Defoe, for lifting the presence of Native American artists and stories, including with his February 2019 production of Ajijaak on Turtle Island at La MaMa in New York, NY.
• Roger Danforth, for his production of The Odyssey in partnership with Sonia Clark at Artpark in Lewiston, NY, a community production with a diverse cast that included people with disabilities, ESL immigrant learners, a gospel choir, senior citizens, children, the Iroquois Nation Marching Band, a hip-hop dance crew, veterans, and local singers and dancers from throughout the area.
• Joe Barros, for his direction of Alice in Wonderland at Alice's Tea Cup in New York, NY, an immersive production that featured an entire cast of actors with disabilities.

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