TCG Names 2016 Round 4 Recipients of Leadership U[niversity] Program

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) announces the 2016 Round 4 recipients of the Leadership U[niversity]-One-on-One program.

Through support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, grants of $75,000 have been awarded to eight exceptionally talented early-career leaders from all areas of theatre for professional development via mentorships at a TCG Member Theatre, with an additional $5,000 honorarium for their mentor. The goal of this program is to strengthen the field by developing the individuals who are the core and the future of theatre.

"Over the three prior rounds of the One-on-One program, we've witnessed transformational changes for not only the early-career leaders, but for the host theatres as well," said Teresa Eyring, executive director, TCG. "Thanks to our longstanding partnership with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, this fourth round of Leadership U will continue to strengthen the intergenerational knowledge-sharing that is essential to our field's growth."

Leadership U[niversity] awards grants in two initiatives: One-on-One for rising leaders and Continuing Ed for mid-career and veteran professionals. A total of $756,000 was awarded to One-on-One recipients in this round, and Leadership U has awarded over $2.5 million over the life of the program. In addition to the core grant amount, an Opportunity Fund of $10,000 is made available for one or more of the following: outstanding student loans, supplemental activities, and/or life needs (i.e. health care, child or elder care, or other medical expenses). A Travel Fund of up to an additional $4,500 is made available for mentee and mentor travel.

One-on-One Recipients:

Nell Bang-Jensen will be mentored by Dan Rothenberg, co-artistic director of Pig Iron Theatre Company (Philadelphia, PA). Bang-Jensen's mentorship will focus on helping to develop the next chapter of Pig Iron's artistic model as the company enters its 3rd decade. Functioning as Associate Artistic Director, Bang-Jensen will also explore connections between ensemble practice and community engagement in Pig Iron's new Kensington home.

Elisa Bocanegra will be mentored by Cynthia Rider, executive director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) (Ashland, OR). Bocanegra will design and manage specific projects relating to OSF's Strategic Plan, working with key staff and the board's Strategic Plan committee to monitor progress. She will also join OSF's Latino Play Project team, and will act as a representative to historically black universities and other cultural institutions to help OSF attract more diverse applicants for employment and internship.

Alejandra Cisneros will be mentored by Jesus Reyes, Community Partnerships Director at Center Theatre Group (Los Angeles, CA). Cisneros will focus on researching, observing and practicing the work being done in the Education and Community Partnership Department at Center Theatre Group, specifically focusing on community programs.

Clay Martin will be mentored by JorDan Butterfield, education director and head of the Trinity Rep Active Imagination Network (TRAIN), and Tyler Dobrowsky, associate artistic director of Trinity Repertory Company (Providence, RI). Martin will build on TRAIN's groundwork in K-12 autism outreach, as well as his own experiences founding an educational theatre initiative involving adults on the autism spectrum, to develop a pilot program for professional theatre outreach and social engagement.

David Mendizábal will be mentored by Jacob Padrón, senior line producer at The Public Theater (New York, NY). Mendizábal's mentorship will focus on practical skills in creative producing at a large arts institution and the practice of bringing one's identity and political/personal point of view to this work within an established organization. He will also explore the role of an arts leader in enacting social change through mission-based programming and day-to-day decision making.

Lauren E. Turner will be mentored by Aimée Hayes, artistic director of Southern Rep Theatre (New Orleans, LA). Turner will explore the theatre's role in community building and ways in which to highlight the theatre's commitment to the development of new work. She will also be hands-on in devising inroads to increase the theatre's accessibility to non-traditional theatregoers. Additionally, Turner will potentially engage a new community audience base, as Southern Rep Theatre prepares to transition to a new location in the historic Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans.

Jamie Van Camp will be mentored by Michael Fields, producing artistic director of Dell'Arte International (Blue Lake, CA). Van Camp will participate and assist in various programs geared towards community engagement that Dell'Arte offers through their company and school, including The Holiday Show Tour and The Annual Mad River Festival. He will also shadow leadership and faculty to get inspiration for a performing arts center that he hopes to establish in Placerville, CA.

Abigail Vega will be mentored by P. Carl, director of HowlRound and co-artistic director of ArtsEmerson (Boston, MA). Vega's mentorship will focus on learning new methods of creative producing and presenting. She will lead the Latina/o Theatre Commons (LTC) from within the structure of HowlRound, assisting on producing HowlRound convenings, artist residencies and productions, and using what she learns to eventually lead her own projects and initiatives that will grow HowlRound and the LTC's national presence.

The Leadership U One-on-One application process is highly competitive and TCG receives proposals from a number of extremely talented rising leaders who are worthy of recognition. With this in mind, the following two candidates were awarded finalist awards of $5,000 each:

Rachel Karpf-Reidy (Brooklyn, NY) will spend time with Lisa McNulty, producing artistic director of the Women's Project Theater (New York, NY).

Sherrice Mojgani (San Diego, CA) will spend time with Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, artistic director of Moxie Theatre (San Diego, CA).

The Leadership U[niversity] One-on-One Round 4 panel included: Shaminda Amarakoon, production manager, Second Stage (New York, NY); Brad Carlin, managing director, Fusebox (Austin, TX); Candace Feldman, director of programming, UA Presents - The University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ); Michael Robins, executive producing director, Illusion Theater (Minneapolis, MN); and Debra Wise, artistic director, Underground Railway Theater (Cambridge, MA).

Founded in 1969, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation endeavors to strengthen, promote, and, where necessary, defend the contributions of the humanities and the arts to human flourishing and to the well-being of diverse and democratic societies by supporting exemplary institutions of higher education and culture as they renew and provide access to an invaluable heritage of ambitious, path-breaking work. www.mellon.org.

For over 50 years, Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for U.S. theatre, has existed to strengthen, nurture and promote the professional not-for-profit theatre. TCG's constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to nearly 700 member theatres and affiliate organizations and more than 11,000 individuals nationwide. TCG offers its members networking and knowledge-building opportunities through conferences, events, research and communications; awards grants, approximately $2 million per year, to theatre companies and individual artists; advocates on the federal level; and serves as the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute, connecting its constituents to the global theatre community. TCG is North America's largest independent publisher of dramatic literature, with 14 Pulitzer Prizes for Best Play on the TCG booklist. It also publishes the award-winning American Theatre magazine and ARTSEARCH, the essential source for a career in the arts. In all of its endeavors, TCG seeks to increase the organizational efficiency of its member theatres, cultivate and celebrate the artistic talent and achievements of the field and promote a larger public understanding of, and appreciation for, the theatre. For more, visit www.tcg.org.

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