Brian Stokes Mitchell Set to Introduce Free Event for Stage Managers of Color

Broadway & Beyond: Access for Stage Managers of Color is pleased to announce its first networking event of the year, continuing its mission to provide opportunity, education, and vital industry connections for stage managers of color. The event will be held virtually on Monday, January 24 from 6:00-8:30pm EST, and will offer stage managers of color the unique opportunity to connect directly with industry professionals who are in positions to share advice and personalized counsel and - crucially - to hire. Broadway veteran and advocate, Tony winner Brian Stokes Mitchell will introduce the event.

Attendance is free, and interested candidates must register here by 9:00pm EST on Tuesday, January 18. Participation is capped at 80. 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. The groups will be sorted into seven categories: Broadway, Off-Broadway, Regional & Opera, Touring, Cruise Lines, and Events. Opera, cruise lines, and events are new categories this session. Applicants are encouraged to identify their top four categories and will be guaranteed access to at least three of their choices.

As with Broadway & Beyond's two previous networking events, the participating professionals include production supervisors, stage managers, general managers, and producers representing key institutions and offices in New York City and throughout the country. The January event will, for the first time, also include Broadway choreographers and professionals from the opera, cruise lines, and events worlds in a continued effort to expand access to opportunities for stage managers of color throughout the performing arts industry.

The upcoming event marks Broadway & Beyond's fourth event since launching in December 2020. Its inaugural event was hosted by Tony-winning director Kenny Leon and marked a first-of-its-kind opportunity for 75 stage managers of color from around the country to meet more than 30 professionals, including veteran stage managers, production supervisors, producers, and general managers representing Broadway, touring, and several major regional theatres. A second, more intimate networking event was held in March 2021. Broadway and Beyond has also hosted a résumé and interview prep workshop and created an online database of stage managers of color, as well as a job notices page, both of which are available for free at here.

Since its first event just over a year ago, Broadway and Beyond alumni have accepted 43 jobs - including 11 in the current Broadway season - via connections made through the organization and its networking events.

Broadway & Beyond: Access for Stage Managers of Color is a networking organization that aims to connect early and mid-career BIPOC stage managers with industry professionals. Led by veteran stage managers Lisa Dawn Cave, Beverly Jenkins, Jimmie Lee Smith, and Kenneth J. McGee, Broadway & Beyond provides opportunities to aspiring and current stage managers of color to learn from industry insiders and meet industry leaders, and provides insights to help BIPOC stage managers start, maintain, and advance a career in the arts and theatre through free networking and educational events.