Directors & Choreographers Observership Apps. Available

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation 2008/09 Observership Program Applications are now available to download at www.sdcfoundation.org.  The application deadline is September 8, 2008.  

Directors and Choreographers who will be serving as Mentors this season include: Lisa Peterson, Ethan McSweeny, Doug Hughes, Rob Ashford, Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Amy Morton, Barry Ivan, Chay Yew, Wendy C. Goldberg, Timothy Douglas, Sharon Ott, and Leigh Silverman. More mentors will be announced as Observership opportunities are secured.

The SDCF Observership program offers young, early-career directors and choreographers the opportunity to observe the work of master directors and choreographers as they create new productions on Broadway, off-Broadway and at leading regional theatres throughout the country. SDCF Observers have access to the entire rehearsal process, from first rehearsal to opening night.

The exact nature of each Observership varies depending on the needs and desires of the Mentor Director or Mentor Choreographer. However, Observers will be guaranteed the invaluable opportunity to observe, first-hand, the techniques, disciplines, approaches and insights of master artists as they create new productions.

Each Observership includes a modest stipend to help defray the recipient's expenses during the rehearsal period.

The 2008/09 Observership Program is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.

Since 1965, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) has been the only national organization dedicated exclusively to supporting the craft and artistry of stage directors and choreographers. Among its core initiatives are the Observership Program, Artistic Fellowships, Director/Choreographer Network Meetings, Director/Dramatist Exchanges, the One-on-One Conversation Series, the Joe A. Callaway and "Mr. Abbott" Awards, and craft publications The Journal for Stage Directors and Choreographers and The Stage Directors Handbook.