2nd Annual Bridge Program Application Portal Now Open!

Road Less Traveled Productions has announced that the application portal for the 2024 RLTP Bridge Program is now open! Applications will be accepted through Sunday November 26.

Beginning January 2024, the RLTP Bridge Program is 16-week hands-on paid internship program sponsored by Road Less Traveled Productions specifically targeted for students and early career artists of color looking to get experience in the theatre industry to help develop their long-term career path. This unique opportunity is designed to promote diversity and inclusion for artists of color seeking a serious career in the arts industry. RLTP successfully completed its inaugural Bridge Program May 2023 with 5 graduates in areas of directing, stage management and design. 

“I was at first nervous in the beginning because I was unsure on what to expect, but as I got to meet the person I would be shadowing and began working hands-on and learning how to do my job as assistant, I really began to enjoy every second and minute working and being down at the theater. I loved watching the performance while working alongside the stage manager. I was also grateful and humbled to work with the house manager and have the opportunity to usher for the play Sweat. I am thankful for being able to help and give back to the theater as well. This was an absolutely awesome experience for me and I would love to do it all again one day or possibly be a part of another production working as an actor!”
-Michael E. Jordan, Class of 2023
 
"The Bridge Program was a wonderful way for me to return back to the theater community. I not only found wonderful guidance throughout the process, but it also led to beautiful connections that will follow me long after."
-Cristalis Bonilla, Class of 2023

The RLTP Bridge Program is a custom-built program that provides members access to opportunities to any area of interest in the theatre industry to fit their needs. Students and early career artists of color will gain extensive knowledge in one specific concentration of the theatre arts including; Directing, Acting, Playwriting, All Areas of Design, and Stage Management.  The Program is designed to increase the student's awareness and appreciation for all areas of theatre with an emphasis on collaboration.

The RLTP Bridge Program is led by Program Director Peter Johnson, an academic instructor, actor and casting agent in Western New York.  
 
HOW TO APPLY:
Application portal for the RLTP Bridge Program will open Friday September 1 and will close Sunday November 26 at 11:59pm. Interviews will be required prior to acceptance into the program and will take place in December. The Bridge Program will run January – May 2024.  (Please note: Those who apply must have a gmail/google email account to access the application.)
 
More information on eligibility and applying can be found online here.
 
Application link: https://bit.ly/rltp-bridgeprogram-2024
  
Peter Johnson is an actor, producer and casting director from Buffalo, New York. He is a graduate of New York Film Academy where he studied the art of acting and filmmaking. As an Actor, he is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and has TV credits from networks such as Lifetime, ION, and Hallmark, along with major studio credits from films such as Marshall and The First Purge. Peter has over 15 years' experience being on stage and in front of the camera. He has collaborated with The Road Less Traveled Theater in the past starring in shows such as Race and Farragut North.Peter also owns his own independent production company; Xavier Productions, that specializes in the production of theater and film projects. His most recent produced film, The Blackness Project is a feature length documentary that provides in-depth interviews on race and culture from the minority perspective and was a featured story on CBS News in the Morning in 2019. Peter also has film industry credits as a Casting Director. He is the third member of the company “Casting Buffalo” which casts films, commercials and industrial training videos throughout the Tri-state area. In addition to these creative endeavors, Peter has an MFA from the University at Buffalo in media production and is a professor at SUNY Buffalo State College in their theater department. His mission as an artist is to continue to create educational work and inspire a generation of young artists that will elevate urban art and culture to the next level.
 
The RLTP Bridge Program is made possible by the John R. Oishei Foundation, the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

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