Nathan Singh and Rhonda Kohl Selected as SDCF's 2016 Gielgud and Traube Fellows

Director Nathan Singh has been selected to be the 2016 SDCF Sir John Gielgud Fellow. He will be assisting Seret Scott on her production of Electra at the Court Theatre in Chicago, IL.

In 1996 this Fellowship originated from a generous contribution from Sir John Gielgud to provide opportunities for early career directors to study the artistic processes of master directors of classical plays. Past recipients include Chika Ike, Tlaloc Rivas, Tyne Rafaeli, Desdemona Chiang, Elyzabeth Gorman, Saheem Ali, and Susanna Gellert.

Nathan Singh is a director from Los Angeles whose work includes theatre, opera, and site- specific performance. He has worked at various theatres around LA including: East West Players, Playwrights' Arena, The Theatre at Boston Court, Son of Semele, Company of Angels, and Musical Theatre Repertory. He directed the opera America Tropical for the Autry National Center and USC Vision and Voices. He also directed A Shipwreck Opera for the Definiens Project and USC Spectrum. He spent two seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival serving as the FAIR assistant director on Willful (2011) and The Tenth Muse (2013). He is a graduate of the USC School of Dramatic Arts. Nathan is currently pursuing his MFA in Directing at The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago. This upcoming spring, he will be directing the Chicago premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney's Wig Out!

Director Rhonda Kohl has been selected to be the 2016 SDCF Shepard and Mildred Traube Fellow. She will be working with Kathleen Marshall on the Broadway production of In Transit at the Circle in the Square Theatre in NYC.

In 1999 the Shepard and Mildred Traube Fellowship was established in celebration of the 40th anniversary of SDC and to honor the legacy of Shepard and Mildred Traube. Shepard Traube was one of SDC's founders and Mildred Traube served for many years as the SDC's Executive Secretary. The Traube Fellowship supports the development of future Broadway artists by providing early-career directors and choreographers with the opportunity to assist or observer a master director of choreographers at work on a Broadway production.

Born in North Dakota, Rhonda Kohl has spent her life in search of warmer climates, leading her to Los Angeles where she now resides and recently served as the assistant director to Colman Domingo for the Geffen Playhouse's West Coast Premiere of Barbecue by Robert O'Hara. Previously she directed the L.A. Times Critic's Choice Around the World in 80 Days for Actors Co-op and premiered the new work Pocket Universe at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. In addition to working as a director and choreographer, Rhonda produced the LA Weekly and Ovation-nominated Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde for Actors Co-op Theatre Company. She is a proud associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, holds an MFA in Acting & Directing, and is an alumni of

Directors Lab West. Rhonda has guest directed and taught at Regent University and Azusa Pacific University. In all her free time, she also founded and runs The Play's The Thing reading series and a non-profit organization for young artists called Hollywood Youth Theatre. For more, visit www.rhondakohl.com.

For 50 years, Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation has developed and promoted the creativity and craft of directors and choreographers. SDCF's mission is to create access to the field, to connect artists, and to honor the theatrical legacy of these artists. The centrality of the director's role in theater and the impact that they have on other artists' careers-from playwrights to designers to actors-makes SDCFs services essential to the theater industry's health and continued vitality.

Through mentorship programs, community forums and public events, SDCF constructs paths for early-career directors and choreographers from all backgrounds to interact with established artists around the country; puts mid-career artists in the room together to debate and solve issues they face in the business; and reaches beyond the theater industry to tell the story of what directors and choreographers contribute to the art form. In a discipline that can often feel isolating, SDCF serves the needs of artists at all stages, building a cross-generational theater community. Go to www.sdcfoundation.org.