Stage Directors And Choreographers Foundation Announces First Recipients Of Lloyd Richards Residencies

Shá Cage and Elizabeth Carter have been selected as the inaugural recipients of the Lloyd Richards New Futures Residencies, which pair mid-career BIPOC directors and choreographers pursuing institutional leadership with forward-thinking directors, it has been announced by Mark Brokaw, President of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), which is funding the residencies and has overseen the search. In this inaugural year, the Residencies were reserved for Black artists.

Shá Cage will spend the year-long residency with the Cornerstone Theater Company under the Artistic Director, Michael John Garcés in Los Angeles, while Elizabeth Carter will be mentored by Oregon Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Nataki Garrett.

Created by SDCF, the unique and urgently needed Lloyd Richards New Futures Residencies commence this spring and provide each recipient with a $40,000 grant, a meaningful place at each theater's artistic table, and health insurance. In addition, each theater will support an ongoing relationship with the resident artist by employing them to direct in a subsequent season.

Said Anne Kauffman, SDCF Trustee and chair of the committee that facilitated the awards, "By creating these alliances between artistic directors and stage directors and choreographers, these residencies answer the important call to create a pathway for BIPOC artists to assume institutional leadership. They take on heightened importance as our industry confronts great change and works towards new solutions as we emerge from the past year. It's especially appropriate that this award is named for Lloyd Richards, whose extraordinary career was groundbreaking in so many ways. We're proud to honor the legacy of this legendary leader of the American theatre."

The NEW FUTURES RESIDENCIES are earmarked for mid-career BIPOC directors or choreographers. The residencies come on the heels of an extensive and sobering report, NEXT STAGE - created and spearheaded by Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), in partnership with SDCF - that indicates, among other findings that the average salary for a mid-career director or choreographer working under contract totals $17,000 annually. (The figure is a few dollars more than the poverty level for a family of two.) Artists of color, on average, are paid two-thirds of what white Members earn.

Starting this month, Shá Cage will spend a year collaborating with Artistic Director Michael John Garcés and the Cornerstone ensemble, which for over 35 years has made its mark in Los Angeles creating new plays with and about communities. By combining the artistry of people with many levels of theatrical experience, the company acts upon the conviction that artistic expression is civic engagement and that access to a creative forum is essential to the wellness and health of every individual and community. Founded in 1986, Cornerstone began as a traveling ensemble, living and working in primarily rural communities before settling in Los Angeles in 1992. Since then, Cornerstone has produced over 150 new works, trained thousands of students and collaborated with tens of thousands of community members in LA and throughout California and beyond.

As a Resident Artist at Cornerstone, Shá Cage will be a member of the ensemble and senior artistic staff, and will have the opportunity to support, develop and helm community-based artistic projects in accordance with the company's collective consensus-based organizational structure.