Recipients of 2022 Charlie Blackwell Symposium Scholarship For BIPOC Stage Managers Announced

BSMS has announced the five stage managers receiving the 2022 Charlie Blackwell Symposium Scholarships for BIPOC stage managers and welcome them to the professional development and networking conference made by stage managers, for stage managers, featuring Broadway's stage managers.

The recipients were chosen by a committee of veteran Broadway stage managers of color: Narda E. Alcorn, Lisa Dawn Cave, Beverly Jenkins, Kenneth J. McGee, & Cody Renard Richard. Each recipient receives a complimentary pass to join the Broadway Stage Management Symposium as well as a meeting with one of the adjudicators on the committee.

The recipients are:

Zaryah Aliyah Forde: BFA stage management student at University of Oklahoma, who has experience in many aspects of theatre and hopes to continue her education beyond her undergraduate degree.

"The Broadway Stage Management Symposium is a wonderful opportunity that I am lucky to be a part of. I am beyond grateful for the chance to meet with others in my field who have as much appreciation for theatre and stage management as I do. I cannot wait to speak with other passionate theater artists and educators, and to use this event as a chance to learn and grow in my own artistry." - Zaryah Aliyah Forde

Vanessa Beverly Mings: Graduate of Florida International University where she was recognized as an FIU Worlds Ahead Graduate Recipient. She has also been part of the apprentice programs with The Juilliard School and New York Stage & Film.

"I am so honored to have the opportunity to go to the 2022 Stage Management symposium. I am grateful for the opportunity for professional development and networking in the theater capital of the world! This will take my stage management career to the next level" - Vanessa Beverly Mings

Imani Rae Henry: Technical theatre major at Florida A&M University. She is also part of the Essential Theatre program and a two-time nominee for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) and received the KCACTF Heart of the Art Award in 2021.

"Thank you for this fantastic news. I am so excited for this opportunity." - Imani Rae Henry

Charlene Diane Holm: A stage manager from Minneapolis, working with many local theatre companies including: Penumbra Theater, Jungle Theater, The Southern Theater, and Ten Thousand Things Theater

"I am incredibly excited and appreciative about being chosen to attend this Symposium. The opportunity to connect with other stage managers and being able to plug into a larger collective is such a privilege."

- Charlene Diane Holm

Aldayr Molina: BFA student at Texas Tech University studying stage management and the recipient of the Helen Devitt Jones Foundation VPA Theatre & Dance Scholarship, the Texas Tech Alumni Association Raider Life Scholarship, and the Robert Rehm Technical Excellence Award

"Words cannot express how grateful and honored I am to be one of the five Charlie Blackwell Scholarship recipients. After two years of a theatre hiatus due to the pandemic, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to attend the Broadway Stage Management Symposium, and get to meet stage managers outside of my local area. As a queer Latino, it is lovely to see BIPOC artists, especially stage managers, be recognized and get insightful and inspiring opportunities that contribute to our careers and journeys." - Aldayr Molina

The BSMS is also very grateful for the incredible support of the adjudicators, giving their time and experience to support to cultivate these amazing young stage managers, as well as the entire Broadway and global community of stage managers that have supported the conference and its growth over the last seven years.

This Broadway Stage Management Symposium is an educational intensive, open to the public, and designed for the growth of stage managers at all levels and experience. The website has full details, registration, and more information. The eighth annual BSMS will be held May 21 - 22, 2022 in a new hybrid format, available live in New York City and online from anywhere and includes full replay access for all attendees. Student discounts & group rates available, contact BSMS for more details: info@broadwaysymposium.com

The Charlie Blackwell Symposium Scholarships for BIPOC stage managers is named for Charlie Blackwell, a black stage manager whose Broadway credits include Nine, Sunday in the Park with George and Jerome Robbins Broadway. He passed away in 1995 and these scholarships honor his legacy, opening doors for future generations of BIPOC stage managers.

Founded by seasoned Broadway stage manager and educator, Matthew Stern who has worked on over twenty Broadway productions including Come From Away, The Lion King, Finding Neverland, On The Town, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, The Little Mermaid, Wicked, Death Of A Salesman (with Philip Seymour Hoffman), Fiddler On The Roof (with Alfred Molina & Harvey Fierstein), Enchanted April (with Molly Ringwald & Jayne Atkinson), The Phantom Of The Opera, The Full Monty, and many more.

Stern is on the faculty of SUNY Purchase and has taught at UC San Diego. Inspired by his students' enthusiasm to learn what it really takes to manage a Broadway show, he brings together his colleagues and fellow Broadway stage managers for this intensive weekend of panels, seminars and lectures, the Broadway Stage Management Symposium.

For more information, please see our website: www.broadwaysymposium.com.

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