The Sundance Institute News

Jennifer Hudson talks about when she first met Aretha Franklin, the role the artist's music played in her life and returning to the stage.

 The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) is set to launch its electrifying 2021-22 live theatre season with the world premiere production of Dreaming Zenzile, Based on the life of Miriam Makeba, written and performed by Grammy-nominated international music sensation Somi Kakoma.

The last year and a half has had a lot of members of the theatre industry questioning what was meant by business as usual - and many of those questions have a lot of merit. While theatres have spent much of the pandemic trying to survive, they’ve also been spending time trying to not only answer those questions, but find the best path forward.

Earlier this week, the New York Theatre community gathered for a private screening of the upcoming film RESPECT, which is out in theatres starting today, August 13. Star of the film, Jennifer Hudson, director Liesl Tommy and more were on hand for the big night.

The Franklin sisters collaborate on writing the title song in this new clip from the biopic.

Hear Hudson sing one of Aretha Franklin's most iconic songs.

Additional guests for next week's shows include Whitney Cummings, Sanaa Lathan, Susan Kelechi Watson, and Julianne Moore.

Designated one of 18 U.S.-based BIPOC-led arts organizations to be awarded an Arts Organization Grant by the Sundance Institute this past week, Hero Theatre has announced casting for a staged reading of Flex that will open its 10th anniversary season at Downtown L.A.'s Inner-City Arts on Saturday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.

The Sundance Institute Board of Trustees today announced that Ebs Burnough will serve as the nonprofit's next Chair, Board of Trustees, starting in October 2021.

Jennifer Hudson belts out Aretha Franklin's most iconic song, 'Respect,' in this new clip from the film of the same name.

The Board of Trustees holds the fiduciary responsibility for the Institute, and works closely with the staff to develop strategic priorities that align with the values and vision of founder Robert Redford.

Since 2001, MTC has awarded a total of 100 commissions through the Sloan Foundation Program. Learn more about this year's commissions here!

The class of 2021 has arrived: Sundance Institute and Adobe announced this year's Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellows today, chosen from a global pool of more than 1650 applicants from ages 18-25. Hailing from a broad geography, and rooted in a diverse array of creative disciplines from documentary to fiction, these 10 emerging artists selected will engage with a year of mentorship and support from Sundance Institute and Sundance Ignite founding partner Adobe.

The Fellowship centers artists in its curriculum, with a goal of supporting each fellow as they continue their respective artistic and professional development as filmmakers and storytellers.

These new board members join the current board of seven who were intimately involved in selecting Sean San José and who support his vision of making the Magic Theatre the new artistic home for multicultural, multi-generational forms of performance in San Francisco.

Sundance Institute today announced the participants for its weeklong Producers Lab, taking place July 25 - 29, and the participants in the Producers Summit, August 2 - 5, both taking place digitally on Sundance Co//ab.

Disabled screenwriters who have gone through programs from Inevitable Foundation’s Pipeline Partners are encouraged to reach out to their contact at their respective organization who will then refer them to the Screenwriting Fellowship with a priority application. 

McDonald is the recipient of a record-breaking six Tony Awards; Hudson won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Effie White in Dreamgirls; and Burgess is known for Broadway roles in The Little Mermaid and Jersey Boys.

Featured in the film are interviews with some of today’s most influential playwrights, directors, choreographers, performers and producers such as Alexandra Billings, David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, Nicholas Hytner, Jack O’Brien, George C. Wolfe, and more.

NO PLACE/LA MAKAN will be a platform for Palestinian playwrights to explore contemporary themes through an historic medium of performance -- radio. For the inaugural 2021-2022 season, four plays have been commissioned from artists based in Palestine and in the diaspora, each of which will receive two world premieres.