Berkeley Rep Accepting Applications For Fellowship Program

Furthering its commitment to training the next generation of arts leaders, the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre will begin accepting applications on Monday, June 21 from emerging administrators and artisans seeking to turn their passion for the arts into a profession through Berkeley Repertory Theatre's lauded professional fellowship program.

Mentored by the experienced staff of the Tony Award-winning nonprofit, fellows will collaborate on an extensive array of productions during the 2021-22 season. Throughout the process, they will learn alongside an accomplished company of artists, administrators, guest directors, and designers.

Interested applicants can apply for the following departments: Artistic (Directing, Literary, Producing), Company Management, Development (Fundraising), Education, Electrics (Lighting), Marketing, Properties, Scenic Art (Painting), Scenic Construction, Sound, Production Management, and Stage Management.

Starting in January 2022 and concluding in July 2022, the fellowship program - sponsored by American Express - provides invaluable experience to fellows and allows access into employment in the arts. Many alumni of this program continue to work as theatre administrators and practitioners, employed full time by many organizations, including Center Theatre Group, Old Globe, Portland Center Stage, Disney Theatrical, Signature Theatre, Berkeley Rep and many others.

Those interested can join members of the Berkeley Rep staff and guests for two online information sessions on June 22 and 24 at 4pm PT. College students and graduates of all backgrounds of study are invited to attend free of charge to hear from accomplished industry leaders at top regional theatres as they discuss trends and offer career advice. In addition, outside career coaching specialist Madeleine Mackey will offer career coaching and résumé assistance to recent fellowship alumni as they transition back into the world of live performance. Visit berkeleyrep.org/fellowships for details and to RSVP.

Berkeley Rep will also host a play-reading series beginning Wednesday, May 26 and running through June 2021 exclusively for emerging BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) artists, technicians, and administrators interested in applying for the fellowship program. Guests include Amrita Ramanan, senior cultural strategist and dramaturg, Play On Shakespeare; Sonia Fernandez, director of new work, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; and Jamil Jude, artistic director, Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company. Interested participants should visit www.berkeleyrep.org/fellowships to sign up.

The event will include a 90-minute play-reading group session divided into two parts. Participants will receive the pdf version of the play two weeks before event. During part one, a Berkeley Rep BIPOC staff member will facilitate brief introduction/information sharing with BIPOC industry leaders from different theatre disciplines.

Guests will share their process on how they read a play, what they are looking for in a play, and how it relates to their job. Part two involves a facilitated discussion of the play with a Berkeley Rep staff member guest speaker and BIPOC attendees.

Berkeley Rep creates ambitious theatre that entertains and challenges its audiences, provokes civic engagement, and inspires people to experience the world in new and surprising ways. The School of Theatre supports this mission through meaningful connections between audiences and our mainstage work, creative entry points for new audiences, tools for artists and students to harness their imaginative power, and immersive training for future theatre makers.

Having first opened its doors in 2001, the School of Theatre offers programming as eclectic as the productions onstage at Berkeley Rep, reaching some 20,000 people in the Bay Area each year. Driven by an expanding community of inspired, curious, and creative theatre lovers, the School's programming provides opportunities for engagement on a variety of levels.