The Lynnette Barkley Fund was established by director and choreographer Lynnette Barkley in 2025. The Barkley Fund supports alumni of SDCF’s Professional Development Program with unrestricted monetary support to help take their careers to the next level. In its inaugural year, the Barkley Fund will support Miguel Bregante, Jessica Chen, and Youri Kim, each of whom will receive a $5,000 award.

Miguel Bregante (He/Him): Spanish-Chilean director. Grounds his craft in the pursuit of a bespoke language for each production, believing every story deserves its own unique form of expression. His journey ranges from delving into the words of Mathematics and Physics during his studies in Telecommunications Engineering across Spain, Austria, and France, to the completion of an MFA in Theater Directing at Columbia University in New York. This path includes directing the award-winning La Mona Ilustre Theater Company in Chile, renowned for its image-based, nearly wordless storytelling. Evolving from a Lecoq-based movement methodology to an in-depth script analysis, his work blends multilayered narratives and distortion of reality to explore the enigmatic inner landscapes of individuals. Fiercely advocating for tenderness, Miguel fosters a nurturing, diverse, and highly collaborative rehearsal space, where each voice holds the potential to unlock the key idea for a production’s success.

Headshot photo credit: Yang Xiao

Jessica Chen is a Chinese American dancer, choreographer and Artistic Director of J CHEN PROJECT, a non-profit contemporary dance company in NYC. Her work celebrates diverse narratives through dynamic contemporary movement. Her credits include choreographing Cabaret at CenterREP (Bay Area’s Top 3 Best Dance Productions 2024/Broadway World), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella at GEVA and Syracuse Stage, Spring Awakening at Montclair State University, and Beautiful: A Carole King Musical at Weathervane, and performance works at New York Fashion Week, Lincoln Center, MACY’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the World Expo/Shanghai. She was a 2023 Bessie Award Nominee for Best Choreography and a Broadway World Regional Productions Best Choreography Nominee in 2024. She is a 2021 GALLIM Moving Women recipient. Her acclaimed show AAPI HEROES will perform at the Museum of Chinese in America for LNY25. She is thrilled to be the 2025 SDCF Director Fellow working on SUMO at The Public Theater. www.jchenproject.com

Headshot photo credit: David Burton

Youri Kim is a DMV-based theatre director, playwright, and educator with over 15 years of experience in theatre production and arts administration. Holding an MFA in Theatre Directing from East 15 Acting School, U.K., she has worked across South Korea, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Her work explores gender, identity, and technology through diasporic narratives, with notable productions including Mother Courage and Her Gentrification, 30th-Century Euthanasia, (armpit)Hair, and most recently, Peerless. She is committed to fostering diverse voices and equitable practices in the arts while collaborating with various theatre companies in the DMV and Greater Baltimore areas.

Headshot photo credit: June Lee