SHOW: On the Town

LOCATION: Riverside Theare, Vero Beach, FL

GRANT AMOUNT: $4,000

1ST DAY OF PREP: February 3rd, 2027

1ST REHEARSAL – February 5th, 2027

OPENING – March 2nd, 2027

Applicants do not need to be Members of SDC for this Fellowship. Any applicant currently enrolled in a collegiate level institution must have completed their program by the start date of any opportunity they are applying for.

Please read carefully

Please create a shared folder for each opportunity that you are applying for (in Google Drive or Dropbox) that is viewable by anyone with the link. We will not request access to view materials, so public link access is required.

Please title your folder(s):
First Name, Last Name – Observers and Fellows 2 Application

Your folder should include the following materials:

– Headshot

– Resume (PDF format, no more than 2 pages)

– Professional Bio (PDF)

– Submit a letter addressed to the mentor(s) you wish to observe. In your letter please explain: Why you are interested in observing their work and production process? What do you hope to learn or gain from the experience?

Important note: If you are applying for more than one opportunity, please create MULTIPLE folder links for review

Marcia Milgrom Dodge is a highly acclaimed American director, choreographer, & writer for the stage. She has a distinguished career that has spanned over 45 years, working in numerous theatres across the United States & internationally. Some highlights include:

· Broadway & Kennedy Center Success: She is best known for directing & choreographing the first major revival of the musical Ragtime. This production earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Director of a Musical, two Drama Desk Award nominations, & an Astaire Award nomination for choreography. The Kennedy Center production won four Helen Hayes Awards, including one for Dodge for Best Director, Resident Musical. This production was her Broadway debut as a director & choreographer.

· Kennedy Center Milestone: Dodge was the first woman to direct a major musical produced by the Kennedy Center.

· Regional & Off-Broadway Work: Dodge has directed & choreographed numerous productions across the U.S., including regional theatres like Cincinnati Playhouse & The Muny. She has also worked on Off-Broadway productions like TWUSA’s Seussical the Musical, Closer Than Ever & About Time by Maltby & Shire & William Finn’s Romance In Hard Times.

· Bold Approaches to Classic Shows: Her production of Disney’s Beauty & the Beast at the Olney Theatre Center received national attention, largely due to its innovative casting choices for the lead roles Jade Jones, a self-described queer, plus-sized Black woman, played Belle, & Evan Ruggiero, a performer who lost a leg to cancer, played the Beast. This casting celebrated diversity in terms of race, body type, sexual orientation, & ability.

· Writing & Teaching: Dodge co-wrote the Edgar Award-nominated play Sherlock Holmes & The West End Horror with her husband, Anthony Dodge. Dodge also mentors & teaches early career performers & directors.

· Personal Life & Professional Memberships: Dodge is also a wife & mother & lifetime member of SDC & The Dramatists Guild.

LEARN FUN FACTS ABOUT MARCIA MILGOM DODGE

This production of On the Town is a vibrant, dance-driven reimagining of the 1944 musical, celebrating three sailors on a 24-hour shore leave in New York City. This revival is a constantly unfolding interrogation of postwar optimism, urban isolation, changing gender dynamics, and the pursuit of connection in a fleeting world. It is also a rare archival excavation.

For this production, Marcia Milgrom Dodge will be reviving and reimagining her own celebrated choreography from her landmark 1989 Arena Stage and 1992 Goodspeed Opera House productions.

This Fellow opportunity would be ideal for an early career director and/or choreographer interested in learning more about all aspects of reimagining classic musical theater as well as interested in the chance to learn about intensive collaboration between a director/choreographer and music director, ensemble creation, and a rigorous dance-driven design process.