Below are the recipients of the SDCF Professional Development Program 2024-2025 Season: Cycle 1 Recipients
Fabiola Arias – Observer on Fish by Melis Aker with Tatiana Pandiani at Signature Theatre in New York City
Fabiola Arias (she/her) is a Panamanian, New York based theatre director, producer, painter and artist. As a director, she is always finding ways to challenge herself and others while creating new and exciting worlds. She has a deep rooted love for magical realism, bilingualism, and stories that reflect the magic and beauty of life. She is passionate about working with underrepresented communities and longs to direct works that center on culture, diversity, bring untold stories to the forefront of the theater. She loves working with artists from every background and being able to mix all their wonderful talents into one big ball of magic.
Miguel Bregante (he/him) – Observer on Good Bones with Saheem Ali at The Public Theater
Photo by Yang Xiao
Spanish-Chilean director. Grounds his artistic craft in the pursuit of a distinct, novel, and bespoke language for each production, recognizing the need for a singular expression in every work. 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 acclaimed, nearly wordless Chilean Company La Mona Ilustre. His craft evolves from a foundational Lecoq movement-based methodology towards an in-depth script analysis for the development of highly conceptual yet deeply human productions. His signature lies in multilayered storytelling, deforming reality expressionistically to reveal on stage 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.
Daniel Boisrond – Observer on Good Bones with Saheem Ali at The Public Theater
Daniel Boisrond is a Haitian-American Theater Director with a passion for creating impactful, boundary-pushing immersive work. Directing credits include: Off Broadway; Packages O’ The Things We Deliver (National Black Theatre & Chelsea Factory); ShopTalk (ArtYard), Roots (Dixon Place & La MAMA), For Colored Girls..(Breakthrough Theatre). Off-Off Broadway Samuel French Short Play Festival, and 48Hrs in Harlem, Acting Credits: MTV’s “Eye Candy” (Ethan), idigress (Caleb) and Skeleton Crew (Dez) at Premiere Stages. | National Black Theatre I AM SOUL Directing Residency finalist | BFA, University of North Carolina School of Arts | IG: @danielboisrond www.danielboisrond.com
Kathleen Capdesuñer – Observer on Sunset Boulevard with Jaime Lloyd on Broadway
Kathleen Capdesuñer is an immigrant raised and Florida grown, Cuban- American director and producer working in English, Spanish y Spanglish. Kathleen is deeply committed to democratizing modes of creation, increasing accessibility and representation in the industry, and championing the work of living writers. Select Credits Include: “SUNSET BLVD. ” (SDCF Observer/Broadway), “Los Empeños de una Casa” (Director/Repertorio Español), “The Detour Plays” (Director/Playwrights Horizons & The Parsnip Ship), “Red Bike” (Director/The New School), “Into the Woods” (Community Producer/New York City Center), “True West” (Assistant Director/Broadway), and “SHAME” (Director/Orlando & Edinburgh International Fringe Festivals).
Honors/Affiliations: NYFA Grant, The Civilians R&D Group, Repertorio Español Directing Fellow, MTC Directing Fellow, Roundabout Directing Fellow, McCarter Directing Apprentice, and BroadwayWorld Best World Premiere Regional Award. Kathleen is currently in residence at Colt Coeur and at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. kcapdesuner.com
Kate Drummond – Fellow on The Skin of our Teeth by Thornton Wilder with Dámaso Rodríguez at Seattle Repertory Theatre
Photo by Brett Love
Kate is a co-founder and Artistic Director of Dacha Theatre, and currently pursuing her MFA in Directing at the University of Washington. Kate makes art that makes us better people. She puts the messy contradictions of our lives onstage, seeking both to tell us about ourselves right now, and dream about who we could be. She asks her audiences and artists: are we okay with this? How can we treat each other better? How can we be more brave, more empathetic? Dmitry Krymov says that theater is a “powerful tool to show the people magic, and tell them about themselves.” Kate believes in the magic of theater — that world-shifting change can happen in a single night, by sharing space and time and leaving with a little more than we came with. Kate’s work makes complex things familiar and impossible things seem possible, as it carves space for us to experience big and scary feelings in praxis. Artists and audiences alike leave feeling like a part of something bigger than themselves, knowing that it matters that they are here, now, together. More at her website.