FAQs:
Who can apply to the Richards Residency?
The Lloyd Richards New Futures Residency is open to mid-career directors and choreographers interested in artistic leadership in the American Theatre and are committed to illuminating Black cultural experiences on stage.
Do I have to be an SDC Member to apply?
No, you do not have to be an SDC Member or SDC Associate Member to apply. You need to identify as a mid-career director or choreographer.
How do you identify mid-career?
We know career stages are hard to pinpoint. Please use your best judgement based on the opportunity to decide if you identify as mid-career. If you would like a definition for some (but not definitive) guidance, you can use this from the 2020 Next Stage Report: Mid-Career: is consistently paid for directing and/or choreographic work. Employed more frequently by institutional not-for-profits and early career commercial producers. Supplemental income may include teaching positions, artistic leadership, and commercial associate level work. Additionally, we welcome applicants who have come later to the craft of directing or choreographing. To be considered, the applicant must have been working as a professional director or choreographer for at least 5 years. If you have questions about this eligibility criteria, contact Dani Barlow.
Who qualifies to be a Host Theatre and Mentor?
The host theatre must be led by an SDC Member as the artistic leader. That artistic leader must serve as the host theatre mentor to the Resident Artist for the residency.
I’ve applied before, how is the process different this year?
New to the 2024-2025 cycle of the residency, the application will take place in two rounds. For the first round, artists will apply individually to the program. Once all applications are in, the Richards Residency committee will select up to four candidates to move onto the second round. In the second round, the Resident Artist finalists will apply with an artistic leader at a theatre that would serve as the Mentor and Host Theatre for the Resident Artist. One Resident and Mentor/Host Theatre pair will be selected.
I am an artistic leader and interested in being a Mentor at my Host Theatre for a Resident Artist, how do I apply?
Unlike previous years, there is no open application process for an artistic leader at a host theatre to apply. Instead, as mentioned in the previous question, Resident Artists will connect with artistic leaders either on their own or with support from SDCF to apply for the residency. If you are interested in being considered as a Mentor at a Host Theatre to be shared with the finalists for the opportunity, please reach out to Hannah Kutten at hkutten@sdcfoundation.org
Do I have to be there consecutively for the entire time? If I have a directing or choreography gig during the year, do I have to give it up?
The Resident Artist will very likely have other artistic obligations throughout the year of their residency. To support the Resident Artist, the Host Theatre will be flexible in providing leave and virtual work time for these obligations. We might also imagine a small portion of this residency to take place virtually, depending on how the theatre is doing its work and/or the schedule of the Resident Artist. That should be discussed in the application, based on what’s known at the time of application.
If I am a finalist for the Residency, will SDCF connect me to artistic leaders that I want to talk to and apply with?
If you are selected as one of the four finalists for the award, SDCF will support the verification that the artistic leader at the theatre you might want to be resident at is an SDC Member in good standing. Additionally, if you do not know the artistic leader and do not know a way to contact them, SDC will share information with them about the program thus allowing them an avenue to reach out to you directly if there is interest in applying together.
Can I have a pre-existing professional relationship with the host theatre?
Yes, you are allowed to have a pre-existing relationship with the Host Theatre and Mentor. In your application, please indicate how serving as the Resident Artist at the theatre will be different than other opportunities you have had to work together.
What if when applying, the applying Resident Artist finalist and theatre don’t know what the production is going to be during the application stages?
That is okay. What is most important is that in the application it’s stated how the Host Theatre and Resident Artist will work together to select a production or workshop for the Resident Artist and the timeline for said opportunity.
I have other questions who can I contact to ask them?
You can reach out to SDCF’s Program Associate Hannah Kutten at hkutten@sdcfoundation.org
Support for the Residency:
SDCF has received a $150K Grant from The Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation. Please click here to read about the announcement.
The 2025 Lloyd Richards New Futures Residency is made possible with support from The Diana King Memorial Fund presented by The Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation, the Miranda Family Fund, Concord Theatricals, and support through the SDCF fellowship funds named for Shepard and Mildred Traube and Sir John Gielgud, and many generous individuals.
