The Charlie Blackwell Scholarships for Stage Managers of Color
Scholarships
Five (5) scholarships are awarded annually to stage managers of color.
Receipients will attend the Broadway Stage Management Symposium with
NO registration costs
and have a one on one meeting with the Broadway stage manager
who is their scholarship adjudicator.
Application deadline, February 28, 2024
Scholarship Overview
These five (5) scholarships are awarded to stage managers of color, from Broadway stage managers of color, to attend the Broadway Stage Management Symposium at no registration costs to them. Recipients will also have a one on one meeting with the Broadway stage manager of color from the scholarship committee that chooses the recipients.*
Recipients will have the registration fee for the Broadway Stage Management Symposium waived, providing the opportunity to learn from Broadway stage managers and connect with other stage managers from around the world. In addition to the Symposium registration, each recipient will also have a meeting with their adjudicator. See detailed list below.
These scholarships are an effort to remove economic barriers and put BIPOC stage managers in “the room where it happens.”
The scholarships are named after the late, great Charlie Blackwell. With a career spanning decades on Broadway, Charlie Blackwell was a stage manager of color who achieved the type of success many stage managers dream of: Production Stage Manager on the original Broadway productions of Promises, Promises, Nine, Sunday In The Park With George, and Production Supervisor on Jerome Robbins Broadway. It is fitting to name these scholarships in honor of Mr. Blackwell’s great achievements and recognizing him as a role model to stage managers everywhere. His full Broadway credits can be seen here.
Each of the five scholarships has slightly different criteria, set by and adjudicated by Broadway stage managers of color. See below.
Scholarship Criteria & Adjudicators
All scholarships are for applicants who identify as Black, LatinX, Asian, Indigenous, and/or a Person of Color.
Below are the specific criteria:
A: Narda E. Alcorn:
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For a student who identifies as Black and is currently studying or is enrolled to study an arts discipline in a college or graduate-level program.
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Adjudicator Narda E. Alcorn is the Chair of Yale School of Drama’s Stage Management Department and a fierce advocate for higher education.
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*Note - Current students of Narda E. Alcorn are ineligible for this scholarship.
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B: Lisa Dawn Cave:
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Applicant is transitioning from another theatrical focus.
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Adjudicator Lisa Dawn Cave was a professional dancer before transitioning to stage management.
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C: Beverly Jenkins:
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For a current student or an alumni of a HBCU (Historic Black Colleges & Universities).
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Adjudicator Beverly Jenkins is a proud alumnus of Howard University.
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For a person who does not have a formal stage management education at college or university level.
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Adjudicator Kenneth J. McGee has achieved great success on Broadway without a formal stage management education.
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For aspiring or current stage manager with a broad range of interest that is not limited to theater, for example: television, cirque, cruise, dance, film, etc…
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Adjudicator Cody Renard Richard’s diverse career has spanned Broadway, Live TV Musicals, Award shows, Cirque and more.
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*Note - Current students of Cody Renard Richard are ineligible for this scholarship.
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Information to Applicant
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Each recipient will have at least one meeting with their scholarship adjudicator. This may be in person or via zoom or similar.
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This is not a “Work Study” program. Recipients will be full participants in the Symposium, fully present for all sessions and opportunities. No work or assistance of any kind will be asked or required of scholarship recipients.
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If recipient would like to attend live in NYC, but has financial constraints, BSMS will work with other organizations and partners that may be able to provide assistance with travel and housing grants, financial assistance, etc… but is not guaranteed. *Scholarship does not include travel or housing.
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Applications deadline is February 28, 2024 at 11:59pm EST and recipients will be notified by March 14th.
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The requirements are:
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Completed application form, submitted prior to the deadline, February 28, 2024 at 11:59pm EST.
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Meet the Individual requirements for each scholarship as per the above.
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Finalists may be requested to interview with their adjudicator.
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Recipients give permission for their name and photo to be published and used by the Symposium in press releases & similar material.
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