In partnership with Broadway Advocacy Coalition, this program provides financial support, mentorship, and more to current BIPOC students studying to be the future leaders of the theater industry.
The Broadway Advocacy Coalition (BAC) and Broadway stage manager Cody Renard Richard announce the 10 recipients of The Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Program, dedicated to honoring, uplifting, and supporting the next generation of Black, Asian, Latinx, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) theatermakers working behind the scenes.
The recipients include Tauheedah Abdullah (Carnegie Mellon University), Maaz Ahmed (Marquette University), Graham Callahan (Kent State University), Natalia Dubon (University of Florida), Zaryah Forde (University of Oklahoma), Sarah Grace Goldman (Northwestern University), Annie Nguyen (Carnegie Mellon University), Daniel Ocanto (Carnegie Mellon University), Valentine Pesola (The Pennsylvania State University) & Nina Schatell (SUNY Purchase College).
Each student will receive a financial grant of $8,000 (increased from last year’s $4,000 grant), mentorship through five online seminars focusing on community building, leadership, and social justice, networking opportunities and an all-expenses paid trip to New York City to meet with mentors and experience Broadway and New York’s theater scene in person.
“Selecting this year’s cohort was extremely difficult, as we had an abundance of incredible applicants” says Richard. “I’m eager to welcome these remarkable individuals to our community and to give them support that will help them honor their truest selves.”
“We are surrounded by emerging leaders for our industry, and it takes all of us to ensure that we nurture them in ways that affirm that. I am excited by the opportunity to work alongside Cody and pour into this cohort,” said Broadway Advocacy Coalition’s Program and Partnership Producer Dria Brown.
The Seller-Lehrer Family Foundation, The Theatre Leadership Project, and the Hispanic Federation serve as lead sponsors for the program. This year’s selection committee featured prominent BIPOC theatrical professionals including Richard, Saheem Ali, Lawrence Bennett, Jocelyn Bioh, Jhanaë Bonnick, Dria Brown, Yang-Yang Chen, Zhailon Levingston, Tina McCartney, Laurie Woolery, and Nzinga Williams.
Further information from the CRR Scholarship Program: CodyRenard.com/Scholarship
About CRR Scholarship Program
The Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Program strives to:
- Encourage more Black, Asian, Latinx, Indigenous, and other students of Color to pursue degrees in the theatrical management and artistic fields, such as Stage Management, Technical Theater, Theater Design, Theater Management, Playwriting, or Directing.
- Cultivate and provide a space for the next generation of BIPOC artists, while honoring, recognizing, and welcoming their future contributions to the theatrical world.
- Connect our scholars with theatrical and community leaders of color, to help cultivate their leadership and advocacy skills to encourage them to be change agents in their own communities and within the industry.
- Create a community of scholars who will learn and grow together throughout their various educational journeys.
- Remind BIPOC individuals that their voices and talents are needed and will be supported.
About Cody Renard Richard
Cody Renard Richard is an advocate, educator, producer, and professional Stage Manager with a career that spans many genres including Broadway, Television, Cirque Du Soleil and Opera. On Broadway, he has worked as a full time and substitute Stage Manager on 14 productions and was most recently the Production Stage Manager and Associate Director for return engagement of Freestyle Love Supreme. As a producer, Cody served as a co-producer for Thoughts of a Colored Man and is now working on the Moulin Rouge Tour. On top of his production credits, he is currently an adjunct professor at Columbia University after previously serving as adjunct faculty at New York University and Fordham University. He has actively worked with numerous organizations including Broadway Advocacy Coalition where he founded The Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Program for aspiring BIPOC theater makers. Cody also currently serves as an Eastern Stage Manager Delegate for Actors’ Equity Association. As an advocate for change and equity, he has appeared live on CNN and has been interviewed on WNBC and NY1. Cody has been featured by Variety Magazine as one of their 2020 Broadway Players to Watch, Out Magazine as a 2020 OUT100 honoree and in Forbes, among other publications. He was also recently honored by the Kennedy Center as a part of their Next 50 list, he has 3 DGA (Director’s Guild Association) Award nominations and is the recipient of the 2020 Webster University’s Young Alumni Award and the 2020 Native Son Next Award. He holds a BFA in Stage Management from Webster Conservatory and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and the Directors Guild of America.
About Broadway Advocacy Coalition
Founded in 2016 by members of the Broadway community as a direct response to the nation’s pandemic of racism and police brutality, the Broadway Advocacy Coalition is a multidisciplinary organization which unites artists, legal experts and community leaders to create lasting impact on policy issues from criminal justice reform to education equity to immigration. In 2021, BAC received a Special Tony Award for providing an unparalleled platform for marginalized members of the theater community and tools to help the theater industry move toward a more equitable future. Via its partnership with the Center for Institutional and Social Change at Columbia Law School, BAC has collaborated with institutions across New York City, including the New York City Council, Bronx Defenders, and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.
Further information from the Broadway Advocacy Coalition: www.bwayadvocacycoalition.org
