Staffing Development Matching Grant

Aurora Theatre at Lawrenceville Arts Center celebrates humanity’s rich cultural fabric through creative and educational programming, cultivating a community of belonging for all. As a part of our mission to educate, Aurora Theatre’s apprentice company (AppCo) admits 10-12 young adults each year, most of whom are recent college graduates, to receive paid hands-on training in either performance or production, gaining marketable skills while networking with industry professionals. Funding will assist in supporting the continuation of this program.

Williamstown Theatre Festival is a world-renowned summer theater festival with a strong focus on education and mentorship. Last season, we launched a new initiative called the Summer Intensive Training Program (SITP) for current undergraduate students (or learners at an equivalent stage of their training). The seven-week program, in partnership with Williams College, brings together 20 young theater-makers seeking out opportunities to expand their learning across disciplines and interests through seminars, workshops, and hands-on experience. At the end of the program, participants perform a new devised work that is a showcase of their exploration throughout the program and the insights they have gained over their time at WTF.

The REV Theatre Company presents classic and contemporary works, new musicals, and in-school arts education for a diverse audience, to spur social awareness and cultural development in the Finger Lakes region. Each of our production/technical departments has an internship opportunity available each summer, which is a valuable next step in a young professional’s career that provides them with various on-the-job training tailored specifically to their department. This grant would help to keep our salary and housing offerings competitive to ensure accessibility and inclusion.

MTWichita continues to self-produce all its shows and in recent years has made great progress in training and launching careers of wig professionals. The addition of a Wig Shop Fellow would support continued growth and depth in this area – much needed throughout the industry.

This grant supports The Prizery in hiring two intern Assistant Stage Managers and one Assistant Scenic and Props Design Intern to help the shows and assist the Production Stage Manager.

This grant helps to fund one Admin/Front of House Associate Company positions.

This grant will be used to expand the Chautauqua Theater Company’s Apprentice Program, adding a sound apprenticeship.

This grant will be used to support an emerging tour manager/technician in the opportunity to lead an eight-week summer children’s musical tour. Takeaways will include leadership, planning, communication and problem-solving.

The grant will be used to expand the Fellows Program, adding two new fellows for an intensive, hands-on experience in theatre administration. The fellows will assist in creating and/or implementing marketing and development initiatives and maximizing patron experience.

This grant will be used toward mentorship and support of an emerging production management professional.

Grant funds will be used to enhance and expand the apprentice program across the U.S. to bring in young professionals, who are the lifeblood of the organization, and to provide them with a professional development experience working ground-up in a professional theatre.

Grant funds will be used to expand the Weston Fellowship program, which provides a full-year internship focused on arts administration.

Grant funding was used to hire interns as part of a long-range plan aimed at combating “an industry shortage of Technical Directors” with a goal of providing mentorship and training to help build a new generation of Technical Directors who can not only see to raw technical needs but can balance those needs with creating and implementing production designs.

Williamstown Theatre Festival applied the grant funds to hire a Community Works Associate to assist a program which brings together local residents and professional theatre artists and culminates in a new work shown on their Main Stage each summer.

The Roanoke Island Historical Association (RIHA)/The Lost Colony had an Education Coordinator position on their “Wish List” for many years. “The funding offered by SETC gave us the opportunity to finally hire someone!”

Grant funds were designated to pay performance internships for 5-7 college freshman and sophomores as part of a professional training program that allows the interns to perform in two productions and receive instruction in Voice, Dance and Acting from staff directors and guest teachers.