Announcing the 2021 Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation Fellowships
Twelve students from Bennington College have been selected to participate in the 2021 Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation Fellowships in Theatre, a program run in partnership with the Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation.
Established in 2018, the Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation Fellowships in Theatre is an annual fellowship program operated in partnership with the Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation, offering exceptional Bennington drama students the opportunity to work in paid internships at Off-Broadway non-profit theatre companies during the College’s Field Work Term. Participating students also receive mentorship from George Forbes, Executive Director of the Lucille Lortel Foundation and the Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation.
This year’s Fellowship will take place over the summer, and internships will be a combination of on-site and remote at 10 prestigious Off-Broadway institutions.
In 2021, theatre partners were selected with a focus on small institutions representing diverse communities, the majority of which are led by people of color. The 2021 host theatres will include National Black Theater, Harlem Stage, Pregones/PRTT, INTAR Theatre, Ma-Yi Theater Company, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Billie Holiday Theatre, Amerinda Inc, Repertorio Español, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater.
“The theatre community has been through an immensely challenging year. This year’s Fellows have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a part of this industry as it recovers from the pandemic and prepares to thrive in the future,” said Shawtane Bowen, visiting Drama faculty member and advisor to the Lortel Fellowship.
“We are delighted to continue this partnership with Bennington College. The program underscores the Foundation’s commitment to fostering excellence and diversity in theatre, by training the next generation of theatre makers through hands-on experience and mentorship,” said George Forbes, Executive Director of the Lucille Lortel Foundation and the Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation.
The selection process was led by Shawtane Bowen, and included feedback from the full Drama faculty. As in previous years, the process was competitive; there was a robust applicant pool of 25 students.
The diverse 2021 cohort hails from Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Texas, Washington DC, Germany, Greece, Nepal, and the Netherlands.
As with all of Bennington’s fellowships, participants receive mentoring to support learning through a cohort-based learning experience. Bi-weekly throughout the Fellowship, the twelve students will gather by Zoom with George Forbes and Shawtane Bowen. These group mentoring sessions provide a space to ask questions, share experiences, and learn from one another.
2021 Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation Fellows:
- Stefanos Zogopoulos '23, Administrative Intern
- Imara Glymph '23, Production/Administrative Intern
- Thomas Finegar '22, Community Outreach and Development Intern
- Jackie de Loos '22, Marketing Intern
- Asa Lowengard '22, Development Intern
- Alisha Bade Shrestha '23, Production Intern
- Marley-Rose Liburd '22, Administrative/Production Intern
- Amanda Tafeen '22, Dramaturgy Intern
- Ernesto Cruz-Barriga '22, Film/Video Intern
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
- Hazel Peters '22, Development Intern
- John Baller '22, Production/Marketing Intern
Spanish Theatre Repertory/Repertorio Español
- Maya Lis '24, Production Intern
About the Lucille Lortel Foundation
The Lucille Lortel Foundation was created by Lucille Lortel to foster excellence and diversity in the theatre, as well as to preserve the history and support the prosperity of Off-Broadway. The Foundation has several programs, including its general operating support program that has provided millions of dollars for small to mid-sized theatres in New York City, universities, and theatre service organizations