Applications for this program are no longer being accepted for this cycle.
Future cycles of funding have not been announced.

Overview

The Alan Schneider Director Award was established in honor of Alan Schneider's significant contribution to theatre in the U.S. and his lifelong commitment to the development of career opportunities for freelance directors.

The award is designed to identify and assist exceptionally talented mid-career freelance directors whose achievements have been demonstrated through work in specific U.S. regions or territories, but who may not be known more widely or recognized nationally.

Who was Alan Schneider?

Samuel Beckett and Alan Schneider

A prolific director and mentor, Alan Schneider was responsible for over one hundred productions in U.S. theatre, introducing audiences to playwrights such as Samuel Beckett (Schneider directed the 1956 U.S. premiere of Waiting for Godot); Edward Albee (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?); Michael Weller (Moonchildren and Loose Ends); Harold Pinter (The Birthday Party, The Dumb Waiter and The Collection); and Bertolt Brecht (The Caucasian Chalk Circle). Schneider taught at Catholic University, the Juilliard School, and the University of California at San Diego; was associated with Arena Stage for thirty years; was the co-artistic director of the Acting Company; and at the time of his death was the president of the Board of Directors for Theatre Communications Group (TCG).

Previous Recipients of the Alan Schneider Award

2022 Award Recipient

Seema Sueko was nominated by Khady Kamara, the Executive Director of Second Stage; and Melody Butiu, an independent actress. Kamara and Butiu said of the director:

"Her artistry includes a social consciousness which isn’t didactic but rather illuminates the complexities and contradictions of humanity. Seema invites and connects diverse communities to the art through her Consensus Organizing for Theater methodology. [...] I find her Consensus Organizing work so effective that I have invited Seema to guest lecture at the courses I teach in arts management at George Washington University. — Kamara

Her way of working with artists and the public is unique and deserves celebration and, if possible, replication. She is achieving what many theater makers strive for: making theater that matters to people outside of theater – an impact which can be seen and measured in tangible ways. [...] Because she innovated during the pandemic, she made it possible for other artists, including independent directors, cut adrift from the income they normally receive, to make money while still making art." — Butiu

Read about Seema Sueko in American Theatre: [CLICK HERE]

Seema Sueko (she/her) (www.seemasueko.com) is a freelance director focused on building just communities through a practice which includes generative work, consensus organizing, and research and development. Most recently, she was commissioned by Jack Reuler at Mixed Blood Theatre to create an original piece, imagine a u.s. without racism, for which she interviewed 100 strangers across the U.S., two from each state, and wove, hacked, honored, and fictionalized elements from the interviews into a cohesive story, which she directed in April 2022 along with a blog and community pantry. Past positions include Deputy Artistic Director at Arena Stage, Associate Artistic Director at The Pasadena Playhouse, and Co-Founder and Executive Artistic Director at Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company. Next, she will direct The Chinese Lady at Denver Center and Silent Sky at Asolo Repertory Theatre. Raised in Honolulu, Seema received her MA in International Relations from University of Chicago and resides in the D.C. region. Seema serves on the Executive Board of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) and the Board of Trustees of their Foundation (SDCF) and is currently learning about Solidarity Economy (SE) and exploring how the tools of SE could be applied to theater making.

Previous Recipients of the Alan Schneider Award