Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Announces 2026 Recipients

Ten theatre students have been selected for the program fostering the next generation of theatre professionals of color.

February 13, 2026 By Meg Masseron

BTC (Black Theatre Coalition) and Broadway stage manager and producer Cody Renard Richard have announced the next cohort of The Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Program. Each student will receive a financial grant of $10,000, marking the program's sixth year of supporting emerging theatrical leaders of color working behind the scenes.

This year’s recipients include Andrés Agustín Barrera (University of California, Los Angeles), Anica Acuña (Columbia University School of the Arts), Cianon Jones (University of Iowa), Darius Knight Evans (Boston University), Gavin D. Pak (David Geffen School of Drama at Yale), Kaitlyn "KD" Dorsey (Howard University), Mar'Iaha White (Southern Methodist University), Parker Essex Hardy (David Geffen School of Drama at Yale), Saray Rodríguez Hernández (University of Evansville), and Vera Alonzo (University of Michigan).

In addition to the financial grant, each student will receive mentorship through various online seminars focusing on community building, leadership, and social justice, as well as an all-expenses paid trip to New York City to meet with mentors and experience Broadway and New York’s theatre scene.

“We are very excited to embark on this journey with the new scholars! Each of them possess the skill, drive, and compassion that we look for in our students. As we enter our sixth year of the program, our mission remains the same—to give these students the tools and access that they might not be able to receive in their own communities. I'm so thrilled to continue to partner with Black Theatre Coalition to support these 10 incredible individuals," said Richard in a statement.

Over the years, the program has awarded nearly $500,000 to 55 students from 31 different universities. Many previous recipients from the program are now working across the industry on Broadway in shows like Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Maybe Happy Ending, Buena Vista Social Club, Hamilton, Hadestown, Hell's Kitchen, and Disney’s Aladdin, on tour with Tina Turner: The Tina Turner Musical, and across the country at regional theatres companies such as Utah Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Lincoln Center Theater, and The Public Theater.

The program is supported by the Jeffrey Seller Family Foundation, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, The Miranda Family Fund, Tiger Baron Foundation, Kevin McCollum, Thomas Kail, Junkyard Dogs, Jenny Steingart, EJF Philanthropies, Cordelia Persen, and Jill Furman. The Jeffrey Seller Family Foundation and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS serve as lead sponsors.

This year’s selection committee was comprised of theatrical professionals and leaders including Richard, Tom Andre Bardwell, Jhanaë Bonnick, Yang-Yang Chen, Ann James, Zhailon Levingston, Tina McCartney, Kenneth McGee, Timothy Oliver Reid, and program manager Nzinga Williams.

For more information, click here.