The Directors Company has announced the inaugural slate of winners of their Next Wave Initiative scholarships, each of which will receive financial scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,959 to support undergraduate or MFA education.
The inaugural cohort of winners comprises Alvin Ailey Dance Award winner Quashierra Muhammad, Spike Lee Directing Award winner Ifeyinwa Arinze, Hattie McDaniel Acting Award winner Omolade Wey, Lorraine Hansberry Writing Award winner Sally Dean, and Black Excellence Impact Award winner Ural Grant.
Announced last year, the initiative seeks to amplify new Black voices in theatre, with slots for writers, directors, actors, and dancers.
"Our nation is currently mourning, while simultaneously healing itself," said Directors Company founder and Broadway performer Douglas Lyons last June. "In times like these I always look towards a solution, a way to pave a path towards America's future. The Next Wave Initiative allows the conversations around 'Broadway equality' to become action. This program will fight to erase the ugliness of our past, while investing in the future of our profession."
For more information, visit DirectorsCompany.org.