Town Stages welcomes a new cohort of creative fellows and resident artists this month, who will create, develop, and work in community at the Tribeca cultural space throughout 2020. Though its physical doors may be temporarily shut, the NYC institution, like many others during the coronavirus pandemic, continues operations online.
The 2020 cohort will receive 400 hours of free weekly work and rehearsal space to create inclusive, pioneering, and enterprising projects. As well as working with one another, the cohort will create with the support of Town's leadership team, led by Founder and CEO Robin Sokoloff.
“Affordable and accessible space should not be a privilege, it is a human right,” says Sokoloff. “Making space for today’s community leaders who are building a more compassionate and inclusive world is our business. While we cannot ignore the late-stage capitalist structure under which we live; we can, however, work tirelessly to disrupt and subvert it.”
The 2020 Sokoloff Arts Creative Fellows and their companies are Adam Odsess-Rubin (National Queer Theater), Adefolakunmi Adenugba (ISE-DA), Adrianna Mateo, Aimée Sophie Garcia, Alie B. Gorrie, Amy Jo Jackson, Andi Lee Carter, Andrea Prestinario (Ring of Keys), AriDy Nox, Arpita Mukherjee (Hypokrit Theater Company), Brandon Powers, Bryanna Bradley, Darlene Arrington, Denitia Odigie, Diana Oh, Dustin H. Chinn, Florencia Iriondo, Hester Li (LAUNCH), Janelle Lawrence, Jasmin Richardson, Jolaubi Osho (HERoines Inc.) Julian Hernandez, Julián Mesri, Kristin Yancy (MinuteZero), Kate Douglas, Laura Winters, Lili Torre, Matthew J. Schneider, Mei Ann Teo, Mika Kauffman (Trans Theatre Alliance), Nancy Sun, November Christine, Rachel Gita Karp, Rebecca Louise Miller, Shakina Nayfack (Savage Godx), Sugar Vendil, Sydney Baloue, Tia DeShazor, Tiff Mcfierce, Trevor Latez Hayes, Troy Anthony, Zachariah Ezer, Zach Infante, Althea Stevens and Amoy Barnes, Emily Hartford, and Ned Massey, Jacob Jarrett & Nina Roy, Julia Cavagna and Kate Bell (Theater to the People), Iyvon Edebiri and Katy Donnelly (The Parsnip Ship), and Larissa Marten and Leia Squillace (Herd).
Town Stages has also announced its inaugural Resident Artists, a cohort selected from the 2019 fellowship class to receive a second year of newly expanded fellowship resources and extended evening hours. They are Charlotte Arnoux, Éamon Boylan, Molly Powers Gallagher, Tess Howsam, Rachel Lin, Anna Lubina, Benjamin Moniz, Marina Montesanti, Zach Morris, Tara O'Con, Alex Parrish, Tidtaya Sinutoke, Jeff Tang, William Thomason, Rebecca Vineyard, Vanessa Walters, Emma Rosa Went, and Jamila Youngstedt.
“It's important we keep championing independent spaces through this crisis," says Town's vice president Staci Jacobs. "Town Stages fights for the visibility and crucial contribution of our artists, our organizers, our workers, and our visionary young cultural leaders to build the world we all want to live in—where we can gather, overcome, and move as one.”
To amplify Town's COVID19 call to action, go to Robinsokoloff.com/move-as-one.
