ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE
T FELLOWSHIP
IN HONOR OF LEGENDARY BROADWAY PRODUCER
T. EDWARD HAMBLETON
FELLOWSHIP DESIGNED TO EMPOWER
NEW CREATIVE PRODUCERS TO
"REINVENT THE WHEEL" ON THEIR OWN TERMS
IN COOPERATION WITH
THE THEATER ARTS DIVISION OF
THE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
THE COLUMBIA ARTS INITIATIVE AND
THEATRE DEVELOPMENT FUND (TDF)
New York, NY: First announcement
of fellowship program for theatrical producers. The T Fellowship was created
to honor the legacy of Broadway producer T. Edward Hambleton by supporting
and developing gifted, emerging theatrical producers.
Harold Prince, T. Edward Hambleton, the late Geraldine Stutz, Ed Wilson,
and TDF (Victoria Bailey, Executive Director) designed the fellowship
in cooperation with The Theater Division of the Columbia University School
of the Arts (Bruce W. Ferguson, Dean; Steven Chaikelson, Chair of Theatre),
and The Columbia Arts Initiative (Gregory Mosher, Director). Mr. Prince
commented on the fellowship's raison d'etre, "For a number of years
now, I have had interviews with extraordinary young people who want careers
as creative producers. Because they love and want to be part of the commercial
theater, they express frustration. They know my history as a producer
before I became a director, and they have identified with the tasks of
a creative producer. They want to nurture new work, encourage new artists,
and take chances, and they recognize that the current climate on Broadway
makes that almost impossible."
The T Fellowship will expose fellows to the best contemporary producing
practices, but will not teach those practices as the only or most effective
way to produce theater. The Fellowship will emphasize that the creative
producer's role is to be the instigator, the collaborator, and the leader
who gets art on the stage and to the public.
The T Fellowship is looking to empower new producers to reinvent the wheel
themselves on their own terms, following their own tastes, in their own
style. Mr. Prince commented, "Costs have escalated, and producing is
generally the work of either a consortium of wealthy individuals, or corporations.
So, before it's too late, my colleagues and I have shaped a program with
the help of Columbia University, to once again put young creative producing
in the mainstream. I've always believed the best of Broadway is the best
there is."
"We're thrilled that this program has come to fruition," says
Victoria Bailey. "T. Edward has worked tirelessly on behalf of TDF
for nearly twenty years and this fellowship has been a dream of his for
quite some time which he developed with other TDF trustees Gerry Stutz
and Ed Wilson."
The T Fellowship will draw on working professionals in the field as well
as the extraordinary academic and cross disciplinary strengths that Columbia
University offers including its MFA program in Theatre Management and Producing.
Steven Chaikelson said: "The T Fellowship intersects perfectly with
our MFA program in Theatre Management and Producing and our mission to educate
and inspire creative managers and producers for the commercial and not-for-profit
theatre. In addition, through seminars and conferences sponsored by the
Fellowship, our graduate students will have access to one-of-a-kind opportunities
to interact with the best, brightest and most innovative members of the
New York theatre community."
Gregory Mosher, Director of the University Arts Initiative said, "T.'s
contribution to the theatre is immeasurable, and I am grateful to have
known him and his work since I was a young student. The Columbia University
Arts Initiative is delighted to join with Hal, TDF and our colleagues
in the School of the Arts to honor T in the most meaningful way, by reinvigorating
the creative producing spirit and expertise he exemplified."
Each year, the T Fellowship will select one or two outstanding individuals
to participate in a two-phase program.
The first phase will expose the fellows to the widest possible range of
contemporary theatrical producing practices while providing opportunities
to discuss the shifting role of the creative producer. In the second phase,
the fellows will produce a presentation of work they have developed. The
T Fellowship will provide financial, legal, and production support of
the project development and presentation.
The program will be free to the fellows. In addition, a need-based stipend
will be awarded to assist in covering living expenses. The application
process will begin this fall. The first fellow will be announced the following
spring to begin the fellowship in the fall of 2006.
For more information about the fellowship or to apply, please go to www.tfellowship.com.
T. Edward Hambleton
T. Edward Hambleton founded the Phoenix Theatre with Norris Houghton in 1953,
thereby becoming (The New York Times, Sept. 25, 1980) "one of the pioneers
of the Off-Broadway movement." After 29 consecutive New York seasons
and 164 productions as Managing Director, T. Edward continues the Phoenix
commitment, presenting challenging new productions of high artistic quality
and assisting emerging playwrights. During its long and distinguished history,
the Phoenix has presented new works by Robert Audrey, Frank Gilroy, Arthur
Kopit, James Saunders, LaTouche and Moross while at the same time offering
fresh productions of Shakespeare, Shaw, Pirandello, Brecht, O'Neill, Ionesco,
Fry, O'Casey, Sherwood, Gorky, Marlowe, Kaufman and Hart, Sartre, Molière,
Miller and Williams, under such directors as Tyrone Guthrie, John Houseman,
Ellis Rabb, Gordon Davidson, Hal Prince and Gene Saks with actors the caliber
of Helen Hayes, Irene Worth, Cynthia Harris, Meryl Streep, Eva Le Gallienne,
Jimmy Stewart, Nancy Walker and Carol Burnett. After 1976, the Phoenix concentrated on new plays and the nurturing of new
playwrights through its Commission Program. The fruits of these labors include
Wendy Wasserstein's Uncommon Women and Others and Isn't It Romantic; David
Berry's G. R. Point; Marsha Norman's Getting Out; Ron Hutchinson's Says
I, Says He; Peter Handke's A Sorrow Beyond Dreams; and Mustapha Matura's
Meetings. Hambleton served as a member of the Board of Directors of
Center Stage in Baltimore, Maryland, and as a
member of the Board of Governors of the League of American Theatres and
Producers. He received a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
in 2000. In 2001, he was added to the Theatre Hall of Fame.
Columbia University's School of the Arts
is among the premiere arts institutions in the United States offering
Master in Fine Art degrees through four divisions: film, theatre arts,
visual arts and writing. The theatre arts division offers M.F.A. degrees
in acting, directing, playwriting, dramaturgy/script development, theatre
management and producing, and stage management. Among the division's leading
faculty are: Arnold Aronson, Anne Bogart, Steven Chaikelson, Kristin Linklater,
Eduardo Machado, and Andrei Serban.
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