The Kennedy Center Announces International Theater Directors Mentoring Program

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, today announced six international directors have been selected as part of a Cultural Exchange Visitor Program which brings emerging International Artists to the United States and provides them with instructive and informative experiences in their arts discipline. From June 4-21, 2010, these international directors will participate in a 17-day intensive program, studying with Washington, D.C. area directors, producers, dramaturges, playwrights, and artistic directors, including Synetic Theater, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and Michael Kahn of Shakespeare Theatre Company.

From June 10-13, the participants will travel to New York City, working with such organizations as New York Theater Workshop, LaMaMa E.T.C., The Civilians, and Siti Company.

Following their time in New York, the participants will travel to Chicago, working with the Theatre School of DePaul University, Goodman Theater, 500 Clowns, Steppenwolf Theatre, as well as playwrights Theresa Rebeck and Tanya Saracho. The international directors will also attend the 2010 Theatre Communications Group National Conference.
The six international theater directors are:

Alexander Sánchez, from Moca, Dominican Republic, serves as Director of the Cosecha (Harvest) Theater Group in addition to teaching theater at the Bellas Artes Gabriel del Orbe School, an institution under the Ministry of Culture.

Sunil Vishnu Kandala, from Chennai, India, is the Artistic Director and Chief Operating Officer for EVAM which he founded in 2003 to make theater accessible to younger audiences.

Dan Riopay, from Baguio City, Philippines, is the Director of Tanghalang SLU, the resident theater company of Saint Louis University. He also serves as the Drama/Stage Coordinator of the University's Center for Culture and the Arts.

Snezana Trisic, from Belgrade, Serbia, has worked extensively as a director throughout Serbia with organizations such as Theater Atelje 212, Republic of Serbian National Theater and Theater LEVO.

Omar Abusaada, from Damascus, Syria and a graduate of the Critique Department of the Syrian Higher Institute of Drama in Damascus, has introduced interactive theater in the remote villages of Syria, working with troubled youth.

Lloyd Nyikadzino, from Harare, Zimbabwe, currently serves as the Artistic Director of the African Youth Arts Festival. From 2002 to 2006, he worked with the Shooting Stars Theatre Company.
About The Cultural Visitors Program

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Kennedy Center have partnered together on this program since 2006 in order to provide artistic development and cultural exchange experiences for artists and arts managers. Past participants have come to the U.S. from more than 37 countries worldwide, including Azerbaijan, Bolivia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, and Turkey. The Kennedy Center develops customized programs for each group, including Theatrical Designers March 28-April 12, 2010, Jazz Musicians in April 2010, and Stage Actors in May 2010. For more information, visit the Center's website at https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/state/cultural/

About the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center

The programs of the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center, formerly the Kennedy Center Arts Management Institute, offer practical training to arts managers and board members at all stages of professional development in the United States and around the world. These programs, which stress core competency in fundraising, artistic planning, strategic planning, marketing, and board development, have reached arts leaders from more than 65 countries. The centerpiece of the Institute is its Capacity Building programs, which offer technical assistance to arts managers and their boards through seminars, web chats, and on-site consultations. The DeVos Institute will continue its efforts to strengthen local arts organizations with a series of regional programs around the country. A Capacity Building program for arts organizations in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area will begin soon, joining previously existing, large-scale programs in New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Programs in additional regional areas will be announced in the coming months. Other Kennedy Center Capacity Building programs include a multi-city program in partnership with the Ford Foundation, and a national program for 45 culturally specific arts organizations specializing in African American, Latino, Asian American, and Native American arts. For more information, visit the Center's website at www.kennedy-center.org/education/artsmanagement

For more information about the Kennedy Center, please visit www.kennedy-center.org

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