Directing | Kennedy Center

Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) Directing Initiative
SDC is the theatrical union that unites, empowers and protects
professional stage Directors and Choreographers throughout the United States. Founded in 1959, has spent the last six decades fighting for the rights and livelihoods of these seminal artists.

The SDC Directing Initiative provides recognition, honor, and financial assistance to outstanding student directors who have demonstrated success in direction. One student director from each region will be selected as a Regional Finalist and invited to participate at the national festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC each April. This finalist will be awarded travel, lodging and per diem expenses, as well as attendance at KCACTF National Festival workshops and performances. In addition, finalists receive a one year Associate Membership in SDC.

SDC underwrites the National Award(s), presented to at least one National Fellowship recipient, which is the result of a unique collaboration between SDC and KCACTF. Associate Membership in SDC introduces each regional finalist to the national community of professional stage directors and choreographers. Additionally, they receive the monthly E-Newsletter, a subscription to SDC Journal (the Union’s quarterly magazine), free or discounted admission to SDC Foundation’s events, and specially negotiated discounts. For more information about SDC, please visit the website at SDCWeb.org.

Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.

Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.

Program

Eligibility

Student directors participate in the SDC Directing Initiative at each Regional Festival. To be eligible, students must be:

Attending an institution that has entered either an associate or participating production during the year in which the nomination occurs; and
A bona fide student at the time of the Regional Festival.

Event

The structure of the SDC Directing Initiative differs a bit from region to region, but the core elements include:

Before the Event: Student directors choose a scene from the list below; prepare a statement on their vision for their scene, and sign up for the event. Some regions ask that these statements are submitted as videos. Regions also sometimes ask that directors’ books be submitted in advance, so that respondents have time to review them.
Round 1: Student directors present the short scene they have chosen, utilizing a cast of bona fide student actors. A panel of two or three respondents give feedback on the director’s choices and work.
Round 2: Those selected to advance from the preliminary round will participate in an interview with the respondents, during which their director’s book, statement, and approach will be discussed.
Round 3: Up to six scenes will be selected for presentation in this final round, which will occur at least two days following the preliminary round to allow the director and actors to work on the scene based on feedback from the preliminary round. A response session will follow the final round.

How to Participate

Check your Region's website for application details as well as for specifics on logistics, technical provisions, casting, and organization.

SDC Directing Initiative at the National Festival

One student director from each region is selected to attend the KCACTF National Festival, with travel, lodging and per diem provided by the Kennedy Center.

At the National Festival, students participate in master classes and discussions with professional directors. Students learn about and cultivate different skills and directing approaches through hands-on staging and analysis activities. Selection for further awards and residencies is based on participation at the National Festival, and on at least two projects assigned in advance by guest artists. For clarity, the scene prepared for the regional SDC process will not be presented in Washington, D.C.

SDC Scene Selections 2026 and 2027

All entrants for the 2026 and 2027 Regional Festivals will prepare one from the list of scenes below, selected by the SDC fellowship alumni.

Arbor Falls by Caridad Svich (New Play Exchange)
Recommended by Sanhawich Meateanuwat, 2022 Region 3 SDC Fellow

Blood at the Root by Dominique Morisseau (Concord Theatricals)
“This play tackles the complexity of identity, accountability, and justice. The beauty of this play lies not only in its rhythmic language, but in the faults of each of these characters. The challenges posed in this scene not only changed how I felt about the play, but how I interact with Southern culture.” - Tiara Staples, 2024 Region 4 SDC Fellow

Born with Teeth by Liz Duffy Adams (New Play Exchange) (Option 2)
“Born with Teeth provides an imaginative glance into the tumultuous relationship of William Shakespeare with Christopher (Kit) Marlowe, whom Adams writes alternately as his friend/rival/lover/enemy. In this two-hander, the men are cowriting a play, but on a deeper level much more is occurring. This play provides potential challenges in the dialect and language, as well as in the relationship between the two characters.” - Kate Pemberton, 2025 Region 7 SDC Fellow

Electricidad by Luis Alfaro (Dramatists Play Service)
“This scene centers around family confrontation with emotions running high as characters are wrestling with loyalty, betrayal and love. Electricidad is obsessed with vengeance and family honor while Clemencia challenges her stance. The power shifts between Electricidad and Clemencia will allow future fellows to visualize power through movement, levels and spatial relationships.” - Jaden Fabio, 2025 Region 1 SDC Fellow

Everything Rises by Sage Mitchell (Contact Kelsey Mesa at [email protected] for a copy of this script.)
Recommended by Kelly Quinnett, KCACTF National Co-Vice Chair and University of Idaho Professor

Lungs by Duncan Macmillan (Dramatists Play Service) (Option 2)
“Lungs is a tremendously challenging piece for a director, thanks to its combination of “dizzyingly dexterous” writing and absolute lack of stage direction. A note at the beginning specifies that the play is to take place on a bare stage, void of sets, props, furniture, or miming. The only hints of direction in the script are commas that represent a pause of some kind, “determined by context.” This provides opportunity for careful analysis to develop the relationship between the characters.” - Kate Pemberton, 2025 Region 7 SDC Fellow

Machinal by Sophie Treadwell (Nick Hern Books)
“This scene and this play as a whole is an amazing challenge for a young director due it's subject matter and how Treadwell has crafted this mechanical and cold world. The speech at the end alone is a monster for any actor or director willing to take this on. The scene also poses a challenging question about motherhood and the availability of choice in taking on that role.” – Jordan Mitchell, 2022 and 2023 Region 1 SDC Fellow

Mercury by Steve Yockey (New Play Exchange) (Option 2)
Recommended by Kelly Quinnett, KCACTF National Co-Vice Chair and University of Idaho Professor

Miss Julie by A. Strindberg (Carlson Translation via Concord Theatricals)
“This classic play is difficult to stage because of its fast-paced dialogue and intense tone switches. Miss Julie is a commentary on class, gender, and psychological power struggles. In the selected scene, Miss Julie delivers two monologues that showcase an incredible range and depth for the actor and director to work with. Strindberg’s naturalist views, coupled with desire and despair, inevitably make you feel like a caged bird longing to be free.” - Elle Fraser-Row, 2024 Region 5 SDC Fellow

The Language Archive by Julia Cho (Dramatists Play Service)
Recommended by Sanhawich Meateanuwat, 2022 Region 3 SDC Fellow

The Night Witches by Rachel Bublitz (New Play Exchange & Dramatic Publishing)
“Based on the true story of the all-female 588th Night Bomber Regiment, this play blends song, movement, and physicality to portray the harsh realities these women faced. It explores sisterhood, purpose, fear, grief, and the small moments of humanity that emerge in wartime. The Chosen scene has devastating news for the characters, a Poignant monologue showing the universal truths of war and a hauntingly beautiful song.” - Elle Fraser-Row, 2024 Region 5 SDC Fellow

When I Come to Die by Nathan Louis Jackson (Dramatists Play Service)
“A gorgeous play written by a KCACTF playwrighting alum, this piece challenges directors to observe the spectrum of Capital Punishment through ideology, race, and the uncertainty of what's to come next. This scene displays a man's last chance of human connection and interaction before his life is over. With little to no stage directions throughout the men's interaction, directors must focus on Jackson's dialogue to guide them through staging the scene.” - Emma Davis, 2025 Region 6 SDC Fellow