Directing Initiative: SDC Fellowship
Directing (SDC)
SDC Coordinator
Dewey Scott-Wiley
University of South Carolina – Aiken
deweyw@usca.edu
Deputy Coordinator
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 KCACTF 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), 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.
Applying to Participate
Eligibility
To participate, you must
- Attend a school which is geographically included in REGION IV
- Be a bona fide student at the time of the regional festival
- Be a registered festival participant
- Submit a completed application packet by the deadline
Application Packet
You must submit the following:
- Evidence of eligibility
- Statement of Intent in which you address the reasons you are interested in the SDC Fellowship Program, what you hope to achieve through your involvement, and how it will contribute to your growth as a director.
- Statement confirming your selected scene (see list below). Explain why you chose this scene. Remember: you must be able to cast students from your home school in the scene you have selected, and they must be able to attend the Region IV festival with you to present the scene in person.
Email your packet to
Dewey Scott-Wiley (deweyw@usca.edu)
Deadline for Application Materials:
December 20, 2025
Region IV SDC Event
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. Student directors present videos and directors’ books prior to the festival. - Round 1: Once at the festival, 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.
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.
Presenting Your Work
1. Choose a scene from the list below.
2. Prepare a 3-4 minute video that explains your vision of the play.
- Who are you and what play did you choose?
- Why does this play need to be done RIGHT NOW?
- Why are you the artist to do this play, and what will you, specifically,
bring to the production? - What does your ideal production look/feel/sound like?
- What space do you want to do the play in?
- What impact do you want your production to have
- How can you succinctly tell the story of this play?
3. Prepare a director’s book, containing the script, your analysis of the scene, and
any concept work and/or research you have done on the piece. Save this as a
PDF.
Your video and PDF will be uploaded to a Google Drive folder suggested by the Directing Initiative Coordinator for ease of access.
Deadline for Presentation Materials:
January 10, 2026
All entrants for the 2026 Regional Festival will prepare one from the list of scenes below, selected by the SDC fellowship alumni.
SDC Scene Selections 2026
All entrants for the 2026 Regional Festival 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 KRMesa@kennedy-center.org 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