Hattiloo Theatre is putting a focus on arts management with its inaugural session of the Black Theatre Managers Fellowship.
This July, four arts managers from four cities will participate in the program that provides practical training in arts administration. The class will be in residence in Memphis for a three-week intensive session led by Hattiloo Theatre executives, consultants, and experts from the field. The fellowship, a three-year program, will see the group of fellows return for additional three-week sessions in 2022 and 2023.
The four are Kai El Zabar, executive director of ETA Creative Arts Organization in Chicago; Ayanna Williams, managing director of Blues City Cultural Center in Memphis; Christie Howard, managing director of Jubilee Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas; and Rhonda Wilson, founder and executive director of Star Center Theatre in Gainesville, Florida.
The program will provide academic training in nonprofit arts management, finance, planning, fundraising, board management, and marketing. Networking and mentoring will continue between sessions. The fellows will develop strategies to address the most pressing challenges facing their theaters.
The Black Theatre Managers Fellowship is funded by the Black Seed — a national strategic plan to create impact and thriveability for Black theater institutions.
