John Gore Organization & Black Theatre Coalition Team Up for New Fellowship Program

John Gore Organization, the leading presenter, producer, distributor and marketer of Broadway theater worldwide, and the Black Theatre Coalition, an organization dedicated to eradicating racial inequities in the theater industry, are joining forces.

The two organizations have announced the creation of a comprehensive paid fellowship program for undergraduate college juniors and seniors as well as recent college graduates interested in pursuing a career in commercial theater. The Black Theatre Coalition/Broadway Across America Fellowship is sponsored by the Gore Organization. It will provide 10 paid, part-time fellowships across the United States with specific training in the areas of marketing, public relations, sales, programming, accounting, finance, operations, venue management and ticketing.

Recognizing the underrepresentation of BIPOC professionals in the commercial theater industry, this program will be dedicated to fostering and preserving a culture of equity, diversity, access and inclusion while providing an invaluable, in-depth education in the business of commercial theater. Fellowships will initially be available in New York, Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Fort Lauderdale, Houston and Louisville and will launch in the spring of 2022. Candidates interested in applying for fellowships should sign up here to be notified when applications will be accepted this fall.

“The Black Theatre Coalition is already doing such important work on Broadway, and we’re proud to be able to help them bring this fellowship program to different cities across the country," John Gore, owner and CEO of John Gore Organization, said in a statement. "Careers in this industry start from the ground up, and we’re excited to help usher in a new generation of young and ambitious theater makers.”

Fellows will gain practical experience through on-the-job learning in Broadway Across America offices and learn the intricacies of the business through an education curriculum taught by JGO professionals as they embark in an offstage career in the business of Broadway. Fourteen-week, paid fellowships will provide undergraduate/postgraduate students with an opportunity to develop the job skills, broad understanding and network connections necessary to begin a professional career in the commercial theater industry.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with BAA on this endeavor. Our mission states our goals of removing the 'illusion of inclusion' in the American theater," Black Theatre Coalition’s founders Reggie Van Lee, T. Oliver Reid and Warren Adams said in a joint statement. "This partnership offers the opportunity to stretch our reach far beyond the lights of Broadway and into the hometowns of Black professionals across the country.”