T. Oliver Reid on the Black Theatre Coalition/Broadway Across America Fellowship: 'There Is a Place for You'

The previously announced Black Theatre Coalition/Broadway Across America Fellowship, sponsored by John Gore Organization, is now accepting applications through October 29. The program will provide 10 paid 14-week part-time fellowships across the United States with training in the business of commercial theater, specifically in areas of marketing, public relations, finance, operations, ticketing and business intelligence, beginning in January 2022. On the latest episode of The Broadway Show, Emmy-winning anchor Tamsen Fadal sat down with Black Theatre Coalition co-founder T. Oliver Reid at the Renaissance Hotel in New York City to talk about this exciting opportunity.

The Coalition's mission states its goals of removing the "illusion of inclusion" in the American theater. "We were very specific about using and saying the American theater and not just Broadway because we realized that this was an issue and a problem that we wanted to address within the entirety of theater," he explained. "There is a place for you. And for those who don't sing, act or dance, there's still a space for you in the American theater. That may be in marketing or public relations, or that could be as a general manager or a facilities manager—all these things that we don't hear about. So for us, it really is about not looking at those who are on the stages, but those who are behind the stages, those who are in the offices, in the companies that really support and make Broadway happen."

The goal of the fellowship program is to provide undergraduate and postgraduate students with an opportunity to develop the job skills, industry-specific knowledge and network connections necessary to begin a professional career in the commercial theater industry. In addition to on-the-job training, the fellowship includes a comprehensive educational curriculum taught by BTC, BAA and other Broadway professionals, providing an invaluable, in-depth education in the business of commercial theater. "In so many instances, people have known someone or they did an internship at some point, and they started to build relationships with different people. For us, it's like, 'Let's figure out ways to build those relationships,'" Reid explained. "So for these 10 regional fellows, they begin to build these relationships with the administration, the organizers, the powers that be at each of the offices that Broadway Across America has. As we start to build these relationships and make sure that people are in certain rooms where decisions are made, they continue down the pathway towards whatever their goals may be."

Learn more about the Fellowship program here, watch the full interview below, and head here to check your local listings for The Broadway Show. Hosted by Fadal, it is the only nationally syndicated weekly theater news program.