The Dramatists Guild Foundation (DGF) has announced the inaugural recipients of the new Catalyst Fellowship. The program aims to invest in Black, Indigenous, Asian, and Latine theatre innovators as they work to imagine equity, social justice, and change in the industry through new developmental programs.

The Catalyst Fellows include Anu Yadav, Christine Toy Johnson, Darrel Alejandro Holnes, Erlina Ortiz, Ife Olujobi, Matthew Paul Olmos, Melissa Yi, Kit Yan, Noa Gardner, Roger Q. Mason, and Zachariah Ezer.

The fellowship lasts two years, during which fellows will receive $30,000 annually to support development of project proposals. Projects will aim to to make change in the industry as it relates to a multitude of causes, including environmental, economic, race/identity, cultural preservation, LGBTQIA+ rights, and more. 

Fellows were selected by playwright and DGF Board Member Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, along with a committee of writers and industry leaders. 

“This fellowship was inspired by the amazing, widespread acts of care and activism I felt I was witnessing in this industry during the early days of the pandemic, and I noticed that a great majority of it was being spearheaded by early career playwrights," Jacobs-Jenkins says in a statement. "It occurred to me that there needed to be a way to identify and support those dramatists who felt that there was more to their calling than simply artistic production. This inaugural class are artists and emerging leaders who are interested in building systemic solutions to systemic problems—in this field and beyond. I hope this sparks and inspires others to finally recognize dramatists as genuine architects of the industry and essential in their thought leadership.”

The Catalyst Fellowship is made possible with support from C. Graham Berwind, III. 

Visit DGF.org.