Uplifting & supporting the next generation of theatrical leadership of Color.
Please visit www.crrscholarship.com for more information about the program.
Founded in 2020 by Cody Renard Richard in partnership with Broadway Advocacy Coalition, this program aims to build a bridge into the industry for the next generation of theatrical leaders of color working behind the scenes. This program is now run in partnership with Black Theatre Coalition.
Over the last four years, the program has accepted 45 students and awarded $340,000 amongst them. Scholars from the program have worked across the industry on Broadway shows like Hamilton, Maybe Happy Ending, Hell’s Kitchen, Lempicka, Buena Vista Social Club, Hadestown, A Wonderful World, and Disney's Aladdin, on tour with Ain’t Too Proud, Jagged Little Pill and Tina: the Tina Turner Musical, and across the country in regional theaters like Pasadena Playhouse, Geffen Playhouse, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, Lincoln Center Theatre, and La Jolla Playhouse. Past mentors and speakers include Saheem Ali, Jocelyn Bioh, Zhalion Levingston, Nicole Brewer, Nicole Johnson, Schele Willams, Clint Ramos, Brian Moreland and other prominent leaders from the theatre industry.
The fifth cycle of The CRR Scholarship Program will award 10 recipients a financial grant and will offer the cohort various online work sessions connected to leadership, community building, social justice, and mentorship. This cycle will conclude with an all expenses paid trip to New York City in May 2025 to meet with mentors, attend panels with leading industry professionals and interact with the Broadway scene in person.
Cody Renard Richard, Dria Brown and Lani Fu with the 2024 recipients at the NYC summit.
Cody Renard Richard, Dria Brown and Lani Fu with the 2023 recipients at the NYC summit.
Cody Renard Richard with the 2022 recipients at the NYC summit
hear from PAST RECIPIENTS:
“The Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Program offered me something I could only dream about. For the first time in my life, I had access to mentors of color & a cohort of friends who were people of color in the backstage industry. It often feels isolating being the only person of color in the room. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to feel safe & understood by my peers.”
“The CRR Scholarship allowed me to make connections with artists that have had similar challenges and experiences in the career path as me. I loved feeling seen and heard by others while being able to talk freely about the change we want to see in the world.”
“Being selected for the Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Program has been an extremely gratifying experience. Beyond this financial impact, the ability to share and connect with fellow BIPOC theatremakers has created a space to be heard, understood, and valued for more than the diversity I bring to the room, which has vastly renewed my passion and hope for the future. I look forward to the growing community to come. ”