About the Institute

The USC Annenberg School for Communication and the National Endowment of the Arts are pleased to announce the 5th annual Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater. This is a 10-day intensive workshop in theater and musical theater for writers and editors from the 50 states and Puerto Rico. Based in Los Angeles, the fellowship provides a total immersion experience that includes attending as many as ten performances or rehearsals. Participants will meet theater professionals ranging from directors and administrators of L.A.’s primary theater companies to critics of national stature, who will engage them individually for writing instruction and exercises. Professional sessions addressing changes in the media industry will be offered and special attention will be paid to building digital media skills. The institute is designed for American journalists who work outside of the top media markets. No specialized knowledge of theater is required. Staff writers, editors and freelancers who work in print, radio, TV or online media are welcome to apply.  Click here for more information.

Important Details

• 2009 Institute dates: TBD
• How to apply :  If you are interested in applying for our 2009 Fellowship, please send an email to neainst@usc.edu requesting to be added to our mailing list for further updates.
• Individuals living or working outside of the United States are NOT eligible to apply.
• 2009 Application Deadline:  TBD
• Location:  USC Annenberg School for Communication, downtown Los Angeles
• Cost:  Most costs are covered by the Institute, including travel to and from L.A., hotel, Internet at the hotel, transportation within the city and most meals. 

Select highlights from 2008 

From left: Christopher Smith, Wendy Rosenfield, Carola Weil, Francis Ma, Beverly Lindsay-Johnson and Elizabeth Bell Haynes

• Carey Perloff, artistic director of American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), gave the keynote address, "Theater as an Alternate Space." 
• Oprah Winfrey's “The Color Purple” at The Ahmanson Theatre 
• A discussion with top light, costume and set designers of Los Angeles, "Lights, Costumes, Sets -- From the Page to the Stage" 
• World Premiere of the musical, "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" at the Kirk Douglas Theatre
• Three Fellows participated on the panel discussion, "Representations of African Americans in the Arts: The Color Purple," held at USC  (pictured above)
• Los Angeles Premiere of The Wooster Group's "Hamlet" at the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT) 

Comments from Past Fellows and Their Editors

“Amazing, inspiring and career-changing. The days spent at the NEA Institute were a highlight of my professional career thus far. I am confident it will serve as a launching pad – not to leave my community, but to be a more active and effective arts journalist and advocate.”
    ~ Bridgette Redman, Lansing State Journal, Mich.

“The Institute created a forum in which I could express ideas, notions and thoughts that I would not otherwise have the opportunity to do. I was able to develop professional relationships on an intimate level.”
    ~ John Stoehr, Savannah Morning News, Ga. 

“I use things I learned through the Institute every day.”
    ~ Sharon Eberson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pa.

“As a direct result of this Institute, our theater reviews and coverage have increased exponentially. This has received praise from the theater community and our readers. [One theater] saw a 50 percent increase in attendance this past summer.”
    ~ Becky Holt, The Burlington Free Press, Vt. 

Institute leadership

Sasha Anawalt, Director
Arianna Sikorski, Program Coordinator

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