With the close of our 2024 Season, we reflect on our successes and thank our supporters, among them RBC and RBC Foundation. As a supporter of various Bard programs–especially those that directly help emerging artists–since 1991, we are so grateful for their support of our programs for schools, youth, and adults.
RBC Directing Apprentices Program: The Impact of Support
One aspect of RBC’s contribution is its direct support of the RBC Directing Apprentices program. This program is a cornerstone of Bard’s efforts to nurture emerging directors. Directing Apprenticeships offer emerging artists the opportunity to receive training and mentorship from senior members of the Company while supporting the creation of Bard’s Season productions.
As Associate Artistic Director Dean Paul Gibson said, “The RBC Directing Apprentices Program plays a crucial role in shaping the careers of artists through structured opportunities and developmental experiences. Apprentice directors gain opportunities to work on diverse projects, building a strong portfolio that showcases their capabilities to potential employers or collaborators.
The program pairs emerging directors with experienced professionals who serve as mentors. These mentors provide valuable insights, share industry knowledge, and offer career advice. This mentorship helps apprentices navigate the complexities of the theatre world, and constructive feedback helps refine their techniques and continuously improve their craft.”
Gibson pays tribute to the program and its role in developing a trusted colleague and friend to the company, Meg Roe. “A major memory for me is the discovery and accession of one of our country’s celebrated and valued theatre artists, Meg Roe. She began her apprenticeship with Bard in the early 2000s and eventually was given the opportunity to lead her own production. This led to countless other opportunities within our local and national community. She is recognized as a major player in our cultural landscape, and we are the beneficiaries of a continued and collaborative relationship with her. She is, and remains, an important Artistic Advisor with Bard on the Beach to this day.”
Cherissa Richards
Another great success of the RBC Directing Apprentices Program is Cherissa Richards, director of Bard’s critically acclaimed Julius Caesar in 2023.
“I was hired as an RBC Directing Apprentice for Bard on the Beach’s 2018 season, assisting director Meg Roe on her production of Timon of Athens. It was a transformational experience,” Richards recounts. “Meg welcomed me with open arms and generosity. She ran her rehearsal room with respect, kindness, and care, treating every actor and team member with the utmost consideration.
The RBC Directing Apprentices Program introduced me to Bard, and since then, the leadership at Bard has welcomed me into their family. The two Seasons I worked there, directing my own shows, have been foundational to my growth as a director. I went on to win Outstanding Director and Outstanding Production for the play Red Velvet at the 2023 Dora Mavor Moore Theatre Awards in Toronto.”
RBC Riotous Youth Program: Nurturing Young Talent
Another successful program supported by RBC Foundation is the annual Riotous Youth Program, nurturing young talent. It pairs young participants with mentors from the Bard Company, offering guidance, insight, and professional support. Participants receive training in voice, movement, text exploration, and other theatrical disciplines, enhancing their skills and preparing them for future careers in theatre.
Isaac George-Hotchkiss
Isaac George-Hotchkiss, who started with Bard’s Summer Camps at age 13 and later became a Riotous Youth intern, has successfully launched a professional career in theatre, television, and film. His notable role as Tom Snout in Bard’s 2022 Mainstage production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a testament to the program’s impact.
“I think a big way [Riotous Youth] has shaped my career has been creating the want and willingness to jump into new experiences and share the love of the art with other people. Coming up through my acting school, I had to work really hard to shed my quiet shy outer layer and find the loud energy needed for the stage, and Riotous Youth was a huge catalyst for that shift,” he said
“It really brought me out of my shell and showed not only how fun it is to share your own personal vision and passion for the stage, and all the ways you can do it, it’s shown how vital it is to be able to get this to people who might not be as lucky as I was to take in so much theatre in my off-time when I was younger. I think the tight turnaround for some of the acting camps I was involved with really showed that tight deadlines can be a curse but also a blessing.”
“I still find it’s in those rough last moments that some of my best ideas bubble up. Also getting to work with not only a seasoned actor as my co-teacher, but one who was usually in the show at the time, was almost like getting paid for training; not only did I get to see how they handled working with peers much younger than them, but also insight on theatre was conveyed through this unique lens—not something you might hear at a Q&A or an interview, but a special way of conveying the love for this that has kept coming not only to the stage, but to teaching. It’s really those aspects, along with the joy and inspiration you see on kids’ and teens’ faces, that has stuck with and shaped who I am as an artist.”
We are grateful for RBC and RBC Foundation’s support of these programs, which are crucial to both Bard and the health of the theatre community in general. Thank you so much for the support!