Since The Drama League was founded in 1935, it has been a pillar of the American theatre industry. In particular, The Drama League places a focus on guiding BIPOC talent through the challenges of the theatre world and building that talent into world-renowned stage directors that bring life to live theatre.
Soon, The Drama League will be making a major change to one of its most important programs. The Drama League Stage Director Assistantships program will be changing its name to the Irene Gandy Stage Director Assistantship program.
This change to the prestigious program is coming about to honour one of the greatest names in modern theatre and a longstanding member of The Drama League.
Irene Gandy’s career in theatre started in 1968 when she became a publicist for the Negro Ensemble. From there, it quickly took off, and she became one of the most influential people to work on Broadway.
Over her 55 years of service to the theatre industry, Irene Gandy has been a pivotal team member in the production of more than 100 Broadway productions. This incredible achievement is only matched by her multiple Tony Award wins in various categories and her several “firsts” in the industry. Gandy was the first woman to win the ATMAP award, and she’s the only woman to win it in more than 50 years. She was also the first black woman to get a Sardi’s caricature hung on the walls of the famous Sardi’s restaurant in New York alongside icons from various industries.
Before speaking to the press, Gabriel Stelian Shanks announced the renaming of the stage director assistantship program to the board members and Gandy’s close peers Bonnie Comley and Bevin Ross of The Drama League by praising Irene Gandy’s dedication to the industry and her accomplishments.
The assistantship program will largely go unchanged in terms of function, but this name change to honour one of the theatre’s greatest influences is one that will preserve history for generations to come.
This change to the name of the stage director assistantship program at The Drama League isn’t a major change to the overall goal of the program, but it is one that holds significant sentimental value and honours one of the nation’s greatest black influencers. Irene Gandy has made a career entertaining the world and building the next generation of talent, and she is truly worthy of this honour.