Monday, July 23, 2012

Executive Artistic Director, Seema Sueko, receives prestigious grant


City Councilmember Todd Gloria, City of San Diego Council District 3
Seema Sueko, Co-Founder & Executive Artistic Director for Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company
Ilene Hubbs, President, Mo`olelo Board of Trustees
Victoria Hamilton, Executive Director, The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture
Award-winning Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company announced that its Co-Founder and Executive Artistic Director, Seema Sueko (click HERE to read our feature of Seema), is a recipient of Theatre Communications Group’s (TCG) prestigious and inaugural “Leadership U[niversity] One-on-One Grant.” The $75,000 award will provide Ms. Sueko with a 16-month in-depth mentorship with Molly Smith, Artistic Director of Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater in Washington, DC.

Mo'olelo Exec Artistic Director, Seema Sueko
Theatre Communications Group is the national organization for the nonprofit American theatre. In addition to publishing the magazine American Theatre, they convene national conferences and create innovative grant programs that advance the field, such as Leadership U[niversity].  Leadership U is funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The program will award a total of nearly $525,000 through grants in two initiatives: One-on-One for early-career leaders and Continuing Ed for mid-career and veteran professionals.
Seema Sueko will be mentored by Molly Smith from December 2012 through May 2014 at Arena Stage. Ms. Smith is deeply dedicated to community, inclusion and diversity, values she shares with Ms. Sueko.  Internationally-recognized and award-winning playwrights David Henry Hwang and Lydia Diamond provided the supporting letters of reference for Ms. Sueko’s application. Both Mr. Hwang’s and Ms. Diamond’s plays were produced by Mo`olelo, through which they had the opportunity to observe the Company in action.

“I am extremely excited about this learning and capacity-building opportunity for me and Mo`olelo. I anticipate I’ll learn best practices to bring back to Mo`olelo, meet and build relationships with many of the leading artists of our field, and will be both inspired and challenged as I’m immersed in a new environment and have access to Molly Smith’s work process,” shared Ms. Sueko. 

Mo`olelo acknowledged the significant role the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, led by Executive Director Victoria Hamilton, played in making Ms. Sueko competitive for this opportunity. “When I got to San Diego, I was just an actor who wanted to start a theater. The Commission’s workshops and application process really taught me what it means to run a nonprofit arts organization and helped us develop best practices,” shared Ms. Sueko. “In fact, we received guidance and support from so many organizations and businesses: The San Diego Foundation, Qualcomm, The Parker Foundation, La Jolla Playhouse and many more. I hope the arts and culture community of San Diego sees this as their triumph.”

Mayor Jerry Sanders shared, “Seema Sueko is a perfect example of why this city offers financial and moral support to its artists. Through her work with the Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company, she has helped to give voice to parts of our community that don’t often have the opportunity to share their stories, and she’s taught young people all aspects of the theater arts. With this mentorship, she can further develop her craft, and return to San Diego with renewed skills and ideas. We are very proud of Seema, and excited for what this means, not only for her, but for the rest of our arts community.”

Mo`olelo will hire an Interim General and Producing Manager to handle the day to day operations of the Company while Ms. Sueko is in Washington, DC.  Ms. Sueko will also return to San Diego in May 2013 to direct Mo`olelo’s second show of their 2013 season and bring Ms. Smith with her to mentor her through the directing process between previews and the press opening of the show.

The Leadership U[niversity] grant program will be completed in 2014, which is the 10th Anniversary of Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company. “This opportunity is coming at the perfect time!” expressed Mo`olelo’s Board President Ilene Hubbs. “In 2014 we’ll celebrate all that Mo`olelo has been over the past years. And we’ll look forward to what we’ll become and what innovations and advancements will be inspired during Seema’s mentorship for our future.”

Click HERE to see our feature article on Seema from our Spring 2012 issue.


  
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