Shá Cage Completes Residency At Cornerstone Theater Company With World Premiere Of 36 YESSES

This week, Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) shared that one of the inaugural SDCF Lloyd Richards New Futures Resident Artists, Shá Cage, is completing her residency with Cornerstone Theater Company by directing Michael John Garcés's play, 36 Yesses.

The Lloyd Richards New Futures Residency was launched during the pandemic to create a visionary strategy for supporting BIPOC artists during the field's re-emergence. The award includes not only a year-long residence at a host theatre, but also commitment by the organization for the Resident Artist to direct or choreograph on their stage within three years of the end of their residency. Cage and Elizabeth Carter both were named Resident Artists in 2021, the program's first year, with Cage at Cornerstone-where she was recently named a member of the company's Ensemble-and Carter at Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

"We are thrilled that Shá is directing 36 Yesses at Cornerstone within a year of the completion of her residency," says Foundation Director Dani Barlow. "This production happening so quickly highlights both the theatre's commitment and the strength of Shá's work. To see the relationship between Shá and Cornerstone grow throughout the past year, and to see her directing this production and joining Cornerstone's Ensemble, really highlights the power that this residency has to support BIPOC artists who are interested in artistic leadership. We look forward to watching this artistic relationship continue to develop."

36 Yesses is an exploration into what it means to commit when everything is in play, and to believe when nothing is out of the question. The play leans into the tough questions with a resounding YES: Yes, to this Now. Yes, to Process. Yes, to Storytelling. To Community. To Each Other. And, ultimately, To Self. While none of this is simple, of course, the complexities arise in the work-and it's in the work where the fun begins.

"This show is special as it asks the question around what it takes to say YES," says Cage. "My yes to Cornerstone was last year in 2021 as the SDCF Lloyd Richards New Futures Resident Artist. What a joy the past year has been as the Resident Artist as I grow new work in Los Angeles, join the Cornerstone Theater ensemble and cultivate community in new ways. I am thankful for the new path the fellowship has led me to."

The inaugural 2021 Lloyd Richards Residency was made possible with support from Rockstar Games and TheFrontOffice, as well as support through the SDCF fellowship funds named for George C. Wolfe, Mike Ockrent, Shepard and Mildred Traube, Sir John Gielgud and Reginald H.F. Denham. Additionally, the current 2022 Lloyd Richards Residency is also made possible by the Miranda Family Fund, Jujamcyn Theaters, Judi & Douglas Krupp, Concord Theatricals, and Allison Thomas.

For more information about the program and all the Resident Artists, please visit https://sdcfoundation.org/sdcf-lloyd-richards-new-futures-residency-2/.

SHÁ CAGE is a renaissance artist who writes, directs and acts in theatre and film. She has been called a change-maker and one of the leading artists of her generation. Her work has taken her across the U.S. to Japan, Africa, England, Bosnia and Canada. Her directing credits include Clare Baron's Dance Nation (Guthrie/UMN), Joselyn Bioh's School Girls (Arkansas Rep) and (Jungle Theater), Michael Bobbit's adaptation of Three Little Birds (The Children's Theater), Benjamin Benne's Neighbors (MN History Theater), Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins' Everybody (Guthrie/UMN), Shavunda Horsley's BITCH (Bedlam Theater), Waterfront's The Viking and the Gazelle (Mixed Blood Theater) and Buttafly Precinct which she authored (Black Lives/ Black Words Festival). She was seen last on stage as Hermione in Ten Thousand Things Winter's Tale and Lady Capulet in The Guthrie Theater's Romeo and Juliet. Recent commissioned poetry and plays she's written include New Day (Women's Foundation), Khephra (Open Eye Figure Theater), Hidden Figures (Stages), Butterfly Precinct and Shhh for Cornerstone's Venice Storytellers. Film credits include: the feature documentary Underbelly that spotlights healing and activism in the aftermath of George Floyd's death, Kiss the Tiger's Grown Ass Woman, New Neighbors (Sundance), horror short; You're Home Now, At the Corner of Experimental Doc series, narrative features Jasmine is a Star, 39 Seconds; The John Donaldson Story, The Guthrie Theater's Dickens Holiday Classic and Ten Thousand Things Handprints. Sha is the newest ensemble member of Cornerstone Theater Company and the 2021 inaugural Lloyd Richards New Futures Fellow. She has led racial justice & equity work through Tru Ruts for the past 20 years and Film work through Black Star Studios. She holds TCG, McKnight, Doris Duke, Emmy and Ivey awards.

CORNERSTONE THEATER COMPANY has been making new plays with and about communities throughout Los Angeles and beyond for over 36 years. Nationally recognized as a leader in community engaged theater, our plays celebrate many voices as we strive to include people for whom performing and/or attending theater is outside their usual experience. Combining the artistry of people with many levels of theatrical experience, we act upon the conviction that artistic expression is civic engagement and that access to a creative forum is essential to the wellness and health of every individual and community. Our plays are staged in theaters, parking lots, factories, schools and subway stations. Each venue is specific to its project and community; audiences pay what they can so our performances are always accessible to all. Visit Cornerstonetheater.org and follow the story on social media @cornerstonetheater on Facebook and Instagram, @cornerstonethtr on Twitter and youtube.com/CornerstoneTheater.

Founded in 1965, Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) celebrates, develops, and supports professional stage directors and choreographers throughout every phase of their careers. We work to build a theatrical community that reflects the cultural, racial, and gender diversity of our nation by creating opportunities for artists of all backgrounds to bring their full, authentic selves to their work as creative leaders in the theatre.

SDCF is committed to fostering an environment that is inclusive and does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression in its programs or activities. www.sdcfoundation.org.