TheFrontOffice Foundation Announces Mina Morita as Inaugural Recipient of Mid-Career Women Director Grant

(New York, New York) — front office foundationThe charity of director/producer Wendy C. Goldberg’s TheFrontOffice (an entertainment company) has announced a $25,000 mid-career grant to Mina Morita, director of arts and artist development at Crowded Fire Theater Company. She is one of the largest financial awards for an individual director. This important first grant, based on both merit and need, honors both the career of this worthy artist and addresses the gender inequalities that continue to exist in the field of women-identifying directors. We aim to keep it in the spotlight.

“I am surprised and humbled to be recognized by this board of accomplished colleagues. Thank you to Rachel Chavkin for her life-changing generosity: Tamirah Woodard, Leah Debessonette, and Lila Nugebauer.” Morita Peak“The significance of this moment, for me, was a recognition of my long-standing dedication to the Bay Area theater ecosystem as a leader in the arts, and it deepened my competence and skill as a director. The resources I receive are focused on my continued growth as a director through various trainings and retreats, and for working with companies around BIPOC, otherwise I am a suburban director. I may not have the funds to invite you into the development process as a child, and I am receiving healthcare assistance after being at my own expense for over 10 years.”

The selection committee was led by Wendy Goldberg, Patricia McGregor, Robert O’Hara, Lisa Peterson and Chey Yu. Principal funders of this grant include director Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown), Tamirah Woodard, Pam McKinnon (Clybourne Park), Leah Debesonnett (Into the Woods), Wendy C. Goldberg and TheFrontOffice, Lila Neugebaur and private donor Peggy J. Koenig (producer) and Jerry and Roz Meyer (supporter).

Wendy C. Goldberg said: The pandemic has made it very clear that there is little to no support for mid-career directors.There were no awards of this scale.This kind of award existed only for playwrights. Through SDC’s “On the Edge Study,” women directors said the purpose of this grant is to draw attention to board endorsements and encourage other funders. is to create a structure to support artists with ”

MINA MORITA (she/her) is the Artistic & Artist Development Director of Crowded Fire Theater Company. An acclaimed new theater director, Mina has worked with Guthrie Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Magic Theatre, Center Repertory Company, American Conservatory Theatre, Campo Santo, Shotgun Players, Playwrights Foundation, TheaterFirst, Ferocious Lotus, Bay I have worked in the area. Susan Soon Hee Stanton, Kui Nguyen, Anna Deaver Smith, Star Finch, JC Lee, Christopher Chen, Lauren Gunderson, Isaac Gomez, Philip Kang Gotanda, Young Jean Lee, Idris・Children’s Theater by creators such as Goodwin, Berkeley Playhouse, Crowded Fire, Lloyd Hsu, Dave Harris, Amelia Roper, Adam Changit, Sean San Jose, Ming Karn, Wes Nisker, Dustin Chin.Mina is a Theater Bay Area Winner [TBA] Winner of Outstanding Directing of a Musical in 2014, he was nominated for Outstanding Directing of a Play by the TBA in 2017, and was named Best Director at the 2018 Shelley Awards. She was recognized as a Beinecke Her Fellow at Yale University in 2022, and was named a Berkeley representative in the spring of 2023. She previously served as her Associate Artistic at Berkeley She Repertoire Her Theater and her floor at The Ground, which is central to the production and development of its new work. She also served as president of the Shotgun Players board. As a participant in the 2014 Lincoln Center Directors Lab. As one of her founding members of the Bay Area Children’s Theater. As a panelist for the Zellerbach Family Foundation, San Francisco Arts Commission, Theater Bay Area, and Hewlett Foundation. As a speaker at the Getty Leadership Summit. Lead facilitator of the Lotus Playwriting Retreat with Playwriting Australia. Guest her artist at UC Berkeley and Stanford University. Her commitment to ED&I and anti-racism activism extends to her participation in groups such as: Bay Area Artists for Racial Justice, Making Good Trouble Anti-Racist Training Program, Bay Area Accountability Workgroup, TCG’s Her ED&I Institute, and the Hewlett Foundation. In 2016, the TBA awarded her her 40 @ 40 Award, recognizing her influence on her theater in the Bay Area. In 2015, Mina was honored to share her own story on her TEDx. In 2016, she was named one of the YBCA100 for “questions and provocations that will shape the future of culture.”

Founded in 2019, Wendy C. Goldberg’s TheFrontOffice is an entertainment development company that specializes in crossover content from live theater to new media. The intersection of her 20-year Goldberg experience in theater and her experience as a director of rock star performances of her game TheFrontOffice develops content and stories for our times. The company’s charity, his TheFrontOffice Foundation, was founded in 2020 to help the live theater community during an era of industry shutdown. They are now focused on how they emerge from this chapter. Their support comes in a variety of ways, including direct relief to artists, commissions and grants. To this day, they partner with the TCG and SDCF in relief efforts. TheFrontOffice Foundation has also partnered with the Broadway design community on the 1/52 project to help diversify Broadway’s design population, and this year he will be giving over $100,000 in grants to his seven early careers. Distributed to design winners.

These efforts distributed $500,000 in aid to corporate donors as well as individuals. Donors come from all sectors and are primarily individuals interested in supporting theater artists. Click here for donation details.