Theater News

1/52 Project, Supporting Early-Career Designers, Announces Inaugural Grant Recipients

The new initiative was founded by Tony-winning set designer Beowulf Boritt.

Tony-winning set designer Beowulf Borritt founded the 1/52 Project to support a diverse group of early-career designers.
Tony-winning set designer Beowulf Boritt founded the 1/52 Project to support a diverse group of early-career designers.
(© David Gordon)

The 1/52 Project, the new financial grant program founded by Tony Award-winning set designer Beowulf Boritt, has selected seven early-career designers as its first group of grant recipients. Each of the inaugural recipients will receive grants up to $15,000.

The 2022 recipients are Brittany Bland (projection designer), Everett Elton Bradman (sound designer), Stefania Bulbarella (projection designer), Jessica Alexandra Cancino (set designer), Frank Cazares (costume designer), Jordan McCree (sound designer), and Jingyi Johanna Pan (costume designer).

The 1/52 Project launched in January 2022 and is primarily funded by designers with shows running on Broadway who are encouraged to annually donate one week of their weekly royalties to this fund. The project hopes to encourage early career designers from historically excluded groups with the aim of diversifying and strengthening the Broadway design community.

The grant criteria were created and adjudicated by a world-class committee of BIPOC professional designers: Tony-nominated costume designer Dede Ayite, projection designer David Bengali, set designer Wilson Chin, lighting designer Alan C. Edwards, Tony-winning sound designer Kai Harada, set designer Kimie Nishikawa, Tony-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell, costume designer Alejo Vietti, and costume designer Anita Yavich.