Black Theatre United (BTU) and Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) have announced the creation of the Early Career Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Theatre-Makers Program, in partnership and with a lead gift from the Tiger Baron Foundation. The Early Career BIPOC Theatre-Makers Program is a central, new component of the Festival’s training program, beginning in 2021. The resounding demand for racial equity and inclusion in the American theatre has reaffirmed the Festival’s commitment to providing meaningful work experience and increased opportunities for early career theatre-makers who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in its 66-year-old training program. WTF has refashioned its training program with an emphasis on structured learning that presents outstanding opportunities for early career theatre-makers. BTU was formed to protect and promote Black talent, Black people, and Black lives. BTU and WTF came together to build this new program in the shared dedication to creating new opportunity for emerging talent in all areas of theatre, in an environment focused on the core values of equity and inclusion. Participants – who will be recruited and identified jointly by the organizations and named as BTU Rise Fellows - will spend the summer in residence at the Festival, engaging in a newly co-conceived and co-executed "work & learn" experience. Together, both BTU and WTF have built a program that provides each participant with room, board, and a stipend of $2,500. Each participant will be embedded in a specific WTF department, working alongside seasoned practitioners while also learning as a cohort in a classroom setting combining seminars, panels, and structured mentorship with founding members of BTU. For information on how to apply for the Early Career BIPOC Theatre-Makers Program, visit www.wtfestival.org/work-learn/. Press contact: DKC/O&M (212/695-7400)...