Fellowships at The Kennedy Center

Fellowships at The Kennedy Center

Congratulations to the UNCSA students selected for the Fellowships at the Kennedy Center for 2023-24! They are: Gisela Estrada, D&P - Scene Design, Grayson Moreno, D&P - Sound Design, Elijah Thomas, D&P - Lighting Design, and Bethany Windham, D&P - Scenic Technology.

Applications for 2024-25 internships will be accepted through Friday, March 15, 2024.

William R. Kenan, Jr. Fellowships at The Kennedy Center, now in its 23rd year, seek to provide emerging theater artists with a wide variety of experiences bridging their academic training with the professional theater community. Kennedy Center Fellows are placed on projects with professional companies in Washington, D.C., including Mosaic Theatre Company, 1st Stage Tysons, The Shakespeare Theatre, Folger Theatre, Studio Theatre, Theatre J. Arena Stage and others, and with partner theaters across the country.

Applicants with strong cross-disciplinary or arts-education interests will be strongly considered. The most recent Fellows have been in Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Projection, and Sound Design, Directing, Stage Management, and in Arts Administration. See specific application criteria below.

Fellows at The Kennedy Center receive a salary of $750 per week and reimbursement for moving expenses to and from the Fellowship (up to $500 each way).

Up to four candidates will be selected for the Fellowship beginning in Fall 2024. Students and graduates of UNCSA’s high school program are not eligible.

Application Portal Opens February 15, 2024
Application Portal Closes March 15, 2024
Zoom Interviews  Starting March 7, 2024
Fellowships Announced TBA - Apr. 2024

Please carefully read through the Application Criteria and instructions before completing the application below for the William R. Kenan, Jr. Fellowships at The Kennedy Center. We recommend gathering all required materials before completing the online application.

Application Criteria for 2024-25

  • The Kenan Fellowships at The Kennedy Center are open to graduates and current students of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) undergraduate and graduate degree programs from the Schools of Drama and Design & Production. A Fellowship in Arts Leadership and Administration is open to grads from all programs.  All applicants must be members of the classes of 2019-2024.
  • Candidates must be self-motivated, demonstrate strong communication, time management and organizational skills in order to maintain a complex schedule; demonstrate a desire to learn and grow as an artist and individual; have curiosity and interest in the Washington, D.C. theatre community; and be highly collaborative.

Required Application Materials

For your online application, submit a single PDF that includes the following:

  • Cover Letter: No longer than one page that addresses these questions: 
    • Why are you interested in the fellowship?
    • What do you hope to learn or achieve from this experience?
    • What are your artistic goals for the future?
  • Resume or Curriculum Vitae

  • List of References: Names and contact information of three current references, with at least one  from UNCSA faculty
  • Portfolio (required only for designers, directors or stage managers). Portfolios can be included or linked to in the single PDF application file:
    • Designers: a representative portfolio of your design work
    • Directors: a representative portfolio of directing projects
    • Stage Managers: a representative sampling of your paperwork

For questions or additional information contact: 

Application for 2023-24 Fellowships