FY2023 Individual Artist Fellowship Awards in Theatre Winners
From Jared Morrison, Director of Performing Arts –
Congratulations to this year’s Individual Artist Fellowship Awards in Theatre winners.
Maryanna Clarke– Theatre Directing
Maryanna Clarke is the Founder and Artistic Director of Nashville’s Tennessee Women’s Theater Project, an organization rooted in the female voice. She has directed dozens of the company’s productions for many years.
“My daughter Kate, then seven years old (now 32!), inspired my decision to direct,” she explains. “At the time, I had a day job (legal secretary) while I pursued an acting career. Kate came with me to an audition one night. In a typical audition for a typical play, there were roles for umpteen men and one woman. Umpteen women and not even enough men to fill all the roles turned out. Afterward, in the car on the way home, Kate turned to me and said, “when I grow up, I want to be just like you.” My heart melted. But she finished that sweet thought with the words that changed my life forever – “I want to act, and I want to type.” In that instant, I knew I had to give her something more to aspire to than that; in that instant, my dream to find and direct plays that express the human condition in the female voice was born.”
Ms. Clarke has received many other accolades for her work, including being named a Woman of Influence in Nonprofit Arts Leadership by the Nashville Business Journal and receiving the Phenomenal Woman: Arts Award from Scarritt-Bennett Center.
Mandy Heath – Lighting Design
Mandy Heath is the resident Lighting Designer of Theatre Memphis. Originally from a small city in Iowa, she was introduced to theatre at a young age but had never considered participation until a friend took her to auditions. “When I got involved in theatre and discovered lighting, suddenly things clicked into place. I could finally make things look the way I saw them in my mind. I could feel the way a moment speaks through light. Lighting design is heavily reliant on science and math in many ways, so it became the perfect path for me.”
“As a lighting designer,” she says, “I am first and foremost a storyteller. It is my job to help tell the audience where and when we are, then immerse them in its emotion. My work enhances the stories without being distracting. I tend towards a heightened or, in some cases, magical realism. Everything is done with the needs of the overall production in mind. Then I add sprinkles and flair wherever I can to bring flash, enhance beauty, or drive an emotional moment home. I want to make the audience cry when a light goes out or gasp when they flash. I want them to feel the push and pull of tension in the room and relief when a tense moment is released. I love working with light because you can completely change how a moment is perceived.”
Individual Artist Fellowship is given in recognition and acknowledgement of outstanding professional Tennessee artists who, through their work add to the cultural vitality of the state. Fellowship applications are reviewed by out-of-state adjudicators. Various program directors manage this category. See grant guidelines for more information.
