Stage Life

While the Arsht Center was forced to cancel more than 200 shows and lost $11 million in revenue since the onset of COVID-19 last March, a new 6-figure grant from the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation is bolstering the continuity and longevity of the Arsht Center’s 3-year Technical Theater Apprenticeship Program. Black professionals make up less than 1% of the theatrical workforce, according to the Black Theatre Coalition. The Arsht Center program helps to address this industry-wide disparity. “The cycle of inequitable access to sustainable wages can be broken with greater access to training and lucrative careers,” says Curtis Hodge, Arsht Center Director of Production. Participants receive the classroom and on-the-job experience needed to propel these young professionals toward a career in entertainment as well as the necessary life skills to thrive in today’s world. “The world of live entertainment seemed very foreign until I started the apprenticeship,” says Andre Best. “Now I have the opportunity to work in events that I’ve wanted to be around my whole life.”; ArshtCenter.org.