The Allen Lee Hughes Fellowship

The Allen Lee Hughes Fellowship

The Allen Lee Hughes Fellowship is a professional training pipeline program intending to support a robust theatrical ecology that reflects the full spectrum of the American spirit. The goal of Arena Stage's fellowship program is to cultivate the next generation of theater professionals by providing the highest standard of training through immersion in the art and business of producing theater. Successful candidates are highly motivated individuals who are interested in pursuing a career in the arts. Candidates from underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply.

Founding of the Allen Lee Hughes Fellowships

In 1990, Arena Stage’s Founder and Artistic Director, Zelda Fichandler and Artistic Associate, Tazwell Thompson, co-founded the theater’s fellowship program for individuals of color. This initiative was a crucial step to realizing Arena Stage’s founding principle of being a fully integrated theater company. The fellowships, which provide the opportunity annually for diverse candidates from around the country to apprentice at Arena Stage, have profoundly impacted the field at large. Over thirty-five years, Arena has created a pipeline of highly trained artisans, artists, and administrators. 

The training program was named after the talented Associate Artist/Lighting Designer, Allen Lee Hughes, who started his career at Arena in 1969 as an electrician. It was at Arena Stage that Allen’s personal growth sparked his evolution from electrician to world-renowned designer.

What We Offer

The program offers personalized training and in-depth, hands-on experience with top-tier professionals in artistic and technical production, arts administration, arts education, and community outreach.

Additionally, all fellows receive:

  • Mentorship from Arena Stage staff members, including senior staff

  • Professional development workshops and educational sessions led by Arena Stage staff members and guest artists

  • Monthly meetings with directors, designers, and senior staff administrators who provide insight into the overall management of the theater

  • A weekly fellowship stipend of $700. Please note that housing is not provided.

  • Complimentary tickets to Arena Stage’s productions

Structure of the Fellowship

  • The fellowship is full-time and requires a dedication of 38-43 weeks from August to May

  • Fellowships will average 40 hours a week over the course of the fellowship

    • Depending on department and/or time in the season, some weeks may require more or fewer than 40 hours

  • Fellows will have layers of support in their training and professional development:

    • Supervisor: A staff member in department that is primarily responsible for fellow’s learning experience

    • Mentor: The most senior member of their department

    • Training Programs Manager: A dedicated advocate and support for the fellow cohort, who also provides social and professional development opportunities for the group

Who Should Apply?

  • Recent graduates and career changers are encouraged to apply. 

  • Candidates from underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply

2026/27 Allen Lee Hughes Fellows

Jordan Au

Costumes Fellow

Avé Clyburn-Losee

Learning Engagement Fellow

Emmanuel Garcia- Castro

Lighting Fellow

Emily Leyva

Marketing & Communications Fellow

Emily Reed

General & Company Mangagement Fellow

Nayanna Simone

Artistic Fellow

Keiko Tani

Development Fellow

Azenethe Reyes Vargas

Multimedia Design Fellow

2026/27 Season Fellowship

The application window for the 2026/27 Season has closed. Check back in December 2026 to apply for the 2027/28 Season. Please send any questions to training@arenastage.org.

FAQs

Please email training@arenastage.org with any additional questions or concerns.

Meet Allen Lee Hughes

A lighting designer and teacher of lighting design, Allen Lee Hughes (far left) has a B.A. from Catholic University and a M.F.A. from New York University. He received the USITT Distinguished Achievement Award in Lighting Design for 2003. He is the recipient of the 1997 Merritt Award for Excellence in Design and Collaboration, two Washington Helen Hayes Awards, and four Tony nominations. Broadway credits include Ohio State Murders, Topdog/Underdog, A Soldier’s Play, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Clybourne Park, Having Our Say, Mule Bone, Once on This Island, K2, Strange Interlude, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, and Quilters. His work has been seen at major theaters throughout the country, including Seattle Rep, New York Shakespeare Festival, Guthrie Theater, Shakespeare Theater, Goodman, and Lincoln Center Theater. His dance designs include works for American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Ballet Tech, Hartford Ballet, and Pilobolus Dance Theatre. Allen teaches at New York University and is very proud to have the Arena Stage fellows program named in his honor.

Sponsors

The Allen Lee Hughes Fellowship is made possible by Rick and Carol Froehlich and .

Arena Stage’s community engagement efforts are generously sponsored by Denie and Frank Weil; The Toni A. Ritzenberg Fund for Educational and Community Outreach Programs at Arena Stage; Joanne Barker; The Robert and Natalie Mandel Family Foundation; Rick and Carol Froehlich; The DeLaski Family Foundation; Boeing; Comcast; Alice Shaver Foundation; GEICO; Venable Foundation; Hattie M. Strong Foundation; Nora Roberts Foundation; Enterprise Holdings Foundation; Friends of Southwest D.C.; and Actors’ Equity Foundation.