SDC celebrated its 65th anniversary (1959–2024) with a social media campaign that highlighted 65 directors and choreographers whose work inspired SDC Members and transformed the American theatre. In addition to a photo and brief bio of each featured artist, each spotlight included a tribute from another SDC Member.
SDC is proud to have honored the directors and choreographers featured in the campaign—and now this book, where they are presented in alphabetical order. These artists, and three of SDC’s Founders were nominated by the Union’s Membership, signaling a passing of the torch from generation to generation.
Read the full publication here.
Table of Contents
Executive Director Letter
The context within which we do our work is ever-changing. Even so, it’s critical to understand a particular moment in time. As we wrap up this celebration of our 65th anniversary, I move between the need to stay focused on the work at hand, and the imperative that we keep our heads up, tracking the […]
President’s Letter
On April 24, 1959, Judge Saul Streit, Presiding Justice of the New York Supreme Court, signed the incorporation documents establishing what was then called the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSDC) as a national independent labor union. On April 24, 2024, SDC launched a year-long celebration of the 65th anniversary of its founding with […]
SDC: A Brief History
Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, or SDC (originally called the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, or SSDC) was founded in 1959 by director Shepard Traube along with a small group of theatrical luminaries who united to create a labor union devoted to protecting stage directors and choreographers. Among the founders were Abe Burrows, Harold [...]
Founders Circle
Agnes de Mille
Bob Fosse
Shepherd Traube
65 for the 65th
George Abbott
JoAnne Akalaitis
Debbie Allen
William Ball
Lou Bellamy
Michael Bennett
Patricia Birch
Anne Bogart
Lee Breuer
Peter Brook
Camille A. Brown
René Buch
Vinnette Carroll
Rachel Chavkin
Ping Chong
Martha Clarke
Graciela Daniele
Gordon Davidson
Sheldon Epps
Zelda Fichandler
Richard Foreman
Frank Galati
Michael John Garcés
Michael Greif
Tyrone Guthrie
Steven Hoggett
Michael Kahn
Elia Kazan
Woodie King, Jr.
Mark Lamos
Tina Landau
Michael Langham
Baayork Lee
Kenny Leon
Irene Lewis
Emily Mann
Joe Mantello
Kathleen Marshall
Marion McClinton
Jerry Mitchell
Mike Nichols
Trevor Nunn
Jack O’Brien
Hal Prince
José Quintero
Ellis Rabb
Lloyd Richards
Jerome Robbins
Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Alan Schneider
Susan H. Schulman
Seret Scott
Andrei Serban
Bartlett Sher
Susan Stroman
Daniel Sullivan
Julie Taymor
Twyla Tharp
Tommy Tune
George C. Wolfe
Robert Woodruff
Garland Wright
Chay Yew
Jerry Zaks
Mary Zimmerman
Members of the SDC Executive Board (1959-2025)