65 for the 65th

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)

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