SDC protects the rights of directors and choreographers.

Judge Saul Streit, Presiding Justice of the New York Supreme Court (seated), signs the incorporation documents witnessed by original Members (left to right) Hanya Holm, Ezra Stone, Shepard Traube, Agnes de Mille + legal counsel Erwin Feldman.
Over sixty-five years ago, under the helm of director Shepard Traube, the founding Members of SDC united to create a theatrical labor union devoted to empowering the stage director and choreographer. When Bob Fosse withheld his services on a production of Little Me, Broadway producers were forced to recognize the Union, and in the case against producer Jay Julien, SDC won the important distinction of employee for its Membership. In addition to tackling the complex issue of intellectual property rights with such cases as Gerald Gutierrez‘s Most Happy Fella, Joe Mantello‘s Love! Valour! Compassion!, and John Rando‘s and John Carrafa‘s Urinetown, SDC has repeatedly achieved equitable fees and contracts for its Members. Today the Union is stronger than ever, working diligently to raise the profiles of directors and choreographers and their work and to unite, empower, and protect a nationwide Membership of professional directors and choreographers.
Leadership History
2008 – Present |
2019 – Present |
2016 – 2019 |
2013 – 2016 |
2007 – 2013 |
2001 – 2007 |
1998 – 2001 |
1995 – 2008 |
1992 – 1998 |
1987 – 1994 |
1986 – 1992 |
1984 – 1987 |
1983 – 1986 |
1980 – 1983 |
1970 – 1980 |
1968 – 1984 |
1967 – 1970 |
1965 – 1967 |
1962 – 1965 |
1959 – 1962 |
Executive Director |
President |
President |
President |
President |
President |
President |
Executive Director |
President |
Executive Director |
President |
Executive Secretary |
President |
President |
President |
Executive Secretary |
President |
President |
President |
President |
Laura Penn |
Evan Yionoulis |
Pam MacKinnon |
Susan H. Schulman |
Karen Azenberg |
Pamela Berlin |
Ted Pappas |
Barbara Hauptman |
Julianne Boyd |
David Rosenak |
Gene Saks |
Harrison Cromer |
Marshall W. Mason |
James Hammerstein |
Lloyd Richards |
Mildred Traube |
Danny Daniels |
Agnes de Mille |
Joseph Anthony |
Shepard Traube |
SDC Founders
Robert Allan Ackerman |
Joseph Anthony |
Valerie Bettis |
Harold Bromley |
Philip Burton |
Robert Cahlman |
Ira Cirker |
Fielder Cook |
Howard Da Silva |
Jules Dassin |
Vincent Donehue |
John Fearnley |
Bob Fosse |
Roy Franklin |
Peter Gennaro |
Gino Giglio |
John Hancock |
Robert Herget |
Jed Horner |
Robert Joffrey |
Gene Kelly |
Joseph Kramm |
Robert Lewis |
Joshua Logan |
Joseph Mankiewicz |
Marshall W. Mason |
Guthrie McClintic |
Frank Merlin |
James Nygren |
Ruth Page |
Henry C. Potter |
José Quintero |
Cyril Ritchard |
Bill Ross |
George Schaefer |
Alex Segal |
Herman Shumlin |
Edith Stephen |
Roger Sullivan |
Frank Day Tuttle |
Onna White |
Rod Alexander |
William Ball |
Peter Birch |
Peter Brook |
John Butler |
Carmen Capalbo |
Marcella Cisney |
Frank A. Corsaro |
Tad Danielewski |
Agnes de Mille |
Robert Downing |
Cy Feuer |
Robert Foster |
Burry Fredrick |
Ella Gerber |
Peter Glenville |
Cedric Hardwicke |
Ray Hinkley |
Norris Houghton |
Garson Kanin |
John Kennedy |
Danya Krupska-Thurston |
Windsor Lewis |
Sidney Lumet |
Delbert Mann |
Billy Matthews |
Neil McKenzie |
David Metcalf |
John O’Shaughnessy |
Arthur Penn |
Stanley Prager |
Jack Ragotzy |
Martin Ritt |
Herbert Ross |
Dore Schary |
Joshua Shelley |
Elliot Silverstein |
John Stix |
Helen Tamiris |
Eugene Van Grona |
Arthur R. Williams |
David Alexander |
Richard Barr |
Ruthanna Boris |
Perry Bruskin |
Henry Butler |
Ted Cappy |
Harold Clurman |
Paul Crabtree |
Danny Daniels |
Harry Delmar |
Lyle Dye Jr. |
Ernest O. Flatt |
Aaron Frankel |
Charles Freeman |
John Gerstad |
Robert H. Gordon |
Moss Hart |
Hanya Holm |
John Houseman |
Mesrop Kasdikian |
Michael Kidd |
Jack Landau |
Monica Lind |
Alfred Lunt |
Daniel Mann |
Matt Mattox |
Gian Carlo Menotti |
Worthington Miner |
Sir Laurence Olivier |
Daniel Petrie |
Otto Preminger |
Elmer Rice |
Jerome Robbins |
Mark Rydell |
Alan Schneider |
Ed Sherin |
Anna Sokolow |
Ezra Stone |
Shepard Traube |
Allen Waine |
John C. Wilson |
Richard Altman |
Herbert Berghof |
Charles Bowden |
Abe Burrows |
Bill Butler |
Madolin Cervantes |
Jack Cole |
Hume Cronyn |
Marc Daniels |
Reginald Denham |
Lee A. Emmerich |
Charles Forsythe |
Gene Frankel |
Jack Garfein |
Sir John Gielgud |
William Hammerstein |
Joseph Hayes |
Harry Horner |
Michael Howard |
Elia Kazan |
Jerome Kilty |
Joe Layton |
Albert Lipton |
Herbert Machiz |
Albert E. Marre |
Nick Mayo |
Burgess Meredith |
Loy Nilson |
Charles Olsen |
Stephen W. Porter |
David Pressman |
Lloyd Richards |
Hubert W. Rolling |
Donald Saddler |
Mark Schoenberg |
Bert Shevelove |
Zachary Solov |
Irving Strouse |
Anthony Tudor |
Margaret Webster |
Bretaigne Windus |