Anniversaries provide opportunities for celebration. We pause to partake of the ritual of well-deserved congratulations, parties, toasts. Anniversaries can also provide opportunities for reflection, assessment, and consideration of the future. Ten years ago, the Executive Board determined to take the opportunity of the 50th anniversary of the founding of SDC to do some of this important work. In partnership with the Membership, we would consider where the Union had been and what had been achieved from the beginnings of this now-formidable Union that took shape over late nights at Sardi’s on West 44th Street in NYC. We would also take a hard look at where we had fallen short and consider how the Union might respond to the changes in crafts and community that were beginning to reveal themselves in the early years of the 21st century, if not before. We challenged ourselves by saying, “If the only thing we can look back on is a great party or two, we will have failed.”
One early, central decision the Board made was to fully embrace the national nature of SDC. Though founded by a tight group of Broadway directors and choreographers, where and how our Members made their work had changed, and as such, the Union needed to embed new practices into its short- and long-term planning. Threaded through all our conversations was the belief that too many of your collaborators, employers, and peers did not understand what you do, and our ability to fight for protections was directly connected to bargaining partners understanding the undisputable value of your work.
And because you should be known for what you do, we needed to find ways to share your stories, and weren’t we best positioned to capture those, the essence of your work, who you are, what drives you? We envisioned SDC Journal. A magazine about craft; Union business would be shared through other communications. This would be a place to honor you, to preserve your history, to introduce you to one another. Modeled on the DGA Quarterly and other leading industry publications, it would be substantial. Rigorous, well written, well produced, surprising. With guidance from the Board, at-large Members, and an Editorial Advisory Committee, we looked at design concepts, brainstormed names,
tested willingness to participate, interviewed editors.
Editors. What is a magazine without editors? Editors who push and pull. Who are passionate and stubborn. Who fit this freelance gig into their busy, demanding professional lives. This issue of SDC Journal was curated by a small group of Feature Editors and Managing Editors who represent the span of work of the past decade.
Elizabeth Nelson was our first Art Director and Managing Editor. The magazine was her vision as much as anyone’s—she understood the need and the potential, and she was relentless in her belief that this could be a publication to rival magazines in our field. Features Editor Shelley Butler could distill the essence of a conversation like no one else. Her insight as an SDC Member, a director of skill and ambition, raised the bar. She was tenacious in her pursuit of excellence, her collaboration with the Advisory Committee, and her unwillingness to accept anything less than representation from across the field. Features Editor Elizabeth Bennett is known by many across the country as one of the foremost dramaturgs; I am not sure there are many out there who love directors nd choreographers the way Elizabeth does. Her passion and devotion to the story, her knowledge of the field, gave depth and breadth to our magazine; she took care with every interview, initial edit, and collaboration with guest contributors. And the delight, I would say, was constant—but from time to time the laughter turned to panic as Kate Chisholm, our Managing Editor, reminded us of deadlines. SDC first met Kate when she was with the Kurt Weill Foundation supporting SDCF programs. Some years later she applied to join us as Managing Editor and it’s a life sentence as far as I’m concerned. With love and uncompromising professionalism, without question she makes the Journal happen.
I think time has lost its meaning, or we have lost our ability to measure time given the madness of the past two-and-a-half years, but I can’t believe it’s been 10 years. I appreciate the passing of time a little differently now, reading the content between these covers. This double issue contains the past and the present and the future, all in one place. We build on the past, standing on the shoulders of giants even as we learn to do better, see our shortcomings, and experience the transformation that comes from inspiration. And through the past and present we see glimpses of the future. More than just glimpses.
COVID interrupted our rhythm, professional as well as personal. We managed to get a few issues out during the pandemic. The good news is we have figured out how to publish online and will continue to do so even as we prepare to publish more issues next year, as we incrementally build back. Easy for me to say but I feel SDC Journal should be required reading for students of theatre, regardless of their course of study or aspirations. (I have loved those moments when graduate students confess to kidnapping their professor’s issues, hoping to return them before they go missing.) Perhaps I’ll take that on as we move into the next decade, with hope and continued dedication to telling your stories.
In Solidarity,
Laura Penn
Executive Director