Applications for the 2025-2026 Fellowship are now OPEN!
Please scroll to the bottom of the page to submit your application!
IN LOVING MEMORY OF DEA HURSTON
The Dea Hurston Fellowship (DHF) program at New Village Arts was created to address the lack of paid opportunities for women, BIPOC, and other underrepresented theatre artists and students in San Diego.
The DHF, which will currently focus on San Diego County, is centered on the belief that a more diverse theatre environment leads to better and more inspiring stories that have broader positive impact on our communities.
The Dea Hurston Fellowship (DHF) addresses three main categories:
High School
The high school program focuses on accessibility to the arts for students in high school. The DHF provides free tickets to shows, education from industry professionals, and mentorship opportunities. The DHF will give priority to students from lower income/higher diversity schools.
College Students
The college program focuses on creating professional opportunities for BIPOC, women, and other underrepresented theatre artists currently in college. DHF covers stipends for these emerging artists to work in local professional theatres and gain mentorship from them.
Professional Experience Artists and Administrators
The professional artist and administrator program supports the hiring of BIPOC artists in professional theatres in San Diego County.
The DHF is designed to support artists working within San Diego County to create meaningful connections and discourse with NVA, youth and college-aged partners, and the greater San Diego theatre and arts community.
FELLOWSHIP TESTIMONIALS
“Dea Hurston created this program to bring opportunities to the people that lacked access in various areas of the arts. She first worked with Moxie Theatre and San Diego Opera to fulfill these dreams and I’m very grateful that New Village Arts is now a branch of her legacy. As a young, Black woman, and artist, I can wholeheartedly say that this is a program I needed and would have benefitted from in my earlier years in the arts. I am honored to be the manager of the Dea Hurston Fellowship at New Village Arts and I can’t wait to see how it continues to change the face of White American Theatre as we move forward in our goal of creating more opportunities for underrepresented theatre artists in San Diego County.”
— Kiara Hudlin (Hurston Fellow)
“Dea Hurston was a fierce advocate for the arts and created seats at the table for up and coming BIPOC artists throughout her life. This fellowship not only honors her legacy but ensures her name lives on through each and every artist who takes part in it.”
— Kandace Crystal (Hurston Fellow)
“Through the Dea Hurston Fellowship at New Village Arts I was able to learn and grow skills that will help me immensely on my theatre journey. I absolutely loved getting to work with everyone and meeting one on one with my mentor really helped me hone my skills and learn new techniques that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. I truly enjoyed the program stage managing “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” was a dream come true. I thank NVA and the Dea Hurston foundation for this opportunity and for welcoming me into their theater!“
— Isabella Regan (College Fellow)
2025-2026 Fellowship Call for Fellows
New Village Arts is proud to announce our Call for Fellows for the 2025-2026 Dea Hurston Professional Fellowship (DHF). This prestigious opportunity aims to select two emerging theatre professionals as well as a professional visual artist who demonstrate outstanding talent and a commitment to community-building within the arts. BIPOC individuals are strongly encouraged to apply.
The DHF is designed to support artists working within San Diego County to create meaningful connections and discourse with NVA, youth and college-aged partners, and the greater San Diego theatre and arts community. The Professional fellows are offered a key role as Theatre Professionals working on an NVA production within our 24th Season, a Professional Theatre Fellows will receive a stipend of $10,000 and Visual Artist Fellows receive $2,500 as well as a dedicated mentor, and the opportunity to work with high school and college affiliated NVA partners to further support young theatre professionals in San Diego. After the Fellowship, Fellows will be given the opportunity to publicly present about their work, and possible additional engagements with the NVA community. The stipend includes all expectations of each Professional Fellow over the Fellowship.
Eligibility is limited to artists who meet the following guidelines:
- Must be at least 18 years old at time of entry.
- Must reside in San Diego or North County.
- The residency seeks to support underrepresented San Diego-based artists and administrators and encourages Black and/or BIPOC artists and administrators to apply.
- Candidates may not be enrolled in a degree-seeking program, either part-time or full time, at an institution of higher learning at the time of application deadline or during the period of the
residency. - Artists affiliated with New Village Arts in an administrative capacity are not eligible to apply. This includes all full time administrative staff and Board members working with the organization in any sort of their official capacity.
- Artists with previous experiences benefiting from increased professional opportunity are encouraged to apply.
The Call for Fellows opens on March 5th, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is April 2nd, 2025. Aspiring fellows are invited to submit their applications below. Join us in shaping the future of theatre and fostering a more inclusive and vibrant artistic community!
Dea Hurston Fellowship Application
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For more information about the Dea Hurston Fellowship, please contact Bryttney Salvant, Fellowship Manager at bryttney@newvillagearts.org.
Pictured Above: Moments from the Inaugural Fellowship Mixer in 2023. Photo Credit: Rich Soublet Photography
