Photo by Joe Mazza

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for-profit foundation of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), announced that Lisa Portes is the recipient of the 2016 Zelda Fichandler Award, which recognizes an outstanding director or choreographer who is “transforming the regional arts landscape through singular creativity and artistry in the theater.” The award will be presented to Portes by Steppenwolf Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro on Sunday, October 30, at 7:30pm at Steppenwolf.

Portes’ selection as the 2016 recipient represents a milestone in the Award’s history. SDCF Chair Sheldon Epps stated, “For the first time, the selection committee chose to honor a freelance director to receive this prestigious award. Lisa Portes, in her work as a director, educator, and advocate, is breaking new ground and expanding the narrative of what American theater can be, just as Zelda did in her long career.”

“I am deeply honored to receive the 2016 Fichandler Award for the Central Region,” says Portes. “Ms. Fichandler–a woman artist, producer, and leader dedicated to changing the very nature of the American Theatre–has long been an inspiration to me. In everything I do, I seek to build in some small way upon the work she began in Washington, D.C in 1950 – to break ground, make room, and expand our understanding of what the American theater can be.”

The Committee also selected two finalists: Aimée Hayes (New Orleans, LA), Producing Artistic Director of Southern Rep, and Eric Rosen (Kansas City, MO), Artistic Director of Kansas City Repertory Theatre.