The Sarah Siddons Society, a Chicago organization dedicated to funding scholarships for promising theater arts students at top Chicago-area colleges and universities, has announced the formation of the Siddons Artistic Council. The group will offer mentoring, networking, and guidance to recent Siddons scholarship recipients and members of the Chicago-area professional theatre community, while acting as a conduit with the Society’s leadership. The Siddons Artistic Council includes Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department alumni Kaiser Ahmed ’08, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s Theatre Directing program, and Sar Cohen ’18, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s BA Program in Acting with a Minor in Stage Combat. Also on the council are Columbia College Theatre Department faculty member Donterrio and former Theatre Department faculty member Jermaine Hill. Columbia College Theatre Department alum and faculty member Brian Shaw ’86, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s BA Program in Theatre, is Columbia College’s representative on the Sarah Siddons Society’s board of governors and also serves as the board’s liaison to the Artistic Council.

The new Artistic Council is hosting three free events in February and March 2022 for recent scholarship recipients, theatre students, and the Chicago-area theatre community. Advance registration is required at sarahsiddonssociety.org. The events are:

Adjusting Your Path During a Pandemic – a Zoom Webinar on Monday, February 28, at 7 PM CST. As previously reported in this blog, the free webinar will feature Donterrio and fellow Artistic Council member Kayla Boye discussing topics related to artists repositioning themselves in new roles within their fields in the present uncertain professional climate. The February 28 panel is free, but advance registration is required. To register and for more information, click here.

Keeping It Going: Life After Theatre School – Monday, March 14, at 7 PM CST – a free, live, in-person dialogue with a panel of recent theatre school graduates and working professionals covering such topics as best resources to find work and collaborations, financial stability versus creative pursuits, the difference between what you learned in school and the reality of the industry, creating your own work, and building partnerships. The panelists include Artistic Council member and Columbia College alum Sar Cohen. This event will take place in the Courtyard Theatre of the Getz Theatre Center of Columbia College Chicago, located at 72 E. 11^th St. in Chicago’s South Loop.

Keeping It Going: Life After Theatre School – a Zoom webinar on Tuesday, March 22, at 7 PM CST – A free, virtual dialogue with a panel of recent theatre school graduates and working professionals covering such topics as best resources to find work and collaborations, financial stability versus creative pursuits, the difference between what you learned in school and the reality of the industry, creating your own work, and building partnerships. The panelists include Columbia College Theatre Department alums Sar Cohen and Bre Jacobs ’20, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s BFA Program in Musical Theatre Performance.

Founded in 1952, the Sarah Siddons Society funds scholarships to promising theatre arts students at top Chicago-area schools, including Columbia College Chicago, DePaul University, the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, and Northwestern University School of Communications.