The Burry Fredrik Foundation has announced Stephanie Osin Cohen as the recipient of the 2019 Burry Fredrik Design Fellowship and its $25,000 award.
The Burry Fredrik Design Fellowship was established in 2017 to help launch the careers of graduates from Yale School of Drama’s Design Departments. Each year, the Yale School of Drama Design Department faculty selects one graduating scenic, costume, lighting, projection, or sound designer as the Burry Fredrik Design Fellow, who will receive a $25,000 award. In addition, if the Fellow is hired as a designer at any professional theater in Connecticut in the two years following the award, the Foundation will make a grant to that theatre in an amount equal to the fee paid to the designer.
Set designer Claire DeLiso was the inaugural Burry Fredrik Design Fellow in 2017, followed by sound designer Frederick Kennedy in 2018.
“The Design Fellowship perfectly epitomizes Burry Fredrik’s lifelong commitment to theatre, to design, and to helping young professionals in the field. We know she would be delighted by the selection of Stephanie Osin Cohen as this year’s recipient,” said Barbara Pearce on behalf of the Burry Fredrik Foundation.
Stephanie Osin Cohen, a third-year MFA candidate at Yale School of Drama, said, "I am so honored to be named the recipient of this year's Burry Fredrik Design Fellowship. Having seen the impact this award has had on Claire’s and Fred's careers in just two years, I feel so fortunate to be entering the field with the same opportunity and the incredible support of the foundation. As I graduate from Yale School of Drama I am excited to continue building a relationship with the wider Connecticut community through the fellowship. Thank you to my professors, to Yale School of Drama, and to the Burry Frederik Foundation for recognizing my work and for choosing to uplift and advance early-career designers. I can't wait to get started!"
A theatre trailblazer, Tony Award-winning producer and Broadway director and stage manager, Burry Fredrik established the Burry Fredrik Foundation to promote the development of new work and the fiscal health of professional theaters in Connecticut. To fulfill its mission, the Foundation provides support for developing new works and audiences for Connecticut professional producing theaters with national import, and fosters the development of young theater designers.
Stephanie's work can be viewed online here.