Nicole Stodard, Ph.D., is a stage director, designer, educator, and writer.
She is the founding Artistic Director of Thinking Cap Theatre. Her research areas include stage direction and feminist and LGBTQ issues in theater history and practice. Stodard’s forthcoming book with Routledge, Aphra Behn, and the Glass Curtain, theorizes women's role in the history of playwriting and stage direction. A member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Stodard has directed and designed nearly 50 main stage productions. Distinctions include South Florida Carbonell Nominations for Best Director, Best Sound Design, and Best Costume Design; two Silver Palm Awards for Best Direction; three NEW TIMES “Best Director” Awards; and a WOW Impact Award for her work with Women of Wilton. Look for her upcoming articles in the newly launched Skirt Magazine.
Prior Related Employment and/or Education: MA in Theatre (Trinity College Dublin); Ph.D. in English (University of South Florida); Adjunct Professor at various Florida schools (USF, U of Tampa, Barry, Nova); Treasure Coast Hospice (developing theater education initiative to help youth use drama to cope with loss).
Mission Statement: Founded in 2010, Thinking Cap Theatre (TCT) is a professional, non-profit company that champions equality and theatrical experimentation and strives for excellence on and offstage. TCT is devoted to staging thought-provoking, socially conscious, formally innovative theater and to gender and sexual parity in programming. TCT presents main stage seasons, and community-based programs such as documentary theater projects, play readings, and playwriting workshops. Across all programming, TCT strives to reflect and serve our diverse society.
What would you say is the most rewarding part of your job?
Building relationships with artists and audiences over time; having the freedom to explore timely topics through the medium of theater.
What would you say is the most challenging part of your job?
Ongoing fundraising and grant writing to afford TCT the opportunity to continue to exist.
What would be a “dream come true” for your organization?
Securing sufficient capacity-building funds to allow us some full-time paid staff so that our organization can continue to grow and have a positive impact on the community.
Where would you like to see your organization in 10 years?
With an operating budget that is at least triple our current one, that affords us venue stability, more main stage programming, and an education wing.
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