Fellowships at The Kennedy Center

Congratulations to the UNCSA students selected for the Fellowships at the Kennedy Center for 2024-25! They are: Logan Benson, D&P - Costume Design, Sage Green, D&P - Lighting Design, Isabella Tapia, D&P - Stage Management, and Mrinali Thanwani, D&P - Scene Design.

Applications for 2025-26 internships will open on February 14, 2025, and be accepted through March 14, 2025.

William R. Kenan, Jr. Fellowships at The Kennedy Center, now in its 24th year, seek to provide emerging theater artists with a wide variety of experiences bridging their academic training with the professional theater community. Kennedy Center Fellows are placed on projects with professional companies in Washington, D.C., including Mosaic Theatre Company, 1st Stage Tysons, The Shakespeare Theatre, Folger Theatre, Studio Theatre, Theatre J. Arena Stage and others, and with partner theaters across the country.

Applicants with strong cross-disciplinary or arts-education interests will be strongly considered. The most recent Fellows have been in Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Projection, and Sound Design, Directing, Stage Management, and in Arts Administration. See specific application criteria below.

Fellows at The Kennedy Center receive a salary of $800 per week and reimbursement for moving expenses to and from the Fellowship (up to $500 each way).

Up to four candidates will be selected for the Fellowship beginning in Fall 2025. Students and graduates of UNCSA’s high school program are not eligible.

Please carefully read through the Application Criteria and instructions before completing the application below for the William R. Kenan, Jr. Fellowships at The Kennedy Center. We recommend gathering all required materials before completing the online application.

Application Criteria for 2025-26

• The Kenan Fellowships at The Kennedy Center are open to graduates and current students of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) undergraduate and graduate degree programs from the Schools of Drama and Design & Production. A Fellowship in Arts Leadership and Administration is open to grads from all programs.  All applicants must be members of the classes of 2020-2025.
• Candidates must be self-motivated, demonstrate strong communication, time management and organizational skills in order to maintain a complex schedule; demonstrate a desire to learn and grow as an artist and individual; have curiosity and interest in the Washington, D.C. theatre community; and be highly collaborative.

For questions or additional information contact: 

• Kennedy Center:  Gregg Henry at 202-416-8864 or ghenry@kennedy-center.org
• UNCSA: Rebecca Pancoast at pancoastr@uncsa.edu
• Office of Career Readiness & Community Engagement: careerreadiness@uncsa.edu

Application for 2025-26 Fellowships