FROM THE PRESIDENT
I am writing on the last day of the year, December 31, 2012, as Volume 3 of SDC Journal prepares to go to print for its first issue of the New Year. 2013 happens to be my final year as President of SDC. Transitions often inspire reflection, and New Year’s Eve, perhaps above all others, is prime for such enthusiastic consideration of future hopes, goals, and resolutions. For SDC, 2012 will be remembered for numerous initiatives that are just now beginning to flourish and succeed. Contract filing has increased, up for a second year in a row from the recession of 2008. We have broadened our national presence, supported by Member meetings and events in cities across the country. We have deepened our involvement with Directors Lab West and Directors Lab Chicago, programs that support the growth and future of our craft. Our relationship with the Actors Fund, an organization dedicated to supporting all performing artists in all aspects of career and life, has been strengthened, as has our evolving relationship with the Dramatists Guild, with whom we hope to continue exploring common ground and aligning our shared goals. HIS SDC FLASHLIGHT—SWAG FROM THE 2009 REBRANDING CAMPAIGN—WAS HIS ONLY SOURCE OF LIGHT WHEN HIS APARTMENT WENT DARK. HE NAVIGATED HIS STAIRWELL TO THE STREET WITH THE HELP OF SDC.
2012 was an election year, with a variety of intense local and national races. SDC’s Executive Board experienced a surge in membership with its November election—we added five new Members, creating a critical mass of fresh energy and bold ideas to better support the increasing and diversifying needs of our Membership, which is now more than 2,500 directors and choreographers strong—a record for SDC. Nationally, our industry continues to face challenges, but we are making great strides as well. We learned that Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, is stepping down from his post, and we thank him for all he has done for our field as we look forward to welcoming the next NEA leader. The Affordable Care Act, which will continue to take shape, will begin to have meaning for our Membership as the Union works to understand its implications to our Funds. TCG recently reported that the nonprofit sector is rebounding—good news for us all—yet we know funding is an eternal battle. SDC works hard to expand its reach, visiting Members and their communities across the country, striving to foster existing relationships and build new ones. Our aim is to listen to and converse with working directors and choreographers about the challenges they face throughout their careers. My favorite Member moment this past year happened during the annual trip to Los Angeles. At the Fichandler cocktail party, Daniel Henning (Artistic Director of L.A.’s The Blank Theatre) shared a story about working in New York during Hurricane Sandy. His SDC flashlight—swag from the 2009 rebranding campaign—was his only source of light when his apartment went dark. He navigated his stairwell to the street with the help of SDC. We exist for you, to support and represent you and your work, and it is on this note that I toast 2013. Here’s to our continued adventure—together and as individuals—in our work on and behind the stage, and within our artistic homes. Here’s to the growth of our Union in strength and outreach, to our Foundation and its goals to support the craft at all levels, to our Members’ participation within the Union and society at large. And here’s to encouraging change and inciting creative rebellion. Happy New Year! And, as always, happy reading!
Karen Azenberg President of SDC KAREN AZENBERG has been a Member since 1989 | DANIEL HENNING since 1997
WINTER 2013 | SDC JOURNAL
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