Actor and producer Lamar Richardson (CC '15) has been named a 2022 Front Row Productions Fellow by Stephen Byrd & Alia Jones-Harvey's Front Row Productions, in association with Professor of Professional Practice Steven Chaikelson, Head of the Theatre Management & Producing Concentration.
"We are thrilled to announce Lamar as 2022 Front Row Productions Fellow at Columbia University," Byrd and Jones-Harvey said to Broadway World. "The enthusiasm, innovative approaches to theatre, and acumen of the applicants this year made our selection process a challenge. Along with our Mentors, Advisors, and Steven Chaikelson, we look forward to working with Lamar on his journey to bring his project to the commercial theatre and expand upon his very intention to be a catalyst for change."
As a fellow, Richardson will receive a $10,000 stipend and a $20,000 budget to develop his project, support from mentors and advisors, access to a New York City regional network of theatre professionals, and access to resources and courses at Columbia University School of the Arts, including the library system and all the courses offered in the Theatre Management & Producing concentration. Richardson will also have the opportunity to be part of the Theatre Management & Producing Concentration's Producer Exchange Program with Stage One in the United Kingdom.
Currently, Richardson is making his first trip to Broadway as a co-producer on the revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman starring Wendell Pierce, Sharon D. Clarke, and Andre De Shields and produced by Chaikelson at the Hudson Theatre.
"I am absolutely thrilled to be the second ever Front Row Fellow and look forward to a productive year at Columbia University," Richardson said. "Given my background and training as an actor, this fellowship provides state-of-the-art education, access, and industry exposure which is essential for my future success in the commercial production space."
Richardson hopes the fellowship will allow him to spend the next year expanding his "production toolkit and absorbing as much knowledge as possible. As a first-generation Caribbean American artist, this opportunity means the world to me, and I am very excited for what lies ahead."
Led by award-winning producers Alia Jones-Harvey and Stephen Byrd, founders of Front Row Productions, Inc., and in collaboration with Columbia University School of the Arts, the Front Row Productions Fellowship was established in 2021 to create a pipeline for emerging producers of color and bring significant works to Broadway featuring diverse casts and creative teams.
The fellowship, modeled after the highly successful T Fellowship Program—later renamed The Prince Fellowship to honor the legacy of the T. Fellowship founder and legendary director and producer Harold Prince—looks for individuals with producing and theatre management experience that aspire to a career as a lead commercial producer. Preference during the selection process is given to applicants who have demonstrated potential, achievement, and leadership in and support for the African American theatre community. Richardson's time in the program will run from September 2022 through August 2023.
Lamar Richardson was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. He got his bachelor's from Columbia University in 2015. The following year, he debuted and starred as Sylvester in Phylicia Rashad's award-winning production of August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. It won 'Best Ensemble', received the 'McCulloh Award for Revival' at the 2017 L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards, and was awarded 'Best Acting Ensemble of a Play' at the 2018 L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Awards. Richardson has also recently appeared on screen in Jordan Peele's Weird City, James Sweeney's Straight Up, and NBC's New Amsterdam. He will appear in Richard Lawson's feature adaptation of Richard Wright's Black Terror, which is being co-produced with Tina Knowles-Lawson, and CBS FBI. Moreover, Richardson has also cofounded Ivy Lion Productions to produce underrepresented voices and empowering stories.