ATLANTA: The Alliance Theatre has announced Shaina Pierce as its inaugural Stage Management Fellow, in a term that begins Aug. 1 and lasts through the end of the 2021-22 season.

“I’m thrilled and excited for this opportunity to work with such a talented group of people at the Alliance Theatre,” said Pierce in a statement. “This opportunity means the world to me. I look forward to learning more about stage managing at a higher level and getting back into the theatre!”

Pierce will spend the year in residence as part of the Alliance’s stage management department, working as the stage manager or assistant stage manager primarily on the Coca-Cola Stage with a new version of A Christmas Carol, a co-production with another regional theatre, and a world premiere musical with a Broadway-seasoned creative team. The fellowship will also include opportunities to network in the Atlanta theatre community and the chance for Pierce to develop a network of mentors within and outside the Alliance.

The Stage Management Fellowship Program comes after the theatre’s leadership spent the year listening to artists of color, who expressed a desire to see more stage managers of color. The Alliance will work with stage management graduate programs on this program to create a pipeline to full-time work for emerging stage managers of color. Candidates must be MFA students in stage management in their final year or have graduated from an MFA stage management program within the last three years to apply. A panel of professional stage managers and theatre leaders select the final candidate, with those panelists also serving as a resource for the fellow during the fellow’s time in residence.

Shaina Pierce is a recent graduate of the University of Alabama, where she received her MFA in stage management. While at UA, her credits included The Merchant of Venice, Intimate Apparel, and Legally Blonde (interrupted by COVID). She has taught and mentored undergraduate stage managers and enjoys learning as much as she does sharing her artistry. Previous credits include Comedy of Errors, Cinderella, and Disney’s The Little Mermaid at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. She stage managed The Last Five Years and The Boys Next Door at the Cloverdale Playhouse. She has also worked for the Montgomery Ballet’s The Nutcracker and stage managed Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre at UA. Shaina has been a part of numerous staged readings as well as Zoom recorded readings.