LIVERPOOL, N.Y.: The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) has announced the formation of the Collier Robert Woods Jr. Scholarship to support Black students with interests in lighting design, theatre production, technology, and associated theatrical fields.

“We are honored to be the home of the Collier Robert Woods Jr. Scholarship,” executive director David Grindle said in a statement. “USITT is committed to life-long learning, just as Woods was. I look forward to this scholarship growing to make training accessible to people who will be the future of our art and industry while honoring the memory of Collier Woods.”

Woods was a veteran lighting designer and stage technician who died in 2020 at the age of 64. He was a dedicated member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) in Seattle and Sarasota, Fla., and a member of United Scenic Artists in New York. A native of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Woods was a graduate of the University of Tennessee and earned a Master of Fine Arts in Design from the University of Washington, where he later taught. Woods also taught at Morgan State University. Woods’s design credits included the Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Bellevue Community College, University of Delaware’s Professional TheatreTraining Program, and others.

USITT will open applications for the inaugural round of the scholarship in May and will announce the recipient(s) in August.

The United States Institute for Theatre Technology was founded in 1960 to promote vibrant dialogue, research, and learning among practitioners, educators, and students of theatre design and technology.