Susan Soccoccia

Susan Soccoccia

Susan Soccoccia, a frequent contributor to the Bay State Banner, was among 25 arts journalists chosen from 16 states to participate as fellows in the sixth National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater at USC Annenberg.

Participants in USC Annenberg’s 2010 NEA Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater include theater critics, reporters and editors, as well as general arts and entertainment journalists.

“I’m calling this the post-shock journalism generation,” said Sasha Anawalt, director of the NEA Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater. “Many fellows in this year’s class have created ways to practice their craft, demonstrating entrepreneurial spirit and confidence in spite of the economic tailspin. They are good, inquisitive journalists determined not just to survive, but thrive.”

The 25 NEA Fellows will participate in a rigorous 11-day program that includes writing workshops and one-on-one master classes. Nine performances will be attended, including “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” directed by Moisés Kaufman at the Mark Taper Forum and the world premiere of “Road to Saigon,” developed and directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera, at East West Players.

Located in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism is among the nation’s leading institutions devoted to the study of arts journalism and criticism.