BMP: PRODUCER ACADEMYBMP: PRODUCER ACADEMY

The Producer Academy offers educational development, mentorship, and networking opportunities designed to support emerging producers in the performing arts. This 8.5-week all-virtual program provides participants with direct access to leading artists, producers, and industry professionals through interactive sessions focused on creative and tour producing. The Producer Academy combines practical training, cohort-based learning, and mentorship while supporting the next generation of creative producers and arts administrators.

Since its founding, The Producer Academy has served over 1,200 participants across 17 countries and remains deeply committed to creating an accessible and inclusive experience. We welcome and encourage applicants of all gender identities, racial and ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic backgrounds, and mental and physical abilities to apply. The Producer Academy can provide accessibility accommodations and additional support as needed at the participant’s request.

The Producer Academy brings together a dynamic cohort of artists and creative professionals across disciplines—including music, opera, theater, dance, film, interdisciplinary performance, and beyond. Whether you are an artist looking to self-produce your own work, strengthen your ability to pitch projects and collaborate with presenters and producers, an aspiring creative or touring producer, or an arts administrator seeking to expand your producing toolkit, The Producer Academy is designed to support your next step.

BMP: Producer Academy is an intensive, all-virtual 8.5-week program that dissects the phases of a production life cycle and supports early-career producers in honing their skills in new performance work development, touring, and production.

At BMP: Producer Academy, we understand that the journey to becoming a successful producer can be challenging. That’s why we’ve designed a ‘nuts-and-bolts’ training program that provides aspiring and early-career producers with the support and guidance necessary to forge a new-work producing career. The Producer Academy builds a diverse community of producing talent for the performing arts through an inclusive learning environment and cohort structure. Note that “early-career producers” does not necessarily mean “young,” but rather early in a journey as a producer. Some experience in the performing arts, whether as an artist, administrator, or technician, is important to succeed in the program.

THE PRODUCER ACADEMY OFFERINGS INCLUDE:

• Curriculum Modules: The Developmental Process, Budgeting & Fundraising, Touring, Production Design and Technical Theater, Organizational and Administrative Structure, DEIA and the Production Process, and more

• One-on-one mentorship with BMP creative producers, administrative, and production staff members

• Networking opportunities with professional producers, presenters, and industry leaders

• Feedback on pitch materials and projects by high-level industry presenters

• Cohort-style learning in a group of no larger than 30 participants

THE PRODUCER ACADEMY IS A SIGNIFICANT TIME COMMITMENT AND REQUIRES THE FOLLOWING OF PARTICIPANTS:

• Attendance at all scheduled program sessions (2–3 sessions per week, up to 3 hours each)

• Additional early evening networking sessions during the 8.5-week Academy period

• 5 homework assignments (2–3 hours each) submitted according to The Producer Academy’s scheduled due dates

• Additional mentorship sessions after the 8.5-week program (optional)

THE 2026 PRODUCER ACADEMY SESSIONS DATES ARE:

Week 1

• Monday 9/28: 6:30 — 8:30 PM ET

• Tuesday 9/29: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

• Thursday 10/1: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

Week 2

• Monday 10/5: 6:30 — 8:30 PM ET

• Tuesday 10/6: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

• Thursday 10/8: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

Week 3

• Tuesday 10/13: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

• Thursday 10/15: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

Week 4

• Tuesday 10/20: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

• Thursday 10/22: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

Week 5

• Tuesday 10/27: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

• Thursday 10/29: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

Week 6

• Monday 11/2: 6:30 — 8:30 PM ET

• Thursday 11/5: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

Week 7

• Monday 11/9: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

• Tuesday 11/10: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

• Thursday 11/12: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

Week 8

• Monday 11/16: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

• Tuesday 11/17: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

• Thursday 11/19: 5:30 — 8:30 PM ET

Week 9

• Monday 11/23: 6:30 — 8:30 PM ET

Priority will be given to candidates who are available for all session dates.

For questions about BMP: Producer Academy, please contact us at academy@bethmorrisonprojects.org.

Learn from the best in the business.

The Producer Academy faculty includes Beth Morrison and leading members of the BMP creative producing, administrative, and production teams, alongside guest speakers from across the opera, theater, and live performance industries.

Participants learn directly from working producers, presenters, artists, administrators, and cultural leaders, gaining insight into the real-world processes behind developing, producing, touring, and sustaining new performance work. Previous faculty members and guest speakers have included Christopher Koelsch (President & CEO, LA Opera), Khori Dastoor (General Director & CEO, Houston Grand Opera), Amy Cassello (Artistic Director, BAM), Naomi Grabel (Executive Director of Development and Planning, Lincoln Center), Mark Russell (Director, Under the Radar Festival), Sarah Williams (Director of New Works & Creative Producer, Opera Philadelphia), and acclaimed composers David T. Little, Huang Ruo, and Paola Prestini, among many others.

2026 FACULTY TO BE ANNOUNCED.

Beth Morrison Projects is one of the foremost creators and producers of new opera-theatre and music-theatre, with a fierce commitment to leading the industry into the future, cultivating a new generation of talent, and telling the stories of our time.

Founded by “contemporary opera mastermind” (LA Times) Beth Morrison, who was honored as one of Musical America’s Artists of the Year/Agents of Change, BMP has grown into “a driving force behind America’s thriving opera scene” (Financial Times), with Opera News declaring that the company, “more than any other… has helped propel the art form into the twenty-first century.”

Operating across the U.S. and internationally, BMP’s unique model offers artists the support, guidance, and freedom to experiment, allowing them to create singularly innovative and impactful projects. Since forming in 2006, the company has commissioned, developed, produced, and toured over 65 groundbreaking works around the world, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning chamber operas Angel’s Bone and p ri s m and Grammy-nominated works Black Lodge, Adoration, and TRADE/Mary Motorhead.

Tuition for the 2026 BMP: Producer Academy is $2,500. A $500 deposit is required upon acceptance to secure your spot in the cohort.

The Producer Academy is committed to reducing financial barriers and expanding access to professional development opportunities in the performing arts. Payment plans are available, allowing participants to pay their remaining tuition balance in installments leading up to and/or during The Producer Academy.

Need-based financial aid (scholarship support) is available through the application process. Applicants requesting financial aid will complete an additional section within the application, which includes:

• Requested level of scholarship support

• Household income range and size

• Whether you would be able to participate with reduced or no financial aid

• Space to share any additional financial context

• Optional documentation upload

Financial aid requests will not impact application evaluation.

BMP: Producer Academy seeks applicants who aspire to be industry innovators and change-makers to join its 2026 cohort.

APPLICATION TIMELINE:

• Applications Open: July 1, 2026
• Applications Close: August 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
• Applicant Notifications: September 7, 2026
• Program Dates: September 28 – November 23, 2026

TUITION:

• Tuition: $2,500

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

• Contact Information

• Short responses to the following prompts:

— Where are you in your journey as a producer? Given that, why is BMP: Producer Academy the right training program for you at this point in your career? (200–250 words)

— What kind of change do you want to create in the performing arts? (200–250 words)

— Describe your artistic aesthetic. What kind of art speaks to you? What is a specific performance you’ve seen or been a part of that exemplifies this aesthetic? (200–250 words)

— How would participating in The Producer Academy advance your career and your ability to build a life in the arts? (200–250 words)

— How would you define yourself as a producer? Are you an artist who seeks to produce your own work? Someone who wants to produce the work of others? Some middle ground between the two? Something else entirely? (100–150 words)

• Diversity Demographic Survey

• Financial Aid Request Information (optional)