The Drama League Announces 2012 Fellows of The Drama League Directors Project

The Drama League (Executive Director, Gabriel Shanks; Artistic Director, Roger T. Danforth) have announced the exceptional stage directors who have been selected as the 2012 Fellows of The Drama League Directors Project: Knud Adams, Amy Claussen, Vesselin Dimov, Shana Gozansky, Jess Jung, Swaine Kaui, Jesse Jou, David Mendizábal, Cat Miller, Patrick Walsh, and Christopher Windom.

The eleven recipients, who will spend the next year as part of the award-winning program, have been accepted into five different programs of study: the New York Fall Directing Program, the Hangar Residency Program (a partnership with the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY), the Musical Directing Program (a partnership with Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA), the Classical Fellowship for Directors of Color (a partnership with Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA), and the U.S./Bulgaria Stage Directors Exchange.

“These eleven brilliant young directors, selected from more than 230 applicants from all over the country, represent the future of professional theatre directing,” said Drama League Artistic Director Roger T. Danforth. “They will now undergo a year of immersive, hands-on activities designed to hone their creative abilities and develop their professional careers. We welcome them with open arms.”

"We have a lot to be proud of,” added Drama League Executive Director Gabriel Shanks. “In this season alone, Drama League alumni Pam MacKinnon (Clybourne Park) and Alex Timbers (Peter and the Starcatcher) have received Tony nominations for Best Direction of a Play, and Diane Paulus (The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess) a Tony nomination for Best Direction of a Musical.”

The Directors Project’s Class of 2012 will begin on May 15th with Professionals Week, where they will meet industry luminaries, attend Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, and start their developmental training. They will be publicly introduced to the professional theatre community during the 78th Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 18 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square.

Since its founding in 1984, The Drama League Directors Project has become the preeminent development program for theatre directors — providing talented young artists with career-changing experiences in the professional theatre. Its 260 alumni can be found working in all aspects of the entertainment profession: at the helm of productions on Broadway and Off-Broadway, at regional theatres companies, in film and television, and as artistic directors and associate directors at 55 regional theatres across the country. Many are also producers, writers, agents, administrators, and educators of the next generation of directors, at some of the finest professional training programs. ‘Drama League Directors’ have been honored with many awards, including the Tony, Emmy, Obie, Drama Desk, and its own Drama League Award, with the praise of critics and audiences alike.