2016 National Directors Fellowship Recipients Revealed

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, National New Play Network, The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, and Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation jointly announce the selection of five directors from a nationwide pool of applicants for the National Directors Fellowship:

Jessica Holt - Atlanta, GA
Laley Lippard - Chicago, IL
Jeff Liu - Los Angeles, CA
Madeline Sayet - Norwich, CT
M. Graham Smith - San Francisco, CA

Says Wendy C. Goldberg, NDF Program Director, "I am excited to introduce these five directors as recipients of the National Directors Fellowship. It was an incredibly competitive process, and it is a reminder of the profound need for a program such as this one. There is nothing quite like this program for directors who are focusing on new work, and I'm honored to be working with these artists."

In addition to Goldberg, the selection committee included Deb Zoe Laufer (playwright), Nan Barnett (Executive Director, National New Play Network), Bryan Fonseca (Phoenix Theater, Artistic Director, NNN Core Company Member), Gregg Henry (Director, The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival), Arnulfo Maldonado (Scenic and Costume Designer, Resident Designer National Playwrights Conference ) and Lucie Tiberghien (Freelance Director).

Fellowships begin at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in July 2016, with workshops and professional development opportunities throughout the year, culminating with a professional directing post within the wide-ranging network of National New Play Network Member Theaters.

2016 NDF finalists are Jessica Bird, Sash Bischoff, Joshua William Gelb, Lori Wolter Hudson, Marlo Hunter, Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx, Colette Robert, Gregg Wiggans, and Daniel Winerman.

Applications for 2017 Fellows will be accepted in January 2017. For more information, visit http://www.theoneill.org/professional-development- and-education/ndf/.