Drama League to Host 30th Annual DIRECTORFEST at Abingdon, Begin. 12/12

The Drama League (Executive Director Gabriel Shanks; Artistic Director Roger T. Danforth) presents the 30th Annual DirectorFest, a festival of one-act plays staged by the Fall Directing Fellows, Elizabeth Carlson, Alexandru Mihail, Danny Sharron and Nicole A. Watson, for a limited 5-performance engagement, December 12 - 15, 2013 at The Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex (312 West 36th Street, between 8th & 9th Avenues).

The DirectorFest 2013 performance schedule is, as follows: Thursday, December 12 at 7:00 p.m., Friday, December 13 at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, December 14 at 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 15 at 3:00 p.m.

Tickets are priced at $18 and may be purchased by visiting www.dramaleague.org, or by calling (212) 244-9494. Every performance includes all four plays, which include two world premieres and two rarely-seen works by iconic playwrights. There is a free Panel Discussion, "The Directors Roundtable," scheduled for Saturday, December 14 at 4:15 p.m.

DirectorFest offers an exciting glimpse into the future of American theatre by presenting one-ACT Productions staged by four of the nation's most promising young directors, which include Elizabeth Carlson, Alexandru Mihail, Danny Sharron and Nicole A. Watson, joining the ranks of illustrious alumni of The Drama League Directors Project that include 2013 Tony Award winners Diane Paulus and Pam MacKinnon, award-winning directors Christopher Ashley, Mark Brokaw, Rachel Chavkin, Michael Mayer, John Rando and Alex Timbers, to name a few.

"Identifying exceptional talent is what DirectorFest is all about," expressed Drama League Executive Director Gabriel Shanks. "Liz, Alex, Danny and Nicole are among the most promising emerging directors we've ever selected. The imaginative productions they are creating for the festival will propel their careers from this point forward. In the future, I'll be able to say I knew them, way back when."

The alumni of The Drama League Directors Project, which now number over 300, can be found working in all aspects of the entertainment profession. 'Drama League Directors' are directing on Broadway, Off-Broadway, at regional theaters across the country, and in film and television. They are the artistic directors and associates at 58 regional theaters. Others hold prominent positions throughout the industry as producers, writers, agents and administrators, and many are educating the next generation of directors at some of our finest professional training programs. Their directing work has been honored Tony, Emmy, Obie, Peabody, Drama Desk, GLAAD, Drama League, New York Drama Critics Circle, Outer Critics, Evening Standard, Lucille Lortel, Bessie, Princess Grace, Garland, Drama-Logue, Barrymore, Helen Hayes, Elliot Norton, and Joseph Jefferson Awards, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. They have literally shaped the future of the American theater, with the praise of critics and audiences alike.

"For thirty years, the Drama League's annual DirectorFest has been providing New York audiences the first opportunity to see the work of such talented young directors as Diane Paulus, Pam MacKinnon and Alex Timbers," shared Drama League Artistic Director Roger Danforth. "Once again, we are pleased to introduce four exceptional new artists to the theater community, directors who (like their predecessors) will have a profound effect upon the American Theater. We hope you will make a point to join us and see tomorrow's directors today."

This year's talented young directing fellows have been assisting master directors on some of the biggest productions in NYC this season. Now they have a chance to show off everything they've learned.

The DirectorFest 2013 creative team includes Julia Noulin-Merat (sets), Whitney Locher (costumes), Nick Solyom (lights), M. Florian Staab (sound), and Ellie Engstrom (props). The Production Stage Manager is Peggy R. Samuels.

DirectorFest 2013 Line-up
The Case Of The Crushed Petunias, A Lyrical Fantasy
By Tennessee Williams
Directed by Elizabeth Carlson

The Case of the Crushed Petunias is a unique, rarely-seen work by the master playwright that alerts us to the "miraculous accident of being alive." Poetry, seed packets, and a proposed existence devoid of petunias encourage us to step beyond the barricades we've constructed for ourselves.

The Stronger
By August Strindberg
Directed by Alexandru Mihail

In this radical new interpretation of Strindberg's classic sketch on power games, the reality of life collides with the reality of the stage. The lines between performer, character and person are blurred and we are left wondering: can the initial question of who is the stronger ever be answered?

World Premiere
The Forest Of Without
By Bradley Cherna
Directed by Danny Sharron

Bereaved of his father, a boy struggles with his family to find a way out of the dark wood of mourning.

World Premiere
Better Homes And Homelands
by Tim J. Lord,
Directed by Nicole A. Watson

Brenda knows growing the perfect garden will please Jesus, not to mention her politician husband and the subdivision committee. Too bad her mysterious horticultural benefactor seems to come from an altogether more subterranean place.

For additional information, please visit the website at www.dramaleague.org.