Drama League's DirectorFest 2014 Begins Tonight

The Drama League has announced full casting for DirectorFest 2014: The 31st Annual One-Act Festival, an evening of four short plays staged by the Drama League Directors Project Fall Directing Fellows Elena Heyman, Michael Leibenluft, Michael Osinski, and Caitlin Sullivan for a limited 5-performance engagement, tonight, December 13 - 16, 2013 at TBG Theatre (312 West 36th Street, between 8th & 9th Avenues).

The four new 0ne-act plays in this year's festival are all by women playwrights: He Ate the Sun by Sheila Callaghan, May 39th by Callie Kimball, Mechanics of Love by Dipika Guha, and I'll Never Love Again! by Clare Barron, the recent recipient of the 2014 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award. The acting company includes David Barlow, Kate Benson, Ben Chase, Robert David Grant, Miriam Hyman, Alex Kramer, Erik Lochtefeld, Zoey Martinson, Nana Mensah, Ronald Peet, Michael Place, Auden Thornton and Vanessa Wasche.

The DirectorFest 2014 performance schedule is, as follows: Tonight, December 13 at 7:00 p.m., Sunday, December 14 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m., Monday, December 15 at 7:00 p.m., and Tuesday, December 16 at 7:00 p.m. There is a free Panel Discussion, "The Directors Roundtable," scheduled for Sunday, December 14 at 4:15 p.m.

Every performance includes all four one-act plays. Tickets are priced at $18 and may be purchased by visiting www.dramaleague.org, or by calling (212) 244-9494.

DirectorFest 2014 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. This year, directors Elena Heyman, Michael Leibenluft, Michael Osinski, and Caitlin Sullivan join the ranks of the program's illustrious alumni of The Drama League Directors Project, including Tony Award winners Diane Paulus (Finding Neverland), Pam MacKinnon (A Delicate Balance), John Rando (On The Town), Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Alex Timbers (Here Lies Love), and Mark Brokaw (Cinderella), to name only a few.

"There is no better way to see the future of theatre than at DirectorFest," remarked Executive Director Gabriel Shanks. "The imagination and daring of these four directors is incredibly inspiring; I can't wait, once they inevitably make it to Broadway and beyond, to say that DirectorFest is where they began their journeys. I'm also thrilled to welcome four amazing playwrights for this festival; the work by women in our field is extraordinary, and Sheila, Clare, Dipika and Callie are at the forefront of new writers I am incredibly excited about."

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.

"Since 1984, the Drama League has been presenting the some of the finest young directors to New York audiences," noted Artistic Director Roger T. Danforth. With our alumni now directing some of the biggest hits on Broadway, you truly see tomorrow's talent here today."

The creative team for DirectorFest 2014: The 31st Annual One-Act Festival includes Julia Noulin-Merat (sets), Whitney Locher (costumes), Lauren Gaston (associate costume designer), Ethan Steimel (lights), M. Florian Staab (sound), Ellie Engstrom (props), Sarah Oz (assistant props designer), Michael Chin (fight choreographer), Ralph Carhart (Production Manager), Ken Larson (Technical Director), with Roger T. Danforth (Artistic Director), Gabriel Shanks (Executive Director), and Peggy R. Samuels (Associated Producer/Production Stage Manager).