Elena Araoz Named Drama League's First Beatrice Terry Artist in Residence Fellow

The Drama League, Tony Award winning-director and Drama League Alumnus, Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), and Gretchen M. Michelfeld, have chosen Elena Araoz as the first recipient of the newly established Beatrice Terry Artist in Residence Fellowship, named in honor of the late Beatrice Terry, Ms. Michelfeld's partner and alumna of The Drama League Directors Project. An all-star advisory board made the selection after reviewing hundreds of applications with the official announcement made by two-time Tony Award-winner Judith Light and Ms. Michelfeld during last night's 31st Annual Musical Celebration of Broadway Honoring James Earl Jones held at the famed Pierre Hotel (2 East 61st Street).

The official launch of the new Fellowship, the first of its kind in the nation, will fund the development of a new work by an emerging female writer-director, culminating in a residency and staged reading at The Drama League Theater Center in Tribeca (32 Avenue of the Americas)

In addition to the announcement, the Drama League presented eight artists chosen to develop new works as part of the 2015 Artist in Residency Program that include Zi Alikhan, Tara Ahmadinejad, Amanda Friou, West Hyler, Jeremy Pickard, Jennifer Sandella, Nicole A. Watson, MJ Kaufman, and Lily Whitsitt. The development of these works in progress will be held at The Drama League Theater Center (32 Avenue of the Americas) in Tribeca from March-July 2015.

The Resident Artists Program, made possible in part by the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, offers director/collaborator teams and/or ensembles an opportunity to comfortably develop a new theatre piece as artists-in-residence at the Drama League Theater Center in Tribeca. A residency stipend, significant hours of rehearsal space, professional mentorship, administrative support, and community engagement allow selected artists to fully inhabit an extended, process-oriented residency experience.

All artists in the program will also offer insight into their creative process at public events on dates from March-April. To reserve seats, or for additional information, please visit http://www.dramaleague.org or call (212) 244-9494.

The Drama League Directors Project has grown to become the preeminent development program for theatre directors - providing talented artists with career-changing experiences in the professional theatre.

Pictured: Justin Townsend, Elena Araoz