Roundabout Launches Assistance for Emerging Directors with Roundabout Directors Group

Roundabout Theatre Company has just announced the Roundabout Directors Group providing career assistance to emerging directors. This is an extension of Roundabout's myriad artistic and career mentorship programs, including the Roundabout Directing Fellowship, the Theatrical Workforce Development Program and Space Jam, a support initiative for playwrights.

Roundabout's Associate Artistic Director Jill Rafson and Associate Artist Miranda Haymon lead the group with the mission to create an artistic community for directors at similar stages of their careers. Since convening in in Fall 2019, the group has connected with established theater artists to offer mentorship and workshops on topics ranging from Collaborating with Designers and Choreographers, Regional Theatre Directing, How to Have a Family and Manage a Theatre Career Schedule, Self-Producing, Minority Voices in Institutions, Directing Revivals vs. New Works and more.

During the Broadway shutdown, the group continues to this work online, meeting with industry leaders, acclaimed artists and learning from one another as they grapple with the changing state of the American theater.

"When we launched our Directing Fellowship program in 2017, we quickly realized how many early-career directors were in need of support, community and mentorship," said Todd Haimes, Artistic Director/CEO. "Working as a director is inherently an isolating profession, so our goal with the Roundabout Directors Group was to provide a home base to these artists; a place to meet leaders in the field, learn the inner workings of a large theater and create bonds among their peers. We are proud of the work so far and thrilled that it can continue during the shutdown as many artists-especially those just entering the industry-need this support now more than ever."

"There are precious few opportunities for directors to convene and share resources, and more importantly, fellowship," said Sam Gold, Roundabout Associate Artist. "This kind of group is vital to the future of the American Theater."

"Meeting with the Roundabout Directors Group gave me great hope for the future of the American Theater. Their individual and collective voices are ones we are going to want to be listening to, to determine where we're headed next," said Anne Kauffman, RTC Resident Director. "Roundabout is so wise to be supporting and housing these creative minds; and to recognize the importance of bringing us together to advance the conversation. I am so looking forward to witnessing their impact in the coming years. It was an honor to be asked to have the dialogue."

The Roundabout Directors Group is an extension of Roundabout's artistic career and mentorship programs, including the Roundabout Directing Fellowship, the Theatrical Workforce Development Program and Space Jam, a support initiative for playwrights.

Theater artists who have met with the group include Sam Gold, Anne Kauffman, Scott Ellis, Danya Taymor, Rebecca Hewett, Abigail Katz, Jack Phillips Moore, Christine Scarfuto, Annie Wang, Seonjae Kim, Tyne Rafaeli, GT Upchurch, Noah Brody, Jessie Austrian, Sarah Wansley, Zi Alikhan, Portia Krieger, Raja Feather Kelly, Reid Thompson, Cha See, Alexis Williams, Eric Keen-Louie, Adam Greenfield, Scott Kaplan, Natasha Sinha, Maria Striar, Anna Morton and John Baker.

The inaugural Roundabout Directors Group cohort includes Cristina Angeles, Rebecca Aparicio, Kathleen Capdesuñer, Esther M. Cohen, Liza Couser, V Greene, Santiago Iacinti, Lauren Kiele DeLeon, Marlee Koenigsberg, Rory Pelsue, Dominique Rider and Kayla Stokes. The 2020-21 cohort will be announced this summer.

For more information about the Roundabout Directors Group, visit roundabouttheatre.org.