Samantha Saltzman, Danny Sharron and More Selected for The Drama League Directors Project

The Drama League (Executive Director, Gabriel Shanks; Artistic Director, Roger T. Danforth) have announced the exceptional stage directors who have been selected as the 2013 Fellows of The Drama League Directors Project: Georgi Georgiev Antiqua, Elizabeth Carlson, Will Detlefsen, Dimitar Ivanov Dimitrov, Vesselin Dimov, Alexandru Mihail, Raphael Massie, Louisa Proske, Jamila Reddy, Samantha Saltzman, Danny Sharron, Jordan Slaveykov, Nicole A. Watson, and Lian Walden.

The fourteen recipients, who will spend the next year as part of the award-winning program, have been accepted into five different programs of study: the New York Fall Directing Program, the Hangar Residency Program (a partnership with the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY), the Musical Directing Program (a partnership with Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA), the Classical Fellowship for Directors of Color (a partnership with Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA), and the U.S./Bulgaria Stage Directors Exchange.

"These fourteen brilliant young directors, selected from more than 200 applicants from around the world, represent the future of professional theatre directing," said Drama League Artistic Director Roger T. Danforth. "They will now undergo a year of immersive, hands-on activities designed to hone their creative abilities and develop their professional careers. We welcome them with open arms."

"This is one of the most exciting groups of emerging directors we've ever had," added Executive Director Gabriel Shanks. "The breadth of their imagination and passion are formidable...and with so many of our alumni currently represented with productions in New York, including Diane Paulus (Pippin), Mark Brokaw (Cinderella), Michael Mayer (Rigoletto), Alex Timbers (Here Lies Love), Rachel Chavkin (Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812), Sam Gold (The Flick) and more, it's a marvelous time for these young talents to participate in our programs."

The Directors Project's Class of 2013 will begin on May 13th with Professionals Week, where they will meet industry luminaries, attend Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, and start their developmental training. They will be publicly introduced to the professional theatre community during the 79th Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 17th at the Marriott Marquis Times Square.

Since its founding in 1984, The Drama League Directors Project has become the preeminent development program for theatre directors - providing talented young artists with career-changing experiences in the professional theatre. Its 260 alumni can be found working in all aspects of the entertainment profession: at the helm of productions on Broadway and Off-Broadway, at regional theatres companies, in film and television, and as artistic directors and associate directors at 55 regional theatres across the country. Many are also producers, writers, agents, administrators, and educators of the next generation of directors, at some of the finest professional training programs. 'Drama League Directors' have been honored with many awards, including the Tony, Emmy, Obie, Drama Desk, and its own Drama League Award, with the praise of critics and audiences alike.