The Drama League Announces the Line-Up of Productions for DirectorFest 2009

The Drama League proudly announces complete details for DirectorFest 2009, the 26th annual presentation of one-act plays staged by the Fall Fellows of The Drama League Directors Project (Roger Danforth, Artistic Director; Gabriel Shanks, Executive Director).

The lineup for DirectorFest 2009 includes Harold Pinter's comedy-drama The Lover, directed by Laura Savia; Jason Williamson's The Red Umbrella, directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar and featuring Milena Govich ("Law & Order," "Rescue Me"); Bekah Brunstetter's comedy Roberta Laughs, directed by David F. Chapman; and Lauren Feldman's comedy The Coupling Heuristic (a minuet), directed by Mike Donahue.

DirectorFest 2009 runs from Thursday, December 10 through Sunday, December 13, 2009 at the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex in midtown Manhattan (312 West 36th Street).

Performances are Thursday, December 10 at 7 p.m.; Friday, December 11 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, December 12 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, December 13 at 3 p.m.

DirectorFest 2009 offers an exciting glimpse into the future of American theatre by presenting four one-Act Productions helmed by four of the nation's most talented young directors.

Tickets for DirectorFest 2009 are $18 each and are available by calling SmartTix.com at 212-868-4444. Each performance consists of all four one-acts presented in succession.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTIONS

The Lover -- Directed by Laura Savia

One of Pinter's most sensual and darkly comic plays, The Lover tells the story of Sarah and Richard's happy marriage beginning to crumble. The only thing keeping it together is a secret arrangement that lets each of them "look elsewhere." When the rules of the arrangement get broken, they must fight to keep their lives from falling apart.

The Lover stars Jeffrey C. Hawkins as Richard, Charlotte Parry as Sarah and Robert Wu as John.

The Red Umbrella -- Directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar

Boy meets girl on a beach and falls in love, only to discover that she is Death. She promises him that he will find her again, but only when he sees a Red Umbrella. What follows is a bittersweet fairy-tale about the consequences of knowing your fate, the risks you must take to transcend it, and the losses you face if you fail. Part love story, part theatrical elegy and part celebration of life, this is the fable of a modern-day Everyman who undergoes an extraordinary emotional awakening as he searches for the one thing that can complete him.

The Red Umbrella stars Milena Govich ("Law & Order," "Rescue Me") as Angela, Jonathan Kaplan as Peter and Paloma Guzmán as Death.

Roberta Laughs -- Directed by David F. Chapman

In Roberta Laughs, teenaged Roger takes up the accordion - ironically, for girls. He's going to name it Roberta, after his grandmother, who has recently taken up with a charming widower named Billy. But she won't let him take care of her, except maybe once a month. When her health declines, Billy and Roger must set aside their assumptions and face the person Roberta is becoming, and always was.

Roberta Laughs stars Christopher Abbott as Roger, Lucy Martin as Roberta and Hal Robinson as Billy.

The Coupling Heuristic (a minuet) -- Directed by Mike Donahue

In The Coupling Heuristic, a Programmer and a Wordsmith meet - click - and try to speak the same language. A Dancer emerges and embodies the things they can't. Playful, intimate, sexy and vulnerable, The Coupling Heuristic is a verbal dance through the cycle of opening and closing relationships.

The Coupling Heuristic stars Barrett Hall as Programmer, Chad Goodridge as Wordsmith and Alessandro Pellicani as Dancer.

ABOUT THE DRAMA LEAGUE DIRECTORS PROJECT

Since its inception in 1984, The Drama League Directors Project has gained an international reputation for nurturing a new generation of exceptional directors.

Noted alumni include Tony winners Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) and John Rando (Urinetown), Diane Paulus (Hair), Christopher Ashley (Memphis), Mark Brokaw (Cry-Baby), Jonathan Silverstein (The Temperamentals), R.J. Cutler (Award winning director of the film "The September Issue") and James Bundy (Dean, Yale School of Drama).

DirectorFest 2009 is the culmination of the Fall Directing Program of The Directors Project, the only career-development program for directors in the nation that guarantees an opportunity to direct a professional production.