The Drama League Launches Reimagination of The Directors Project

The Drama League today launched a sweeping reimagination of its umbrella of service programs called The Directors Project.

As the nation's only full-time creative home for directors, The Drama League's new program portfolio is the result of a company-wide evaluation, undertaken during the pandemic and in conversations with over 100 artists, artistic leaders, producers, activists, and community members. With financial stability, well-being, and guaranteed employment opportunities at the forefront of this unprecedented initiative, the new program portfolio expands, deepens, and accelerates field-wide support for directors in the post-pandemic professional theatre landscape, in an effort to address systemic inequity and pay disparity in the field of directing.

"Even as our emergency services ramped up during the pandemic, The Drama League felt it was necessary to take time to answer the calls from the field and deeply interrogate our program offerings," said Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks. "These programs, which we call The Directors Project, have been industry-leading for 40 years, but this moment brought forth clarity of a set of evolving needs directors and their collaborators have that we can respond to. We hope that other artist development organizations will join us in efforts to deepen, expand and improve artist care in a field-wide excavation of what 'best practices' can look like."

Added Executive Director Bevin Ross: "We are grateful to our alumni, our members, our colleagues, the Drama League Directors Council, and especially our partners in this effort -- Dallas Theater Center, The Hangar Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, McCarter Theatre Center, New York Stage and Film, Red Bull Theater, Theatre Communications Group, and TheaterWorksUSA -- for joining us in this effort, to more impactfully serve directors utilizing our resources, to address the damage of the COVID-19 pandemic upon the theater's ecosystem, and to confront and dismantle white supremacy inside the arts sector and our institution."

Applications for the Fellowship and Assistantship programs are now available at dramaleague.org.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEW INITIATIVES INCLUDE:

THE DRAMA LEAGUE STAGE DIRECTING FELLOWSHIPS: a two-year experience for early-career stage directors, supported by an unprecedented $100,000 scholarship prize per recipient ($50,000 per year), up to $10,000 in health care insurance reimbursement ($5,000 per year), and a wide range of unparalleled opportunities at the organization's Theater Center in New York City and at the Fellowship's partner institutions Dallas Theater Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, McCarter Theatre Center, New York Stage and Film, Red Bull Theater and Theatre Communications Group. During the two years, the selected Fellows will have an extended residency and direct a festival production as part of DirectorFest; internal directing projects during an extended residency at Manhattan Theatre Club or McCarter Theater Center; direct staged readings at The Drama League and Red Bull Theater; assist on major projects at Dallas Theater Center and New York Stage and Film; attend the Theatre Communications Group national conference as part of The Drama League's delegation; and many additional career-building activities. Two applicants will be accepted per cycle, the first of which will begin in May 2022. The deadline for applications is December 31, 2021. Selected Fellows will be celebrated at The Drama League Awards in May 2022. The full program description can be found at https://dramaleague.org/DL-Stage-Directing-Fellowships/.

THE DRAMA LEAGUE FILM AND TELEVISION DIRECTING FELLOWSHIPS: an approximate 16-week production experience spanning two years for mid-career stage directors interested in expanding their work to include film and/or television directing, supported by a $20,000 scholarship prize per recipient ($10,000 per year), up to $10,000 in health care insurance reimbursement ($5,000 per year), and more. The program includes on-set shadowing experience, introduction to mentors and industry professionals, and the opportunity to direct a short film that will premiere as part of DirectorFest before being submitted to festivals. Recipients will be mentored by the Emmy-nominated writer/director/showrunner Tony Phelan ("Grey's Anatomy"). Two applicants will be accepted for this Fellowship position, which will begin in May 2022. The deadline for applications is December 31, 2021. The full program description can be found at: https://dramaleague.org/dl-film-television-fellowships/

THE DRAMA LEAGUE DIRECTING ASSISTANTSHIPS: Each season, The Drama League will partner with established BIPOC/Global Majority stage directors to provide assistant directing opportunities on productions across the United States to the next generation of early-career BIPOC/Global Majority directors, sharing knowledge, access, and creative energy in production processes. For each recipient, The Drama League will pay the assistant director's salary, and reimburse housing, travel and health care costs. In 2022, The Drama League Directing Assistants will be paired with four nationally-renowned directors: Jennifer Chang (Vietgone; 2019 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award in Direction), Lisa Portes (Disgraced at Cincinnati Playhouse), Nicole A. Watson (School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play at Round House Theatre and Associate Artistic Director, McCarter Theatre Center), and Pirronne Yousefzadeh (The Wolves at Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Producing Artistic Director at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center). Four applicants will be accepted for the 2022-2023 season. The deadline for applications is December 31, 2021. The full program description can be found at:

http://dramaleague.org/Directing-Assistantships.

THE FUTURENOW DIRECTING FELLOWSHIPS: a 15-week experience for early-career stage directors, supported by a $10,000 scholarship prize per recipient and an additional professional directing contract to direct a TheaterWorks USA touring production, as well as up to $1500 in health care insurance reimbursement. A partnership with the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY, and TheaterWorksUSA in New York City, the FutureNow Directing Fellowships allow early-career stage directors to practice their craft and explore institutional arts leadership, focusing on works for communities and young audiences. At the Hangar Theatre, FutureNow Fellows will direct and produce the Second Stage season of the company, including productions for adults (The Wedge) and young audiences (Kiddstuff), with the Hangar Lab Company composed of early-career actors, designers, and stage managers. At TheaterWorksUSA, the Fellows will remount a repertory production for TYA audiences that will tour nationally for an entire season. Three applicants will be accepted for this Fellowship, which will begin in May 2022. The deadline for applications is December 31, 2021. The full program description can be found at

http://dramaleague.org/FutureNow-Directing-Fellowships.

THE DRAMA LEAGUE DIRECTING RESIDENCIES: The Drama League's Directing Residency programs including the Beatrice Terry Directing Residency and the Next Stage Residency, will continue in expanded, reimagined formats. Details will be announced in mid-November when applications will open to director applicants for the 2022-2023 season.

EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES: The Drama League's after-school program for high school students, New Visions/New Voices, as well as its skills-building workshop series for theater professionals The Essentials and its acclaimed podcast, Ta(l)king Direction, will continue in new and expanded forms beginning in October. More information on each can be found at http://www.dramaleague.org.

Drama League Programs are supported in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation, Hyde and Watson Foundation, Sylvia W. and Randle M. Kauders Foundation, Jolene McCaw Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council for the Arts, the Shubert Foundation, EY, Leo Shull Charitable Fund for the Arts, as well as Drama League Members, Alumni and Individuals nationwide.

Learn more about how to support this new programming at Light the Lights! A Drama League Celebration on Monday, October 18, 2021. Details about the benefit and tickets to attend can be found at www.dramaleague.org/benefit.