Zi Alikhan, Melissa Crespo, John Michael DiResta & More Named 2014 Fellows of Drama League's Directors Project

The Drama League have announced the stage directors who have been selected as the 2014 Fellows of The Drama League Directors Project: Zi Alikhan, Melissa Crespo, John Michael DiResta, Ellie Heyman, Lavina Jadhwani, Michael Leibenluft, Michael Osinki, Hannah Ryan, Teya Sugareva, Caitlin Sullivan, and Emma Weinstein.

The eleven recipients, who will spend the next year as part of the award-winning program, have been accepted into four different programs of study: New York Directing Program, the Hangar Directing Program (a partnership with the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY), the Musical Directing Program (a partnership with Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA), and the Classical Directing Program (a partnership with Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA).

"This year we received the highest number of applications in our history. I am delighted with the extraordinary group of directors who constitute of Class of 2014, and I look forward to working with all of them," said Artistic Director Roger T. Danforth.

"The Drama League Directors Project kicks off its fourth decade with a vastly expanded Class of 2014 - eleven fellowship recipients in four programs, ten artists-in-residence developing new plays and musicals, and six new developmental projects in our Rough Draft series," remarked Executive Director Gabriel Shanks. "I couldn't be more proud to present these talented artists to the larger community, and to watch them take the next steps in their career development."

The Fellowships will begin on May 12th 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 80th Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 16th 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.