National Directors Fellowship Is Now Accepting Applications

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National New Play Network, and Stage Directors & Choreographers Foundation have announced open applications for the fifth round of fellows of the National Directors Fellowship (NDF). Applications from early-career professional directors will be accepted online January 14 at 11am EST to January 18 at 11:59EST at the O'Neill website (www.theoneill.org/ndf).

NDF offers tools, networks, training, and practical experience to arm the next generation of storytellers for the stage and propel the advancement of new play production in America. NDF expands fellows' careers geographically by working in other regions, socially by expanding their collaborator and playwright network, and professionally by transitioning them away from assisting roles toward directing new work.

Leading the program, Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director of the O'Neill's National Playwrights Conference states: "NDF fills a very specific need in our field since few opportunities exist for emerging directors with a new play focus. Evidenced by the success of our first four classes of fellows, I've been encouraged by the industry's collective response, ensuring strong support networks, mentorship, practical experience for the directors who will shape storytelling on our stages for generations to come."

NDF seeks directors with demonstrated commitment to new play development/production and a passion for supporting the work of contemporary, living playwrights. These directors have established a themselves within a specific theater community and are seeking to expand their impact geographically, socially, and professionally. Strong preference is given to those with at least one directing credit outside an educational setting.

For additional information, application requirements and deadlines, visit https://www.theoneill.org/ndf or email ndf@theoneill.org.

2015 fellows:
Lavina Jadhwani - Chicago, IL
Portia Krieger - Brooklyn, NY
Larissa Lury - Las Cruces, NM
Evren Odcikin - San Francisco, CA
Martin Wilkins - Charlotte, NC 2016 fellows:
Jessica Holt - Atlanta, GA
Laley Lippard - Chicago, IL
Jeff Liu - Los Angeles, CA
Madeline Sayet - Norwich, CT
M. Graham Smith - San Francisco, CA 2017 fellows:
Sherri Eden Barber - Baltimore, MD
Estefania Fadul -Hanover, NH
Kareem Fahmy - Sherbrooke, Quebec,Canada
Leora Morris - Toronto, Canada

2018 fellows:
Arpita Mukherjee -New York, NY
Tatiana Pandiani -New York, NY
Mei Ann Teo -New York, NY
Hannah Wolf -Los Angeles, CA
Jenna Worsham - New York, NY

Founded in 2015, NDF is 18 months of practical, hands-on training, mentorship, and - most importantly - concludes with a professional directing opportunity. It connects directors to a vast network of playwrights and theaters, expands access to professional support services, and provides laboratory-like settings for observation and experimentation, equipping tomorrow's stage directors with the skills, knowledge, and network to advance new play development and production around the country. Under the leadership of National Playwrights Conference Artistic Director Wendy C. Goldberg, Fellows begin in July of each year, observing and participating in the National Playwrights Conference at the O'Neill Fellows then travel to the MFA Playwrights' Workshop and Directing Intensive in August, led by NNPN and the KCACTF, and the NNPN National Showcase of New Plays in December. In January, they reconvene for an intense two-week Directing Symposium at the O'Neill, and the fellowship concludes with a professional directing opportunity at an NNPN Core Member theater.

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