“When I think of my time with the Directors Project, the image that springs immediately to mind is the faces of my three fellow Fellows. We did more than just spend a summer together. We challenged each other to grow, supported each other through tough moments and, ultimately, ensured that we had a good time! The Directors Project brings a community to profession and industry that would otherwise be lacking.”
~ Lauren Keating, Summer Directors Project 2008

“I’m not kidding around when I say that the Director’s Apprenticeship Program was a seminal moment in my career. It was one of the great experiences of my life.”
~ R. J. Cutler, Drama League Fall Directors Project 1984
Emmy® Award winner, Academy Award® nominee

“After completing my Drama League Fall Fellowship in December of 1998, I felt ready to (finally) make the big, permanent move from Denver to NYC. I was inspired by the tremendous experience of the fall program, and by the belief you and the Drama League showed in me.”
~ Tom Rowan, Fall Directing Program 1998

“In 1994 the Drama League changed my life. I was a young director preparing to move to New York City (a titillating and terrifying thought). I didn’t know any directors in New York at the time, and I had no idea how I would find my way into a theatrical community to which I could someday contribute. I still remember the thrill of coming to New York for the interview as a finalist for the Directors Project, and being awed by the talent and renown of the people in the room who interrogated me mercilessly about my interpretation of “Winter’s Tale.”

I also remember Julia impressing upon us throughout our time in the program that as Drama League directors we were now part of an important group of artists with a prestigious list of alumni who had gone before us, and that she and the Drama League believed whole-heartedly in us and wanted us to succeed in our artistic pursuits.

That summer at the Hangar I grew immeasurably as an artist, creating and exploring work with a company of young actors and designers, and learning from my peer directors in the program. This turned out to be my first and most significant training to be an artistic director in later years.

Equally importantly, that summer I made professional contacts through the Drama League that resulted in further opportunities. Bob hired me to direct plays and served as a mentor over the subsequent years; I continued and built upon the relationships I developed throughout the program when I moved to New York that fall; and, most significantly, it was through the Drama League that I met Michael Mayer, whom I assisted for three years and who taught me so much of what I know about directing and collaboration. I also always felt that, as an emerging director, I was never alone. I knew that the Drama League believed in me and that I was part of a small group of distinguished artists.

In 2001 the circle was completed when I was named Artistic Director of the Hangar Theatre, where my duties included mentoring new generations of Drama League directors each summer in Ithaca. Seeing the program work so beautifully from the other side, and having the great privilege of working with and celebrating the voices of the four directors each summer, was among the highlights of my seven-year tenure at the Hangar.

Though I’ve now moved on from the Hangar, I remain dedicated to fulfilling Julia’s commandment that, as alumni of the Directors Project, we have an obligation to continue to help new generations of directors and, in doing so, keep our art form fresh and fully alive.

I remain in awe of the power and impact the Drama League Directors Project has on the individual lives of its recipients and on the course of the future of the American theatre. There is no better program for emerging directors in this country.”
~ Kevin Moriarty, Summer Directing Program 1994
Artistic Director of the Dallas Theater Center

“The Directors Project had a huge impact on my professional life.
I was sent off to assist Kent Thompson at the Cleveland Play House—one morning in the third week of rehearsal, he plopped a script on the table in front me, told me he’d just lost the director for his production of it, and asked me to tell him what I thought of the play. When I did, he offered me the chance to direct my first LORT production. Later that fall, Anne Cattaneo came to see our one-acts in New York, and generously offered me a workshop opportunity at the Lincoln Center Directors Lab. Those two gigs led directly to every job I’ve had since, including the one I have today. Even more important, they brought me in touch with dear colleagues whose collaboration and guidance have continued to influence me for over a decade.
I will always be grateful to The Drama League for the exposure to the professional community and for providing a welcome bridge from graduate school to the ‘real world.’”
~ James Bundy, Drama League Fall Program 1995
Dean, Yale School of Drama & Artistic Director, Yale Rep

“Summer 2005 was a life-changing experience and I did in fact leave a better director. The fellowship launched me into my professional career.”
~ Pesha Rudnick, Summer Program 2005

“The Drama League Director’s Project gave me a new appreciation of pause. On our director’s retreat at The O’Neill, my mentor commented on my work that reverberated in a new way: “Listen more and expend less.” The countless theatre professionals we met during Wonder Week (“New York Theatre Boot Camp,” as I call it!), echoed a similar theme: a career is not born in an instant, but in the long haul – a complex web of relationships, experiences and plays. Assisting Mark Brokaw on Paula Vogel’s new play, The Long Christmas Ride Home, I saw first hand what the fruits of patience could bear. Mark was a genius at building a complex and complicated play (with puppets!) bit by bit, never rushing to a decision until he had given his collaborators time to grow with him, creating honest comedy and poignant beauty that was never pushed. I purposely put this new lesson to the test on the one act I directed at the end of the program. I chose a simple play that took place during a car ride. Throughout rehearsal, I sat on my hands and forced myself to listen more. Pacing developed organically, giving each moment its due, either fast or slow, without ever having to force it. The final result was the most true to life and moving piece of theatre I had ever directed. This new way of working helped lead me towards a simpler, more honest aesthetic that has shaped my directing career in ways I could have never imagined. The Drama League gave me invaluable insights into the value of patience – in my rehearsal process, my career, and, perhaps, my life in general.”
~ Jonathan Silverstein, Fall Directors Project 2003
Drama Desk award nominee, Outstanding Director for The Dining Room

“The Drama League took a risk and gave me an opportunity no one else would – they produced a play I directed in the heart of New York City and invited everyone to see it. Every professional opportunity I’ve had since is the result of that chance they took on someone unknown and untested. They also introduced me to Carole Rothman, the Artistic Director of Second Stage, who became my theatre fairy godmother in New York. That relationship led to a Pew/TCG National Artists Residency grant, and today I am the resident director at that theatre. I will always be eternally grateful to The Drama League for their belief in me and for the continued nurturing that has endured over the years.”
~ Mark Brokaw, Drama League Fall Program 1986
Director of the Tony Award® nominated Best Musical Cry-Baby

“The Directors Project gave me an invaluable bridge to the professional world. The program taught me so much about the art and business of directing and helped me to establish myself in the theatre world. It was an invaluable step in my career, and I find myself constantly recommending the program to every young artist I meet. I think we are all lucky to be part of such extraordinary alumni.”
~ Melia Bensussen, Drama League Fall Program 1986
Obie Award winner for Direction of The Turn of the Screw

“As a mid-career director, I found the Drama League’s support to be invaluable at a time when I needed to stretch my own vision. My adventures within the New Directors/New Works program were the most demanding and thrilling I have had in the theatre.”
~ Loretta Greco, New Directors/New Works 1998, 1999
Artistic Director, Magic Theatre

“My experience with the Directors Project has played a major role in my development as a director. From WonderWeek to my regional and New York assignments, I had a unique immersion into the profession. My time with the Drama League helped focus my energies towards developing a career in the regional theater by introducing me to directors and theatres. No other program of its kind exists for young directors. I was thrilled to be chosen for the program and am reminded daily of all that I learned and discovered.”
~ Preston Lane, Drama League Fall Program 1996
Artistic Director, Triad Stage, Greensboro, NC

“My Drama League fellowship at the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, New York was a turning point in my life as well as in my career. The amazing summer of 1989 was the very first opportunity I’d ever had to experience life as a full-time theatre director: each day directing plays, talking about directing, watching and assisting other directors…basically, eating and breathing directing. I can’t imagine my life without that summer.”
~ Michael Mayer, Drama League Summer Program 1989
Tony Award® winner, Best Direction of a Musical for Spring Awakening
Drama Desk Award winner, Outstanding Director of a Musical for American Idiot

“As a Drama League fellow who came to the program from Louisiana, I had the extraordinary experience of being introduced to the New York theatre scene through the program. Louisiana is about as far away as one can get from NYC and the program’s WonderWeek was a true wonder, exposing me to producers, managers, casting directors, designers, working directors and actors among many other theatre artists who were at the center of theatrical activity at the time. Many of these people became mentors for me as I progressed not only through the program but also through the following years of working as a director in NYC and around the country. I would have to say that the full experience of being a Drama League fellow, including the weekend retreat, the assistant directing opportunities, and the fully produced showcase prepared me well for my current position running a theatre of my own back in my native Louisiana as Artistic Director of The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane in New Orleans. Now, Louisiana doesn’t seem quite so far away from New York as more and more of the people I met through the program come down and work in my theatre.”
~ Aimee Michel, Drama League Fall Program 1990
Former Artistic Director, Shakespeare Festival at Tulane, New Orleans, LA

“The Drama League’s commitment to young directors is unparalleled. The degree of support and respect they give you is astonishing. They opened the door to my professional career – and continue to be there for advice, encouragement, and an invaluable sense of community.”
~ Diane Paulus, Drama League Fall Program 1997
Tony Award® nominee, Best Direction of a Musical for Hair
Artistic Director, American Repertory Theatre

“The Drama League Directors Project is a remarkable program that helped bridge my way from being an assistant director to a professional director. Simply put, if it wasn’t for the Directors Project, I wouldn’t be directing theatre in New York today.”
~ John Rando, Fall Program 1992
Tony Award® winner, Best Direction of a Musical for Urinetown

“The Drama League gave a great jumpstart to my career, and has continued to be a valuable resource. I am very proud of my association with this terrific organization.”
~ Rob Urbanati, Drama League Fall Program 1995
Director of Play Development, Queens Theatre in the Park

“One of the great joys and challenges of being a director is that you can’t do it alone. Directing is not a craft that can be practiced in isolation. At a certain point in every young director’s development, the only way to get better at directing is to get the opportunity to direct, and to spend some period of time concentrating on nothing else. The Drama League gave me that all-important first opportunity. I discovered there was no substitute for testing myself in a rehearsal room with professional actors and designers, for showing my work in NYC, and seeing regional and resident theaters from the inside. The Directors Project showed me a range of theatrical possibilities I hadn’t seen before, gave me real understanding of what a director’s life could be like, and most importantly, took me seriously as a theatre artist, which of course made me take myself seriously and made everything I’ve done as a director since possible. The Drama League is a precious resource for the art and craft of directing for the stage—truly one of the few lifelines of the profession. I’m very proud to have been a part of it.”
~ Tim Vasen, Drama League Fall Program 1988

“My anticipated career bolstering took a backseat to personal growth throughout the fellowship. Observing my fellow directors during our retreat was inspiring, creatively. Assisting Jo Bonney at CSC and Andre De Shields at Crossroads was incredibly enlightening. Directing The Bear was as satisfying as it was nerve wracking. Yet, the emergence of an individual artist with a clear vision and an unencumbered voice is by far, for me, the most invaluable treasure from my D.L. experiences.”
~ Eric Ruffin, Drama League Fall Program 1999

“My summer in Ithaca as a Drama League director was the most fulfilling of my life thus far. I met four incredible colleagues, who have remained close friends and trusted allies, and I was tested in ways that I had not been to date and have not been since. I recently looked back at the first entry to a blog we four directors kept while in Ithaca, which brought back fond memories of my first foray into the incredible difficult task of directing children’s theater. Here’s an edited version of that entry:

My first few weeks in Ithaca have been consumed by a little play called THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER. And while I like to fancy myself a director whose sense of humor and wit displays at least some sense of sophistication and intelligence, I had to consciously put all that aside to direct a show that was advertised to be enjoyed by anyone over the age of 4.

Perhaps the big pay-off came when I walked into the theater to see a lone kid on the stage with his teachers. He was blind, and the teachers were letting him feel the set so that he knew what he would be “watching” in a few minutes. They then took him backstage to the actors, where he felt all of the actors’ faces while each of them described what he or she was wearing and who his or her character was. That child’s life was brightened, I think, in a very simple way. And it made me remember what was at the core of the creation of theater to begin with.”
~ Kerry Whigham, Summer Directing Program 2007

“The Drama League taught me that people in this world watch me and care about what I chose to do. It is unbelievably encouraging and pushes me into a deeper recognition of my work. The opportunity to work with David Petrarca as a part of the grant definitely affected my production of At the Hawks’ Well — teaching me to be practical in my approach to creating the piece and giving me a method of crafting the process. I believe that the seed of creation is never forgetting to sense vivid emotions about life and exchanging inspirations with people. Now I am working on two projects; one is based on an American classic novel and the other is based on a Japanese classic play. I am interested in breaking assumptions in the many ways in which I have been trapped, at times unrecognizably, by living in this information society, with the meaning of theatre, an invitation to encounter life and its magic. Drama League gave me a power to do this.”
~ Sonoko Kawahara, Drama League Fall Program 1999

“Directing can be a surprisingly lonely job. Being a part of the Director’s Project was the least lonely I’ve felt as a director.”
~ Carolyn Cantor, Drama League Fall Program 1999
Artistic Director, Edge Theatre