The Drama League Directors Project
Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
Absolutely! There are two ways to reach us.
The first is via email, at directorsproject(at)dramaleague.org.
The second is to attend our free Q&A sessions, where you can meet and talk to our artistic staff members about your application. We offer them in the lead-up to the application deadlines each year. If there are sessions upcoming soon, you can find them among our Workshops And Events.
The Drama League Directors Project offers Fellowships, Residencies, Assistantships, Exchanges, and Services for directors working in theater, film, television, and related fields where directors are needed. You can find each program page in the navigation bar at the top of this (and every) page.
A lot! Each has its own area of focus and benefits. We strongly encourage you to read about each of them in depth.
That’s up to you!
Many of our Fellowships are for theater directors, but others are for film, television, and filmed media.
The Irene Gandy Assistantships are for early-career directors who would like to assist renowned directors on major productions.
Some Residencies are for directors who develop and direct the work of their collaborators; others are for directors who both write and direct their own work.
Some opportunities are for early-career directors, while others are for those in the middle or later stages of their career.
Some opportunities are as long as two years in duration, others just a few weeks.
There’s no such thing as a perfect fit. Perfection is a myth!
If you feel a program would be generally of use to you, we look forward to reading your application.
Some programs require a different level of experience than others, or focus on a different kind of directorial work, so we suggest you read the descriptions carefully.Â
The two-year programs aren’t for everyone, we understand; they are for directors who are interested in a deep, extended opportunity…which means, during that time, that OTHER opportunities may not be possible.
Please make sure that you are fully committed to participating in the WHOLE experience before applying, and making it your personal priority.
Applicants must be available for all program components during the program period without exception. Conflicts with the program components will result in the cancellation of those components, without being rescheduled, and a resulting reduction in the program and its effectiveness.
The Drama League supports your directing career…congratulations on the gig!
Conflicts with program components, however, will result in the cancellation of those components and a reduction in the program, without being rescheduled.
Therefore, we strongly encourage you to make sure you can participate in the entire program timeline BEFORE you apply.
Eligibility Questions​
Yes. The Drama League Directors Project advances career opportunities and development for directors working in the creative sector and related fields. We believe it is important to offer these opportunities to as wide a range of artists as possible; we encourage all directors, including members of underinvested communities, those who have historically been underrecognized in leadership, and those whose paths to direction may have been nonlinear or nontraditional, to apply. This includes, but is not limited to, Black, Indigenous, Latino/Latina, Asian-American/Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern/North African, South Asian, Southeast Asian, biracial, mixed-race, Global Majority, LGBTQIAA2+, women, non-binary, and disabled directors, as well as directors from rural or non-urban localities. This also includes directors both nationally and internationally. Everyone!
Yes. Applicants must have served as the ‘director of record’ — the lead director for theater or other live performance — for a minimum of three productions before applying. These can be professional, semi-professional, or community theater productions, of any size or scale, as long as they opened for live performance to a public audience.
Any theatrical production (see the question about ‘production’ below for a definition) where you directed performers in a live setting, that “opened” in front of an audience for at least one (1) performance, and you were:
paid to direct, or
you produced yourself, or
you directed at a company where you agreed to forego a salary or stipend (as one might at a community theater)
For The Drama League, productions could be single performance events, or longer runs…doesn’t matter to us! Outdoor, site-specific, promenade, and other hybrid productions are welcome as well. But there are some requirements. To apply, you must have directed a minimum of three (3) productions at:
a theater company, commercial producer, or institution, of any size, where you were paid a fee to direct a production that opened to a live audience for a minimum of one (1) public performance
a community, semi-professional, or non-professional theater production at a company/institution where you were EITHER paid OR unpaid to direct a production that opened to a live audience for a minimum of one (1) public performance. In this category, we understand directors sometimes work without financial compensation
productions at universities/colleges/high schools for which you were paid a fee to direct, and you were not a student at the tim
project/play readings, workshops, or private showings
productions where you served as an Associate Director, Assistant Director, Tour Director, Resident Director, or Observer (there will be a separate section in the application to list these activities, but they do not count towards eligibility)
student productions (i.e., theater productions that occurred at a university, college or high school as part of your educational experience)
productions that had no live audience at its performance (i.e., film, television, etc.)
productions that have not yet occurred (i.e., that you are scheduled to direct in the future, but have not opened yet)
While we deeply respect your credits in acting, assistant direction, associate direction, choreography, intimacy choreography, stage management, etc., they do not count towards the eligibility minimum of directing credits.
Yes! Being hired to direct at a university can be counted towards the eligibility requirement. Directing as a student, however, cannot.
No. Recipients cannot be enrolled in any high school, undergraduate or graduate degree program during the program’s period of support. Please check each program’s timeline on its individual program page to see when it begins and ends.
No. We understand that directors come to their profession from a variety of paths and experiences.
The answer is (a qualified) yes. Any applicant who is not a U.S. citizen will need to obtain all documents and permissions (visas or otherwise) to spend the time listed in the program’s timeline in the United States or, in the case of the Rose Fellowship, in the United Kindom. This time commitment ranges from one week to two years, depending on the program.
AND, even though our programs are educational in nature and not considered employment, they come with a monetary scholarship prize that some nations (including the United States) consider taxable. Please check with your own country’s embassy, ministry, or municipality to ensure you understand the responsibilities you undertake when applying.
One other thing: The Drama League offers air travel for some of its programs, but only for domestic (U.S. originating) flights. For those living outside of the United States, program participation means you will have to fly to/from the continental United States first on your own, and then The Drama League will coordinate travel inside the country.
To be fair to all applicants, there will be no deadline extension. We suggest finishing your application and submitting it at least 72 hours before the deadline, to ensure you don’t encounter any internet outages or software difficulties.
In very loose, general terms, we think of an Early-Career Director as someone who is at the beginning of their professional journey, recently completing any educational path they have taken and being 1-3 years into their career.
A Mid-Career Director, then, might be someone who has been working in the field for 4-6 years or more, and an Established Director would be anyone who has done more than that. 🙂
HOWEVER, we understand these categories, even as general as they are, are not incredibly effective when elucidating the career paths of artists. They are not important to us, nor discussed in our selection panel’s deliberations.
Why not? Well, just because you’ve worked consistently for ten years does not mean that opportunities have come your way; similarly, directors who have only been working a few years may have luckily moved quickly to big opportunities, and do not need the same things their peers need. In truth, every individual comes to directing on their own path.
Of course! It is hoped, however, that you will talk about this in your answers, and address the reasons you feel you are the ideal candidate for the program.
Application Questions
No. Our application software, Submittable, allows you to begin an application and then save your work in process, and return to it at a later time. The Drama League will not be able to view your application until you confirm that it is complete. If you choose to work on the application in multiple sessions, we recommend you set personal reminders of the deadline (or 72 hours before the deadline, so you have time to complete it).
All of our applications require:
your full (legal) name
your pronouns
mailing address
telephone number
email address
a headshot or professional photo of yourself
your directing website or substitute online presence, like a Linked(In) page
an URL link to samples of your directing work (photos and/or optionally videos)
two professional references (just their names and contact information, not letters from them)
A list of your directing credits, and assistant/associate credits if you have them
You will also need to provide short narrative answers to questions related to your directing practice, and to the particular program.
For the Next Stage and (Re)Engage Residencies, which develop new works, you’ll also need to upload work samples of the script, drafts, and have permission from the author to apply if you are not the author.
For the Beatrice Terry Residency, where a director writes and directs their own work, you’ll need to upload samples and a previous work.
For the (Re)Envision Residency, you’ll need to upload a draft of the play or translation.
For the FutureNow Fellowships, the director will apply with a playwright, who will need to provide information as well. Please refer to the application for further details.
To us, your Directorial Practice should detail…
why you are an artist in the first place;
what are the hallmarks of your directing style;
why directing is the medium you’ve chosen to impact your fellow citizens;
your view of the world and your influences;
techniques you’ve employed in your work;
and most importantly, what distinguishes you from everyone else applying. Be specific: what is different, special, or unique about you?
We are NOT asking about you personally, only about your Directorial Practice. Sharing your background, identity, or family history might be informative, but it’s not the point.
You should also discuss the process you employ when directing. Some things that you might discuss are how you read texts, take notes, approach research, execute rehearsals, lead production meetings, give and receive notes, approach casting, utilize previews, etc.
Speak from the heart, and speak your truth…we understand these are difficult questions!
In general, we’d like to understand what you direct (and why), what you need, and how we can help you.
We encourage you to use direct, concise language, and steer clear of jargon.
Follow the “less is more” rule; you do not have to use the maximum word count.
Mentioning influences, inspirations and references are helpful contextually for the application readers, who may be unfamiliar with your work.
When Drama League applications ask for work samples, we suggest that the language you use about your work match what the panel will see in the samples.
Being specific with rich, sensory language can help us understand how your directing relates to the work samples you are sharing.
The panel is looking for authentic people with a clear and exciting point of view on the world. We’re looking for directors with a desire to make even better art in the future.
The application asks you to tell us about the way you direct, and what needs you have that we can help with. Although our applications do not ask for an “artist statement” (we reject the field’s desire to force artists into boxes), the advice in this article is terrific for guiding an approach to our application in general.