FutureNow Stage Directing Fellowships
Applications Open October 2, 2023
THE FUTURENOW
STAGE DIRECTING FELLOWSHIPS
A partnership with Chautauqua Theater Company and TheaterWorksUSA
The FutureNow Stage Directing Fellowships allow early and mid-career stage directors to practice their craft inside three acclaimed professional companies and explore different paths in the evolving landscape of directing in the United States. The FutureNow Directing Fellowships offer production experience, career development, mentorship, and intimate access to the creative and administrative processes of major institutions.
The FutureNow Stage Directing Fellowships are for stage directors in the early or middle stages of their professional career. Please see our F.A.Q. page for eligibility questions. Applications are encouraged from directors who identify as members of populations that have historically been denied equity, access, inclusion or belonging in the field and in society, who have been marginalized, underrepresented, and/or those whose paths to direction may have been nonlinear or nontraditional.
Fellowship Outline
Fellowship Duration
Drama League: Mid-May (1 week)
Chautauqua: June-August (11 weeks)
TheaterWorks: TBD (2-3 weeks between September and March)
Fellowship Frequency
Offered every year
Fellowship Recipients
Three recipients each cycle
Scholarship Prize
$10,000, plus additional Directors Fee for National Tour Remount (see timeline below for details)
Health Care Reimbursement
Up to $1,000
Fellowship Details
Click each month for program details
Mid-May (approximately 1 week, full-time, in person)
DRAMA LEAGUE PROFESSIONALS WEEK*
The Drama League Fellowships begin with an intensive orientation in New York City of workshops, learning opportunities, and private meetings with prominent artistic leaders, producers, directors and other professionals.
*Travel to/from New York City provided; Housing provided for directors living more than 25 miles outside of New York City metropolitan area. Baggage Fees and In-City Transportation not provided.
June-August (11 weeks total, in person)
CHAUTAUQUA THEATER COMPANY ENGAGEMENT
Recipients travel to Chautauqua Theater Company to serve as a member of the artistic team for their summer season. Recipients will serve as Assistant Directors on CTC’s mainstage seasons, and be a part of the artistic teams on CTC’s New Play Development Workshops and other programming. Recipients will also direct a small piece with the CTC Conservatory Acting Company, with consultation and approval of the CTC Artistic Director. Fellows will also have areas of interest in production, dramaturgy, and new play development, and will curate and execute audience engagement activities.
*Travel to/from Chautauqua, NY is provided from a U.S. Continental city, if the Recipient lives more than 25 miles from Chautauqua. Airport transfers, housing and in-city transportation will be provided in Chautauqua. Additional travel and baggage fees will be the responsibility of the Fellow.
TBD September-March (approximately 2-3 weeks, full-time, in person)
THEATERWORKSUSA ENGAGEMENT
After auditions (which can be attended virtually), the Fellows are offered a contract, consistent with what has been negotiated in the applicable Collectively Bargained Agreement (CBA) with SDC, to direct a remount of a TheaterWorksUSA repertory musical production for TYA audiences that will then tour nationally. Following a 14-17 day rehearsal process, the production will begin its tour. Pre-production planning and mentorship will be provided by the artistic leadership of TheaterWorksUSA.
*Travel to/from city of origin for rehearsal period is provided from a U.S. Continental city, if the Recipient lives more than 25 miles from the city of origin. Additional travel, housing, baggage, and in-city transportation will be the responsibility of the Fellow.
Additional Benefits
- Travel and housing expenses for some program activities
(see Fellowship Timeline buttons above for details) - VIP Pass to all publicly offered Drama League programming during Fellowship
- Access To Drama League Alumni Programming and Events
- Lifetime Drama League Artistic Membership
- Opportunity to serve as a Drama League Awards Nominator for the length of the Fellowship Period if based in New York City area
QUESTIONS?
You may find your answer on our F.A.Q. page for artists,
which includes information about eligibility, application materials, and more.
See Current Fellows
& Residents
About the Partners
The Drama League FutureNow Directing Fellowship is a partnership between The Drama League of New York, Inc. (Gabriel Stelian-Shanks, Artistic Director; Bevin Ross, Executive Director); Chautauqua Theater Company (Jade King Carroll, Producing Artistic Director); and TheaterWorksUSA (Barbara Pasternack, Artistic Director; Michael Harrington, Executive Director).
The Drama League is a home for stage directors, and a platform for dialogue with, and between, the audiences they inspire. Founded in 1916, the organization is one of the longest-running, continuously operating arts service organizations in the United States. To support its programs for artists, or to become a member of its community, please visit www.dramaleague.org.
Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC) produces high-quality live theater in a vibrant summer season. We are committed to the development of new work, the next generation of theater artists, producing galvanizing world premieres as well as exceptional modern and contemporary plays, and infusing fresh insight into the classical canon. CTC is a national home for exciting new plays: commissioning, developing and producing both new and established American playwrights. We are where the finest artists of tomorrow bridge the gap between their training and the professional world. CTC is actively building the future of the American theater. For more information, please visit theater.chq.org.
TheaterWorksUSA has led the Theater for Young and Family Audiences movement in New York City and across North America for over half a century. At TWUSA, we believe that access to art—and theater, in particular—is vital for our youth. Since 1961, the 501(c)3 not-for-profit has captured the imaginations of 100 million new and veteran theatergoers with an award-winning repertoire of over 140 original plays and musicals. Acclaimed alumni include Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Disney’s Frozen), Jerry Zaks (The Music Man), Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen), Joe Iconis (Be More Chill), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent), and Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America). They produced the Broadway premiere of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. Visit www.TWUSA.org for more information.