FutureNow Stage Directing Fellowships

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.

Jennifer Ikeda and Andy Lucien in the 2023 world premiere of tiny father by Mike Lew, directed by Drama League Directors Project alumnus Moritz von Stuelpnagel, at Chautauqua Theater Company.

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.

"The Magic School Bus: Lost In The Solar System" directed by Andrew Coopman as part of the FutureNow Directing Fellowship for TheaterWorksUSA. Music and Lyrics by Matthew Lee Robinson, Book by Marshall Pailet. Credit: @catalinmedia

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

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. 

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 Logo, blue in a bold and wide font

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.