Next Stage Directing Residency
A Partnership with New York Stage And Film
Applications Open Autumn 2024
The Drama League Directing Residencies are designed to support the interrogative process of a director creating work that includes live performance. The residencies offer financial support for a multi-stage developmental process, rehearsal and administrative space, mentor support from the artistic staff of the partner companies, and the opportunity to share the findings of the process publicly.
The Next Stage Directing Residency is designed for early and mid-career directors to support a work they are attached to for possible future production — either a project they are directing, or one in which they are also a generative creator in other aspects (director-writer, director-designer, etc.).
The Residency will include three phases: pre-workshop planning with Drama League staff; creative exploration for five days with a company of up to four (4) additional collaborators at New York Stage and Film’s Summer Season in Poughkeepsie, NY; and a continued, later exploration of that work in New York City, resulting in either an open rehearsal or public reading. The Drama League and/or its partners will not be the producers of the project.
Applications are especially welcome 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. This includes, but is not limited to, Black, Indigenous, Latine (Latino/Latina), AAPI (Asian-American/Pacific Islander), MENASA (Middle Eastern/North African/South Asian), Biracial, Mixed-Race, Global Majority, LGBTQIAA2+, non-binary directors, disabled, and/or immigrant directors or directors not born in the United States. Please see our F.A.Q. page for eligibility questions
Program Partner: New York Stage And Film
New York Stage and Film is a not-for-profit company dedicated to both emerging and established artists in the development and production of theater and film by creating community, supporting process, and uplifting original artistic voices. The New York Times calls the company a “formidable breeding ground for new work,” and dozens of notable works trace their developmental roots to NYSAF, including Tony Award winners HAMILTON, HADESTOWN, SIDE MAN and THE HUMANS; Broadway productions such as THE NOTEBOOK, AMERICAN IDIOT, JUNK, and BRIGHT STAR; and Pulitzer winners and finalists such as DOUBT, THE WOLVES and Taylor Mac’s A 24-DECADE HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC.
Details
Program Duration
Periodically over the course of one year, determined in consultation with the Recipient.
Program Frequency
Offered every year, number of residencies varies.
Scholarship Prize
Recipient receives $5,000 to cover expenses related to the Residency. Up to four (4) collaborating artists receive financial stipends for Poughkeepsie Week ($100/day not to exceed $500/person, and a food allowance of $100) and for NYC Week ($100/day not to exceed $500/person).
Health Insurance Reimbursement
None.
Travel Coverage
For Poughkeepsie Week (see Timeline below), round-trip train travel from New York City to Poughkeepsie is provided for Recipient and up to four (4) collaborators; baggage fees and in-city transportation in Poughkeepsie are not provided. Travel is not provided for the Inspiration Experience or NYC Week, and is the responsibility of the Recipient and collaborating artists.
Housing Coverage
For the Residency’s Poughkeepsie Week (see Timeline below), artist housing in Poughkeepsie is provided for Recipient and up to four (4) collaborators. Housing is not provided for the Inspiration Experience or NYC Week, and is the responsibility of the Recipient and collaborating artists.
Liability and Insurances
Recipient will not be an employee of TDL or its partners, instead a recipient of an educational program and will be considered as such under insurance policies.
Other Benefits
VIP Pass to all publicly offered Drama League programming during the Assistantship period; access to alumni-focused programs and events; and a lifetime Drama League Membership.
June-July (TBD, occasional, online/remote)
PRE-RESIDENCY PLANNING
The Recipient meets with Drama League staff to prepare for the process ahead, including script development, casting, and other elements.
TBD (varies by project, in-person at New York Stage And Film)
POUGHKEEPSIE WEEK
The recipient and up to four (4) additional collaborating artists receive five (5) days of exploratory rehearsal at New York Stage and Film’s summer activities in Poughkeepsie, NY, on dates to be determined by The Drama League and NYSAF (not to exceed 40 hours of rehearsal).
INSPIRATION EXPERIENCE
Inspired by Twyla Tharp’s concept of “The Artist Date,” the Inspiration Experience is an opportunity for the Recipient to expand their exploratory investigation through a short experience inspired by the project itself. This might mean a visit to a local business or attraction, a facilitated conversation with an expert, or participation in a local event. The experience will be developed in conjunction with and facilitated by The Drama League.
NYC WEEK
The Recipient and up to four (4) collaborating artists receive five (5) days of rehearsal at The Drama League in New York City, during one continuous week (M-F, 10am-6pm) to be scheduled in agreement with Recipient and The Drama League. The week culminates with a public sharing of the findings in an Open Rehearsal, Staged Reading, or Public In-Process Presentation.
About Next Stage...
Directors rarely receive time or resources to explore, risk, or experiment; usually, they must do so on the fly, in rehearsal or previews, where production concerns and the needs of other artists must be prioritized. The Next Stage Residency aims to fill this gap in development. In these weeks, directors are given moments of their own, to mine the reaches of their creativity in three dimensions, without the pressure of production. Given space to imagine visceral, complex staging opportunities, directors can create impactful, exciting productions that can transform their collaborators, their audiences, and their world.
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About the Drama League
The Drama League is the preeminent creative development home for directors, offering access and opportunity to them, their collaborators, and the audiences they inspire across the world in theater, film, television, online content, and anywhere live performance is found. Launched in 1916, The Drama League is one of the longest continuously-operating arts service organizations in the United States. To be a part of supporting future generations of artists, please visit dramaleague.org/membership.