The Drama League Directors Project
Rose Directing Fellowship
A Partnership with Rose Theatre, London
2027 Application Opens September 2026
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The world premiere adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel Never Let Me Go in October 2024 at the Rose Theatre, London. Assistant Director: 2024 Rose Directing Fellow Emma Denson.

FELLOWSHIP DETAILS

OVERVIEW
  • For early and mid-career American directors interested in expanding beyond the borders of the United States, The Rose Directing Fellowship offers the opportunity to become part of the artistic team at London’s Rose Theatre.
  • During the 11-week Fellowship, the recipient will serve as Assistant Director on a mainstage production at the Rose, and direct a two-week public workshop of a new project, utilizing Rose Theatre’s Youth Theatre Company.
  • Founded by the legendary director Sir Peter Hall and modeled on the original Rose – an Elizabethan theater that staged the early plays of Marlowe and Shakespeare – today’s Rose Theatre is the largest producing theater in Southwest London and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. 
  • The Rose Directing Fellowship offers an embedded experience inside one of the world’s most acclaimed companies, and an entry into the deeply interconnected theatrical landscapes of the United Kingdom and the United States.
  • NUMBER OF FELLOWSHIPS: One (1), offered annually
  • ELIGIBILITY: Before applying, visit the  F.A.Q. page for full eligibility details.
  • SCHOLARSHIP PRIZE: $950/wk for up to thirteen (13) weeks, provided by The Drama League: Directors Project Week (one week); The Directors Project Retreat at Carnegie Mellon (one week); and in-person period at the Rose Theatre, Kingston-Upon-Thames, London, not to exceed eleven weeks. (Maximum $11,050, may be less depending on weeks)
  • HEALTH INSURANCE REIMBURSEMENT: Up to $200 total for travel health insurance reimbursement
  • TRAVEL AND HOUSING PROVISIONS: See Timeline
  • OTHER BENEFITS: VIP Pass to all publicly offered Drama League programming during the Fellowship period; access to alumni-focused programs and events; lifetime Drama League Membership
  • LIABILITIES 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.
1. DIRECTORS PROJECT WEEK | New York, NY
  • DATES: Mid-May. Approximately five days, in person, schedule TBD by The Drama League
  • DESCRIPTION: All Fellows begin with an intensive accelerator week of workshops, performances, learning opportunities, and private meetings with prominent artistic leaders, producers, directors, playwrights and other professionals. This culminates in attending The Drama League Awards, where the entire Directors Project cohort is formally introduced to the industry.
  • TRAVEL: One round-trip economy airfare, train, or bus fare (depending on distance) to/from is provided by The Drama League from any U.S. Continental city, if the Recipient lives more than 25 miles from New York City. Baggage fees, airport transfers, and in-city transportation are not provided. 
  • HOUSING: Housing provided for directors living more than 25 miles outside of the NYC metropolitan area. Travel arrangements are managed by The Drama League.
  • DATES: Early June. Approximately five days, in person, schedule TBD by The Drama League
  • DESCRIPTION: The recipient joins other Directing Fellows, professional actors, and acclaimed director/mentors in Pittsburgh for a technique-focused directing intensive, in residence at Carnegie Mellon University. As the Directing Fellows explore monologues and scenework with professional actors, the director-mentors offer feedback, guidance, and support in this process-first environment. The Retreat offers recipients a rare opportunity to consciously encounter and interrogate their own directorial practice, enjoying CMU’s safe, creative environment where they can take risks and experiment free from the pressures of production.
  • TRAVEL: One round-trip economy airfare, train, car or bus (depending on distance) to Pittsburgh is scheduled and provided by The Drama League from any U.S. Continental city, if the Recipient lives more than 25 miles from the Pittsburgh metropolitan areas. Baggage fees, airport transfers, and in-city transportation are not provided. Travel arrangements are managed by The Drama League.
  • HOUSING: Housing for all participants is provided by Carnegie Mellon University. 
  • DATES: Eleven (11) contiguous weeks during the season (between August-April), in person, schedule TBD by Rose Theatre
  • DESCRIPTION: The recipient travels to Rose Theatre in London, where they serve as the Assistant Director on a Mainstage production in the mainstage season, and directs their own two-week public workshop of a new project, utilizing the Youth Theatre Company of actors aged 16-22. The project, which will be chosen in consultation with the recipient, will culminate in a public presentation in one of Rose Theatre’s performance spaces. The Fellow will also integrate into the artistic team of Rose Theatre, under the mentorship of Artistic Director Christopher Haydon and the Director of Learning and Participation Lucy Morrell.
  • TRAVEL: One round-trip economy airfare, train, car or bus (depending on distance) to London is provided by The Drama League from any U.S. Continental city. Baggage fees, airport transfers, and in-city transportation are not provided. Travel arrangements are managed by The Drama League.
  • HOUSING: Fellowship housing provided by the Rose Theatre, featuring a private room inside a private residence. 
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FELLOWSHIP PARTNERS

THE DRAMA LEAGUE
The Drama League is a career accelerator and creative home for those who, in whole or in part, identify as directors — the artists who stand in the center of collective artmaking in theater, film, television, streaming, and all creative industries that utilize live performance. The Drama League offers acclaimed access, training, mentorship and opportunity for these artists and their collaborators.  Launched in 1916, alumni of its programs, collectively known as The Directors Project, create over 1,100 projects each year for audiences around the world, numbering in the tens of millions.  To be a part of supporting future generations of artists, please visit dramaleague.org/membership.
The Rose Theatre, in Kingston upon Thames in Southwest London, was founded by the legendary director Sir Peter Hall in 2008. Its roots, however, reach much further — the theatre’s design and layout is based on the original Rose, an Elizabethan theatre built in 1587 that staged the early plays of Marlowe and Shakespeare. The Rose’s highlights include Hall’s revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s Bedroom Farce (which transferred to the West End); Judi Dench in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Romeo and Juliet starring Tony nominee Sharon D Clarke; Joely Richardson in The Lady from the Sea; and Jane Austen‘s Persuasion featuring the music of Frank Ocean, Dua Lipa and Cardi B.
For over a century, the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama has been a leading innovator in theatrical training, consistently producing top talent on stage and behind the scenes. As the first degree-granting drama program in the United States, the School of Drama’s unique blend of rigorous conservatory training within an internationally ranked research university offers students a comprehensive education that integrates artistic mastery with diverse academic experiences. Its commitment to pioneering education and artistic development has earned it a prestigious place among the world’s top drama programs. Carnegie Mellon University is a private, internationally ranked research university with acclaimed programs spanning the sciences, engineering, technology, business, public policy, humanities and the arts. Our diverse community of scholars, researchers, creators and innovators is driven to make real-world impacts that benefit people across the globe. With a bold, interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial approach, we do the work that matters.
The Rose Directing Fellowship is supported, in part, through the generosity of the Noël Coward Foundation.

KINGSTON UPON THAMES
The Rose Theatre sits on the banks of the River Thames in southwest London, in the town of Kingston. Eight Saxon kings were crowned here, beginning in the tenth century, perhaps giving the place its name. A large stone, which played an integral part in the coronations, currently resides on the grounds of the Guildhall, directly across from the Rose Theatre. Kingston’s Ancient Market is still held daily in the Market Place, offering fish, jewelry, locally-grown produce, artisanal coffee, rare foods and flowers. In the 13th century, Kingston became the first crossing point of the Thames upstream from London Bridge, which gave it great importance. In the early 2000s development completed the riverside walk, adding bars, restaurants and the Rose Theatre. Actor Tom Holland, musician Eric Clapton, author P.D. James, photographer Eadweard Muybridge, and rapper Stormzy were born in Kingston and its surrounding areas.

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