For early and mid-career directors interested in expanding their understanding beyond the borders of the United States, The Rose Directing Fellowship offers the opportunity to serve as Assistant or Associate Director on a mainstage production at Rose Theatre in London, as well as direct a two-week public workshop of a new project, utilizing Rose Theatre’s Youth Theatre Company. Over the course of the Fellowship, the Recipient will become an integral part of the artistic team of the Rose.
Founded by the legendary director Sir Peter Hall and modeled on the original Rose Theatre – 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 for a director inside one of the world’s most acclaimed companies, learning techniques of arts leadership, directorial practice, and cross-cultural artmaking…an acceleration into the deeply interconnected theater landscapes of the United Kingdom and the United States.
NOTE: All programs of The Drama League Directors Project have eligibility requirements. Please read our F.A.Q. page for full details before applying.
Program Partner: Rose Theatre
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. Their world premiere adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go was the first project selected for the Rose Directing Fellowship. Below is a short interview with Emma Dension, the 2024 Drama League Rose Directing Fellow, who talks about her experience.
Details
Program Duration
11 Contiguous Weeks between August 2025-May 2026, to be determined.
Program Frequency
One (1) Fellowship offered every year.
Scholarship Prize
$850/wk for in-person period at the Rose Theatre, Kingston-Upon-Thames, London, not to exceed 11 weeks (maximum $9,350).
Health Insurance Reimbursement
Up to $200 total for travel health insurance reimbursement.
Travel Coverage
Round-trip economy airfare for Recipient to/from London, from a city in the continental United States. Baggage fees, transit/buses, airport transfers, and in-city transportation in London are not included.
Housing Coverage
Artist housing provided by the Rose Theatre, featuring a private room inside a private residence.
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 Fellowship period; access to alumni-focused programs and events; and a lifetime Drama League Membership.
June-July (TBD, occasional, online/remote)
FELLOWSHIP PREPARATIONS
The Fellow begins with a training seminar of the practice, expectations, and evolving role of assistant directors with professionals in the field, prior to their time at the Rose Theatre. This period may also include virtual meetings with staff and creative teams of the Rose Theatre and The Drama League.
Eleven (11) contiguous weeks, in person, timing to be determined each season between August and December)
ROSE THEATRE ENGAGEMENT
The Recipient travels to Rose Theatre in London, where they serve as the Assistant or Associate Director on a Mainstage production in the season. Rose Theatre will also offer a two-week public workshop of a new project, to be directed by the Recipient, utilizing the Youth Theatre Company of actors aged 16-22, through the Learning and Participation Department. 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, Producer David Sloan, and the Director of Learning and Participation, Lucy Morrell.
About Kingston Upon Thames...
Kingston upon Thames is in southwest London, on the banks of the River Thames. The town is notable as the site in which eight Saxon kings were crowned, beginning in the tenth century. The earliest record of Kingston is from 838 AD, when it hosted a meeting between King Egbert of Wessex and Ceolnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury. A large stone played an integral part in the coronations; the stone currently resides on the grounds of the Guildhall, directly across from Rose Theatre. Kingston’s Ancient Market is still held daily in the Market Place, where shops offer 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, the Charter Quay development completed the riverside walk, as well as adding bars, restaurants and the Rose Theatre. Other organizations in the area include the Kingston Orpheus Choir, the Kingston Museum, the Stanley Picker Gallery, the Kingston Philharmonia, and a annual arts festivals. Actor Tom Holland, musician Eric Clapton, author P.D. James, photographer Eadweard Muybridge, and rapper Stormzy were born in Kingston and its surrounding areas.
Fellowships
Residencies
See Current Artists
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.