The Drama League and its partner companies have announced 20 recipients of their 2026 Directors Project. These 20 stage directors, chosen from a pool of over 1,100, will be offered fellowships, assistantships, residencies and exchange opportunities. Five more directors will be announced later this year, forming the second delegation of the International Directors Exchange program.
Tatiana Baccari and Emilia Lirman will receive the Drama League’s Stage Directing Fellowships. Over a two-year period, they will each receive $100,000 and healthcare reimbursements while exploring their directing techniques at Carnegie Mellon University. As part of the fellowship, Baccari and Lirman will lead a workshop at the Drama League’s DirectorFest, join the artistic team at Playwrights’ Center and direct short plays at the Red Bull Theater. Baccari will also join the artistic teams at Manhattan Theatre Club and New York Stage and Film; Lirman will join Lincoln Center Theater and Berkeley Rep.
FutureNow Fellowships, offered in partnership with the Chautauqua Theater Company, will be granted to directors Bronwen Carson and Liz Fisher. The recipients will direct workshop productions of two new plays by FutureNow Playwriting Fellows Jenny Connell Davis and Sarah Saltwick. In partnership with London’s Rose Theatre, the Rose Directing Fellowship will be awarded to Rebecca Wear; Wear will assist artistic director Christopher Haydon, and direct a project for the company’s Youth Theatre.
Juliana Morales Carreño, Pria Dahiya and Charlique C. Rolle will receive the Irene Gandy Stage Directing Assistantship, pairing early-career directors from marginalized communities with acclaimed directors. They will assist Timothy Douglas, Melissa Crespo and Lili-Anne Brown, respectively, on projects soon to be announced. Stephen Sapp will serve as the Drama League’s 2026 Next Stage Director in Residence, developing a new musical beginning at New York Stage and Film in Poughkeepsie, and continuing in New York City later in the year.
Alex Keegan has been named the Drama League’s Beatrice Terry Director in Residence for 2026, and Adrian Alea the (Re)Engage Director in Residence. Rory Pelsue will be the inaugural recipient of the (Re)Envision Residency. These three-week developmental residencies for new works will be held at the Hubbard Hall Center for the Arts and Education in Cambridge, NY.
The International Directors Exchange program will send delegations of American stage directors to international theater festivals. This June, directors Liz Carlson, Alisha Espinosa, Irvin Mason Jr., Aileen Wen McGroddy and Caitlin Sullivan will attend the Malta International Theatre Festival in Poznań, Poland. A second delegation will be announced at a later date, to attend the Sirenos International Theatre Festival in Vilnius, Lithuania.
In addition, the Drama League has also named two TV/Film Directing Fellows: Carlson and Melissa Crespo. These theater directors will expand their skills by shadowing directors on episodes of a television series before participating in New York Stage and Film’s Filmmakers Week next summer. Felicia Lobo has also received a Special Project Fellowship, and will attend Directors Project Week before spending two weeks assisting during New York Stage and Film’s summer season.
“At a time when the world is looking for inspiration, innovation, and good news, these directors are providing all three,” said the Drama League’s artistic director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks in a statement. “The 2026 Directors Project Recipients are ready to bring their talent and vision to the cultural conversation. We’re happy to provide these opportunities to help them craft successful careers and transform audiences around the world.”
The Drama League’s programs are made possible by supporters including the Noël Coward Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, the Sylvia W. & Randle M. Kauders Foundation, the Jolene McCaw Family Foundation, The Shubert Foundation and the Trust for Mutual Understanding, as well as public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the governor’s office and the New York State Legislature. The 25 recipients of the Drama League’s Directors Project will be recognized during the 92nd annual Drama League Awards on May 15, to be held at the Ziegfeld Ballroom.
