The Drama League has announced that it will be holding a memorial celebration for its longtime associate artistic director Nilan, who died on Jan. 4 after a brief illness.
“Nilan: A Celebration” will take place on March 14 at 3:30pm at Judson Memorial Church. The event, which will feature speakers, music, dance and performances of scenes and monologues from Nilan’s plays, is free and open to the public. RSVPs are required.
Nilan served as the associate artistic director of the Drama League from Sept. 2016 until his death. He also co-founded the producing company A Certain Something and wrote many plays and film and TV scripts. In 2025, Nilan was one of six playwrights invited to join the Life Jacket Theatre Company’s Writer’s Room, a development accelerator for LGBTQ+ playwrights.
Amongst his many roles at the Drama League, Nilan produced short films for high school students in its New Visions/New Voices Initiative and offered classes, mentoring and line producing for directors. During the pandemic, Nilan co-produced and co-hosted the Drama League’s Ta(L)King Direction podcast, which presents in-depth interviews with directors from around the world.
“I cannot find the words to accurately capture the immense scale of loss, to those of us who loved him, and to the American arts community,” artistic director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks wrote on the League’s website after Nilan’s death. “The depth of Nilan’s artistry, leadership, and wisdom has forever changed the lives of thousands of artists who worked with him, students who learned from him and those of us lucky enough to have shared life with him. I will honor his memory every day by remembering his kindness, his generous laughter and his drive for all of us to be rigorous in our pursuit of excellence.”
The memorial celebration for Nilan will be presented by Drama League executive director Bevin Ross, interim associate director Alisha Espinosa, Cherrye J. Davis, Ricardo Guevara, Brandon Meeks, Catalin Stelian and Jack Utrata, along with Stelian-Shanks and Nathaniel P. Claridad, who will serve as the event’s co-directors. Patrick Anthony Surillo and Karen “Curly” Schleifer will serve as stage managers. Floral arrangements will be provided by Starbright Floral Design.
Announcements about participating speakers and performers are still to come.
Founded in 1916, the Drama League provides creative and career development resources for directors through their professional lives. Central to its mission is the advancement of directors from all economic backgrounds, races, abilities, ages, genders and identities.
