The Drama League has announced the launch of a new initiative: The Fellowship for Directing in Film and Television. The program, developed in conjunction with the League’s Directors Project alum Tony Phelan, will allow emerging stage directors the opportunity to shadow others in the field on film and TV projects.

Phelan is the co-creator of NBC’s Doubt and a former producer of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and CBS’ Madam Secretary.

“This opportunity is a game-changer for theatre directors,” commented program director Sherri Eden Barber. “This level of access to the practical craft of television and film, in the highest echelons of those industries, has simply not been available historically to theatre directors at this level of their development. It comes at a formative time in their early careers, and will catapult their work both onstage and off.”

“The Drama League’s most important mission is to open doors for the next generation of theatre artists,” said executive artistic director of the League, Gabriel Stelian-Shanks, of the new initiative. “More and more, stage directors need to have a multiplicity of skills, experiences, and abilities in a variety of mediums. To ensure that the theatre stays strong and vibrant, we’re excited to create pathways that allow directors a broader range of creative practice.”

The League also announced that it is now accepting applications for the 2017 Directors Project Fellowships, its signature development programs for emerging stage directors. Applications are now open for The Classical Directing Fellowship for Artists of Color, The Fall Directing Fellowships, The Hangar Directing Fellowships, and the Leo Shull New Musicals Directing Fellowship. Details on each of the programs can be found at DramaLeague.org.