​Directors Gathering (DG) builds a consistent community for theatre directors.

We offer member directors resources of connectivity, skill-sharing, and peer advocacy to hone their art.

(DG) is committed to creating anti-racist, inclusive, equitable, safe, accessible, and transparent spaces in all facets of our gathering.

We believe that as an organization found and run by a predominantly white community that we have benefited from systems of white supremacy. We have more work to do to address these truths and change them.

Click here for our ongoing accountability practices, the actions we have been taking and will be taking to create more inclusive, diverse, equitable, safe, accessible, and anti-racist processes and spaces.  Please also consider responding to an anonymous accountability and community survey that we have created so that folks may share their honest response to how they define and identify their experiences with (DG). We invite any/all members, collaborators, and extended community to respond to the survey and deeply appreciate the time, consideration, and experience shared.

We would also like to recognize the (DG) members and extended community that are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, whom have guided (DG) towards strengthening our accountability practices. We are deeply grateful for their time and holding (DG) accountable.

​Meeting Regional Needs for Visionary Culture-Makers

Over the past fifty years, the American theater has offered playwrights valuable resources to incubate new works. On a national level, organizations like the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center and New Dramatists offer playwrights vital resources; while in Philadelphia, several companies and foundations develop the work of local established and emerging playwrights.

In this national trend towards new play development, one key artistic collaborator has been overlooked: directors. Directors Gathering (DG) seeks to remedy this imbalance by building community among its member directors year-round at multiple stages of professional development. We offer a variety of continuous programming, encouraging theatre directors to engage deeply with our regionally-rooted organization to consistently hone their craft.

(DG) also diversifies directorial voices that are developed and elevated on regional stages through connecting our members to new collaborators and companies.

Directors Gathering (DG) is the only organization in the country that provides an all-inclusive community for theatre directors to consistently examine their process, take risks, and explore projects that they would not otherwise do in their individual careers or companies.

History

Directors Gathering (DG) was incorporated in March 2014, and has since served theatre directors for ten consecutive years. In that time, we have provided more than 300 theatre directors with resources to expand their skill set, receive honest feedback and mentorship from established artists, and connect with one another.

The idea for Directors Gathering goes back to 2008, when (DG) founder, Jill Harrison, participated in Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab alongside 60 other emerging directors from around the world. Inspired by the community she gained from the Lab, Jill came to Philadelphia to deepen her training at graduate school, and left it eager to found an organization for directors that was regionally rooted, community focused, and could offer continuous programming year round.

In 2011, Jill gathered some colleagues for a casual conversation about local opportunities for directors. Together, they realized that Philadelphia lacked an organization that would listen and respond to the needs of directors, and that would recognize their value as the drivers of theatrical art. Thus, the launch of Directors Gathering (DG).

​As part of Directors Gathering (DG), member directors can:

• Stretch their artistic muscles without the pressures of production;
• Connect with an inclusive community of peer directors through (DG) Salons (members-only gatherings) and (DG) Digital (virtual skill-sharing gatherings for members + extended community);
• Engage in (DG) Studio that offers seminars and pick-up classes with regionally established directors;
• Receive opportunities for projects, collaborations, and continuing education through (DG) members database.​

View Membership Options

​Partnerships and Supporters

​Directors Gathering has forged collaborative partnerships with regional theaters, universities, and peer theatrical service organizations. We have host director-centric events with The Drama League, Stage Directors + Choreographers Society and Foundation, Theatre Philadelphia, The Wilma Theater, and Theatre Exile. We have partnered with Temple University and Swarthmore College to host classes and introduce students to directors at the forefront of their field.
​
Our organization is currently overseen by fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas, Inc., a Board of Directors, and is supported through the generosity of foundations, donors, and grassroots crowd-funding.

​We are grateful to The Wyncote Foundation, the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and SDC for their confidence in our mission.

Membership Model

​In March 2019, (DG) launched a membership platform that offers access to a consistent community of directors and collaborators that fuel development, encourage meaningful connections and value the process-based work of directing.  Since the launch of (DG) Membership in 2019, (DG) operations, programming, and fundraising have been streamlined to connect and elevate (DG) members + the membership community.

(DG) Members enjoy unique opportunities to develop their craft as a professional director, and take advantage of programming catered to directors at each stage in their careers.

Learn More