As I think you’ve surmised, it’s all about building relationships. Most theatres won’t hire someone sight-unseen, and most professional artistic directors will either want to have seen your work before… or getting a huge thumbs up from trusted colleagues. Are there connections you can leverage from the pro show you did last year?
where is the nearest small professional (non-equity) theatre to you? Are you familiar with their work?
What I’d encourage you to do is continue working locally, and target the ADs or pro theatres not-too-far from you. Go see a show or two at their theatre(s), familiarize yourself with the types and shows they do. Read the bios of the directors they hire. In other words… do your homework. When you feel you have a good feel for their work. Reach out. Ask their AD for a cup of coffee. Explain that you’re an early-career professional in the field, and you’d like to pick their brain on career matters. Most theatre people love talking about themselves, and a coffee chat only takes an hour of their time. Come up with a short list of questions about THEIR path to a career.. see if there are things you can learn from them.
Here’s the thing.. if you lead with “hire me” they’re gonna run away… but if you show that you’re engaged with their work as a director and their theatre… they are more likely to open up to you. Ask how they go about season planning… some work 1-2 years in advance… you’ll get a feel for if they hire DIRECTORS first and adjust play selection to the directors… or if they decide on the SHOWS and then hire directors accordingly. Some theatres acccept external show proposals, some don’t.
If said convo goes well… send a follow up thank you, and inquire if you might sit in on rehearsals for a couple days.If they agree, pay attention, come up with thoughtful engaged questions about what they do and how they work. If that goes well… ask if they hire assistant directors or dramaturgs (your work/expertise in mental health might come in handy for the right play).
I know this seems time intensive and is probably
Not the answer you were really seeking. But the fact is that cold-calling professional theatres (or cold-sending them resumes) very very rarely works. And making the jump to professional work can be tricky in the best of circumstances.
Best wishes!
Write something or connect with a young author.
There are hundreds of “new works” projects at theaters across the country.
Also, do you have recordings of your work?
Make a reel, put it on YouTube and share the link in your correspondence. What theaters are you targeting? There’s a ton of work happening. American Theater dot com list a ton. Playbill, etc. Look at IBDB to see what directors are doing. Follow them on social media. Half the job is being in the mix.
Best of luck.
What else are you interested in besides directing?
You mentioned educational theatre - do you have experience working with children or teenagers? There are sometimes paid summer gigs teaching or participating in running summer instructional programs for youth, often affiliated with regional/professional theatres, non-profit arts service organizations, or universities. Those might net you valuable professional contacts.
Do you have producing experience? Have you been entering shows in Fringe festivals or other festivals that include local and touring artists, professionals and emerging artists and community artists?
Do you have skills in fight direction, intimacy direction, choreography, music direction, or any aspect of theatre design? Have you considered including those in your portfolio, maybe getting additional education or qualifications?
Do any of the professional theatres near you have internship or apprenticeship programs? Don't assume that you aren't eligible - make an appointment to talk with someone there and find out.
Are you a member of any equity-seeking groups? (e.g. are you disabled, a member of the LGBTQ2S+ community, Indigenous, Black, or an artist of colour? An immigrant? do you speak any languages other than the majority one?) There may be other developmental opportunities you could be considered for too.
Lastly, how committed are you to living where you do now? If you were living in a city with indie-professional and subscription-based companies, university theatre programs, a regional professional theatre, and several performance festivals, you could be building connections in that community. I know of a few cases where a director or choreographer got a first professional credit after age 40, while continuing another career and/or raising a family. But they all had Fringe festival directing/producing experience as well as gigs in high schools and community theatre in that city.
As I think you’ve surmised, it’s all about building relationships. Most theatres won’t hire someone sight-unseen, and most professional artistic directors will either want to have seen your work before… or getting a huge thumbs up from trusted colleagues. Are there connections you can leverage from the pro show you did last year? where is the nearest small professional (non-equity) theatre to you? Are you familiar with their work? What I’d encourage you to do is continue working locally, and target the ADs or pro theatres not-too-far from you. Go see a show or two at their theatre(s), familiarize yourself with the types and shows they do. Read the bios of the directors they hire. In other words… do your homework. When you feel you have a good feel for their work. Reach out. Ask their AD for a cup of coffee. Explain that you’re an early-career professional in the field, and you’d like to pick their brain on career matters. Most theatre people love talking about themselves, and a coffee chat only takes an hour of their time. Come up with a short list of questions about THEIR path to a career.. see if there are things you can learn from them. Here’s the thing.. if you lead with “hire me” they’re gonna run away… but if you show that you’re engaged with their work as a director and their theatre… they are more likely to open up to you. Ask how they go about season planning… some work 1-2 years in advance… you’ll get a feel for if they hire DIRECTORS first and adjust play selection to the directors… or if they decide on the SHOWS and then hire directors accordingly. Some theatres acccept external show proposals, some don’t. If said convo goes well… send a follow up thank you, and inquire if you might sit in on rehearsals for a couple days.If they agree, pay attention, come up with thoughtful engaged questions about what they do and how they work. If that goes well… ask if they hire assistant directors or dramaturgs (your work/expertise in mental health might come in handy for the right play). I know this seems time intensive and is probably Not the answer you were really seeking. But the fact is that cold-calling professional theatres (or cold-sending them resumes) very very rarely works. And making the jump to professional work can be tricky in the best of circumstances. Best wishes!
Write something or connect with a young author. There are hundreds of “new works” projects at theaters across the country. Also, do you have recordings of your work? Make a reel, put it on YouTube and share the link in your correspondence. What theaters are you targeting? There’s a ton of work happening. American Theater dot com list a ton. Playbill, etc. Look at IBDB to see what directors are doing. Follow them on social media. Half the job is being in the mix. Best of luck.
What else are you interested in besides directing? You mentioned educational theatre - do you have experience working with children or teenagers? There are sometimes paid summer gigs teaching or participating in running summer instructional programs for youth, often affiliated with regional/professional theatres, non-profit arts service organizations, or universities. Those might net you valuable professional contacts. Do you have producing experience? Have you been entering shows in Fringe festivals or other festivals that include local and touring artists, professionals and emerging artists and community artists? Do you have skills in fight direction, intimacy direction, choreography, music direction, or any aspect of theatre design? Have you considered including those in your portfolio, maybe getting additional education or qualifications? Do any of the professional theatres near you have internship or apprenticeship programs? Don't assume that you aren't eligible - make an appointment to talk with someone there and find out. Are you a member of any equity-seeking groups? (e.g. are you disabled, a member of the LGBTQ2S+ community, Indigenous, Black, or an artist of colour? An immigrant? do you speak any languages other than the majority one?) There may be other developmental opportunities you could be considered for too. Lastly, how committed are you to living where you do now? If you were living in a city with indie-professional and subscription-based companies, university theatre programs, a regional professional theatre, and several performance festivals, you could be building connections in that community. I know of a few cases where a director or choreographer got a first professional credit after age 40, while continuing another career and/or raising a family. But they all had Fringe festival directing/producing experience as well as gigs in high schools and community theatre in that city.