Midsommer Flight has announced Iris Sowlat, Stephanie Mattos, Julia Farrell Diefenbach, Bex Ehrmann, and Kate Leslie as the five participants of the company’s inaugural Directors Flight initiative.

Top row L-R: Iris Sowlat, Stephanie Mattos, Julia Farrell Diefenbach. Lower row L-R: Bex Ehrmann, Kate Leslie.

Created with the goal of promoting, cultivating, and inspiring classical directing in Chicago, participants will receive one-on-one mentorship, along with various workshops led by Founding Artistic Director Beth Wolf, company members, and guest artists. Workshops will include abridging text for performance, rehearsal strategies, working with fight/intimacy and music directors, casting processes, and more.

“Looking around Chicago, I recognized that there are few opportunities outside of MFA training for directors to hone their craft,” comments Wolf. “Acting classes are everywhere, but directing classes are few and far between. There are also limited opportunities for directors to work on Shakespeare plays — as ubiquitous as Shakespeare seems to be, the reality is that only a few storefront theatres produce Shakespeare regularly, and so there are few chances for emerging directors to gain the skills and experience to do it really well. Midsommer Flight is uniquely positioned to share all that we have learned since our founding in 2012. I’m so excited to find both emerging and established directors who are passionate to learn more about Shakespeare.”

Directors Flight will culminate in three workshop performances of Shakespeare’s MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, April 2 – 4. For more information visit midsommerflight.com.