Joan Yellen Horvitz Directing Fellowship at Cleveland Public Theatre

Cleveland Public Theatre has formally announced their inaugural Joan Yellen Horvitz Directing Fellows, of which I’m one! Thank you to CPT for their continued support of my work, and to Amy Schwabauer for our continued collaboration both overall, and on her solo show, I Wear My Dead Sister’s Clothes.

I’m reposting CPT’s announcement below. You can find the full announcement here.

Announcing the 2025–2026 Joan Yellen Horvitz Directing Fellows

We’re gearing up for our 44th season, entitled Luminous, as announced a couple weeks ago. Among many exciting projects this season is the launch of the Joan Yellen Horvitz Directing Fellowship, funded by a $6M gift from the Joan Yellen Horvitz Trust. This gift will allow six directors to direct mainstage shows in the current season or devise new works.

The inaugural fellows and their projects include Jimmie Woody (The End of Black Excellence), Ray Caspio (I Wear My Dead Sister’s Clothes), Nailah Unole didanas’ea Harper-Malveaux (Haunted), Juliana Frey-Méndez (Jardin Salvaje), Paige Conway developing a workshop production of a new devised work, and Anastasía Urozhaeva as an “emerging director” who will be Associate Director of the Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi performance and creating a new work for SoftLaunch 2026.

Nailah Unole didanas’ea Harper-Malveaux (Haunted) is Leader of Artistic Curation & Producing at Crowded Fire Theater, one of the Mellon Foundation’s The Future of American Theatre Cohort member theatres. This production of Haunted is part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere and the first play by an Indigenous playwright to receive the esteemed award.

Jimmie Woody is coming off the heels of a successful sold-out run of Showin’ Up Black by Jeanne Madison. Paige Conway has had successful runs of The Body Play and Funny, Like An Abortion. Ray Caspio, one of last season’s Premiere Fellowship awardees, will be back in town from Chicago to direct I Wear My Dead Sister’s Clothes by Amy Schwabauer. Anastasía Urozhaeva has a long history performing, co-directing, and line producing at CPT, including its CORE Ensemble. And Juliana Frey-Méndez is a Cuban-American director, choreographer, and deviser from Iowa who will be bringing her talents to Cleveland to direct Teatro Público de Cleveland’s Jardin Salvaje (Native Gardens).

Click here to learn more about our 2025–2026 season, Luminous.

“This first cohort of the new Joan Yellen Horvitz Director Fellowship is a wonderful celebration of Joan’s values of innovation, equity, and ambition. The range of perspectives, experience, and styles of their work reflects our core values and the beauty of our communities. I am grateful for this incredible opportunity to advance the work of CPT artists and the organic growth of the American theatre field.”

—Raymond Bobgan, CPT Executive Artistic Director

About Joan Yellen Horvitz

Joan Yellen Horvitz (September 7, 1932–October 28, 2021) was an admired civic leader and integral part of the fabric of Cleveland Public Theatre who designed couture fashion as well as intricate costumes and sets for dance and theatre. Her couture designs can be viewed in the permanent collections of the Kent State University Museum, the Western Reserve Historical Society Chisolm Halle Costume Wing, and the Ursuline College Historic Costume Study Collection. Joan’s stunning work for CPT included Fefu and Her Friends, Between Life and Death, and Insomnia: The Waking of Herselves.

At CPT, she funded the Joan Yellen Horvitz Director Fellowship, giving emerging directors (originally exclusive to women) the opportunity to participate in a season-long residency to provide mentoring, training, and production of new material. The program has been expanded to include directors from all walks of life.