John Wells Directing Program
Unleash Your Artistry
The John Wells Directing Fellowship is a rigorous and expansive three-year, tuition-free MFA program in which directors deepen and hone their directing skills while joining a think tank to envision the future of theater. Each year, two highly motivated and visionary directors are admitted to the program with tuition fully covered through the Fellowship. Encouraged to think critically and adventurously about their work in a generative environment, Wells Fellows are known to dream big, challenge, innovate, clearly communicate, implement and take action.
Directing Curriculum
Wells Fellows deepen and hone directing skills and technique inside a variety of studio classes, participatory workshops, and productions with critical feedback. Through the study of art movements, text analysis, theory, history, classic plays, exposure to new technologies, and participation in a variety of new work development initiatives, Fellows gain an understanding of the formal structures of directing, theater’s intersectionality with other art forms, and the courage to experiment through rigorous practice. As theater boundaries continue to expand, directors develop the tools, vocabulary, flexibility, and vision to actively investigate and envision its future.
Student Work
“As You Like It”
Peter G. Andersen’s (Class of 2023) thesis production, “As You Like It” was reimagined through a queer lens with live, original music by the Brooklyn-based music group Bandits on the Run.
John Wells
In the years since he graduated from the School of Drama, John Wells has created, produced, and directed some of television’s most memorable and enduring shows, including “ER,” “The West Wing,” and “Shameless” to name only a few, and he has continued to pay his incredible success forward.
In 2011, he established the John Wells Directing Program within the School of Drama, and he continues to be a source of support, mentorship, and hands-on opportunities for current students and recent graduates.
Here, he is pictured (center) with directing fellows Rebecca Wahls (MFA, 2023), Peter Andersen (MFA, 2023), B Kleymeyer (MFA, 2024), and Jasmine Roth (MFA, 2024).
“Dark Play, or Stories for Boys”
“Dark Play, or Stories for Boys” by Carlos Murillo was directed by Adil Mansoor (Class of 2020).
“I Think I’m Starting to Want to Be a Mother”
B Kleymeyer (Class of 2024) adapted and directed a pop punk version of Eurpides’ “Electra,” titled “I Think I’m Starting to Want to be a Mother” as her thesis production.
“It’s a meditation on our relationships to our mother and to each other. It allows us to examine queer and trans ideas of parenthood. It’s also a pop punk girl group concert. Kind of.” –B Kleymeyer
“Power/Trip”
“Power/Trip” was Anne Cecelia DeMelo’s thesis production – a reimaginedRichard III that she adapted and directed.
“Power/Trip grew from concern about being trapped in a cycle, from falling and getting back up again and again, from a sense that there’s something going on behind the scenes, from the conviction that things can be made different the next time. The creative team approached our work together as a process of quilting: carefully stitching together bits of history and media, lights and sounds, and words and movements and objects to make the past and the present resonate together.” –Anne Cecelia DeMelo
“As You Like It”
Peter G. Andersen’s (Class of 2023) thesis production, “As You Like It” was reimagined through a queer lens with live, original music by the Brooklyn-based music group Bandits on the Run.
John Wells
In the years since he graduated from the School of Drama, John Wells has created, produced, and directed some of television’s most memorable and enduring shows, including “ER,” “The West Wing,” and “Shameless” to name only a few, and he has continued to pay his incredible success forward.
In 2011, he established the John Wells Directing Program within the School of Drama, and he continues to be a source of support, mentorship, and hands-on opportunities for current students and recent graduates.
Here, he is pictured (center) with directing fellows Rebecca Wahls (MFA, 2023), Peter Andersen (MFA, 2023), B Kleymeyer (MFA, 2024), and Jasmine Roth (MFA, 2024).
“Dark Play, or Stories for Boys”
“Dark Play, or Stories for Boys” by Carlos Murillo was directed by Adil Mansoor (Class of 2020).
“I Think I’m Starting to Want to Be a Mother”
B Kleymeyer (Class of 2024) adapted and directed a pop punk version of Eurpides’ “Electra,” titled “I Think I’m Starting to Want to be a Mother” as her thesis production.
“It’s a meditation on our relationships to our mother and to each other. It allows us to examine queer and trans ideas of parenthood. It’s also a pop punk girl group concert. Kind of.” –B Kleymeyer
“Power/Trip”
“Power/Trip” was Anne Cecelia DeMelo’s thesis production – a reimaginedRichard III that she adapted and directed.
“Power/Trip grew from concern about being trapped in a cycle, from falling and getting back up again and again, from a sense that there’s something going on behind the scenes, from the conviction that things can be made different the next time. The creative team approached our work together as a process of quilting: carefully stitching together bits of history and media, lights and sounds, and words and movements and objects to make the past and the present resonate together.” –Anne Cecelia DeMelo
alumni stories
Featured Faculty
I am especially grateful to CMU’s directing program for encouraging me to be a generative artist. My time as a John Wells Directing Fellow was instrumental in shaping my artistic practice.
Adil Mansoor, Class of 2020
How often will directing graduate students get to direct?
In addition to various classroom projects, it is assumed that each graduate directing student will work in a new play process with a graduate playwright in their first year, direct a graduate production in the second year, and direct a thesis production in the third year. Other opportunities may well present themselves in addition to this.
Are you ready to take the next step toward your dreams? Learn more about our application, audition, and interview process.