What made you want to go to graduate school?

I wanted to go to grad school for two specific reasons. The first reason was to improve my craft and set myself up for a professional directing career. The second reason I felt I needed graduate school was because I felt I wasn’t being taken seriously as a young female director. I thought those three letters “M.F.A.” would help people trust me with more than choreographing and stage managing, which were the corners I’d been pushed into professionally, even though my training had been primarily in directing.

How did you hear about the URTAs?

A director who had been a year ahead of me at Bucknell University, Jon Ginn, told me about The URTAs when I asked him for advice about grad school. He had a very positive experience, and ended up in a program he loved.

What do you remember most about your URTAs interviews for graduate school?

I was so nervous. I had just learned how to juggle that summer, so I was practicing juggling in my hotel room before my first interview of the day, to try to get grounded and present. I’m a pretty terrible juggler, so the laughter helped ease my nerves. Then I remember the butterflies in my stomach disappearing the moment an interviewer asked me what plays were on my directing “bucket list”. Suddenly I was in my element and speaking from the heart, and the nerves were gone. I also remember Dennis Delaney had covered the entire room in beautiful photographs of Ohio University thesis productions. Not only were the production values amazing, the photo documentation was astounding as well. I interviewed in NYC, so I also remember looking out the window during my third interview of the day, and having a good laugh with my interviewer at the giant “Shrek, The Musical” billboard staring at us.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about a directing MFA?

Make sure the program you’re applying to, and later considering attending, sets directors up for success in the direction you want your career to go. What do I mean by that? Some programs prepare you to primarily teach, while others prepare you to primarily direct. Some programs do both brilliantly. I knew I wanted to be a professional director, so I needed practical training and a tangible network to feed me right into the freelancing world. I also highly recommend visiting each program you’re invited to visit or get accepted into. Sure, it’s a big hassle, but while a program looks amazing on paper and has a famous reputation, you’re going to spend three years of your life with these people, and you need to know if you click. Visit. See a show or two. Sit in on an acting class. These are the actors you’ll be working with. Ask a lot of questions. Have honest one-on-one conversations with the exciting MFA directors from the program about their experiences. I will also mention that it was important to me to avoid debt getting my masters, so I only seriously looked at schools that either had tuition waivers, or stipends, or both. You can get a masters without going into debt.

What were your biggest takeaways from your graduate program?

Leading through vulnerability. Before grad school I think I was trying a bit too hard to “be a director”, instead of just leaning into the fact that I already was one. Ohio University gave me the tools to feel confident in my choices, and be a collaborative leader. I’m grateful for going through the full Meisner progression as part of my curriculum as well. I have endless respect for my actors, having walked several miles in their shoes. I also am endlessly grateful for the opportunities to collaborate with student and faculty designers, which helped me hone my collaborative vocabulary. And lastly, I’m grateful that OU’s reputation was so strong in the eyes of the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, that I was encouraged by the Rep to apply to their directing internship, which ended up changing my life and opening a lot of doors.

Tell us a little about your transition from graduate school to the professional world.

Sandy Ernst, who was in charge of the Milwaukee Rep Internship Program at the time, encouraged me to apply to a season-long directing internship. I was very interested in getting some regional theatre directing credits of my own, and that was one of the very few internships/fellowships I knew of which provides a directing opportunity at the end of a season of assisting. That intense year, in a highly-structured internship, gave me the chance to prove myself invaluable to many amazing directors. One of those directors was John Langs. John made me aware of the excellent theatre scene in Seattle, Washington, a city I’d had my eye on for a while. So I moved to Seattle to assist John on a second show. That gig at ACT Theatre blossomed into a beautiful mentorship and two years of solid assisting, directing, and choreographing in various Seattle Theatres. I am now full-time at ACT as the Literary & Artistic Manager.

Any concluding thoughts or comments about the URTAs or graduate school?

I want to thank URTA for changing my life for the better.

Emily Penick is a Seattle-based freelance director and choreographer, Founding Artistic Director of RED STAGE, and Literary & Artistic Manager at ACT – A Contemporary Theatre. Recent directing credits include the world premiere of Worse Than Tigers, Seattle Immersive Theatre’s R&J, and Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s The Other Woman, Wandering and the world premier of the devised short play Pot of Gold. Emily, who was born in California, raised in New Jersey, and who earned her MFA in Directing at Ohio University, has a passion for travel and theatrical exploration. Whether she is collaborating abroad with the Hong Kong School for the Deaf on a visual theater piece, or incorporating Chinese Water Sleeve choreography to make the Musical Theater International premiere of Just So Jr. fly off the page, Emily feels an immense gratitude for the diverse experiences she can draw from to tell the stories worth telling. Emily’s company, RED STAGE, is devoted to championing women and under served voices in arts leadership by connecting emerging leaders with career development opportunities and resources.