Featuring: Lee Conrads (MFA Directing Student)

What drew you to Northwestern’s MFA program? Why directing?

I knew I wanted to do an MFA in directing from about the minute I graduated from undergrad, so it was just a question of where and when. I was very much drawn to Northwestern’s emphasis on the collaboration between director and designer; in my own work those have always been the most exciting and fruitful relationships. I also knew it was important to me to have good female mentorship, so our professors (Jessica Thebus, Anna Shapiro, and this year Bonnie Metztgar, among others ) were a huge draw.

What is your favorite production you’ve worked on at Northwestern?

Our first year directing projects happen in a black box classroom with very minimal technical elements — it’s an opportunity to really focus on the storytelling and working with actors. I did a translation of the Antigone story by Seamus Heaney called The Burial at Thebes. Performing in such an intimate setting — minimal costumes, no lights, one stage block — with the actors basically nose to nose with the audience taught me so much about both that story, and the kinds of stories I want to tell (and how I want to tell them) going forward.

What are the best parts of Northwestern’s campus?

There’s a really big lake! It sounds flip but I grew up in Kansas, so easy access to such a magnificent body of water seems totally incredible to me. I am also a person for whom closeness to trees and nature is super important to my sanity, so being able to spend my study break walking along the lake is a pretty wonderful asset.