The company is focused on creating accessible and inclusive community theater experiences for actors of all abilities and identities, and seeks directors with values-aligned projects for its upcoming season. The season will include a one-weekend production of four One Act Plays, a winter production in downtown Brattleboro, a 24-hour play-making event, and a summer Shakespeare in the Park production on Brattleboro's Living Memorial Park stage.
Directors of all levels of experience and with energy and enthusiasm for theatre-making are being asked for proposals. There are a variety of opportunities for directors to explore their artistic voice and process.
VTC's One Act Plays production brings together four directors in a facilitated peer-mentor process so they can explore a new directing challenge or so they can approach directing for the first time in a supportive environment. Short plays are selected by directors in August, cast in September, rehearse from mid-October to mid-November and perform for a one weekend run. Past scripts have been diverse and have included plays such as a classical drama by JM Synge, an Agatha Christie murder mystery adapted by a local author, Bar Dykes - a historical moment in time captured by a gay rights advocate, and Emotional Baggage - a play without any dialogue.
The 24-hour play-making event is a fully collaborative process, where six directors are paired with six experienced playwrights. Actors show up for auditions 24-hours before the show goes up and writers create six 10-15 minute scripts. The directors direct from morning until dinner time, and the work is performed that evening.
The company encourages more experienced directors to submit play script ideas for the winter production, which can be any type of production, and Shakespeare in the Park, which must be a Shakespeare play (not one VTC has recently produced - Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night's Dream, or Macbeth). Due to weather concerns, the winter production is produced in a location in downtown Brattleboro, and is often planned with up to seven performances.
Directors will be supported by a volunteer producer and the volunteer artistic director of the company. The VTC community is run on passion and the joy of making plays in and for community - the company strictly adheres to a policy of open auditions to allow for new community participation. Every member of the team on stage and off is a volunteer from the community. There are small stipends available for directors, choreographers, and designers to help defray the costs of participating.
To submit a proposal, fill out the directors proposal form by July 5th, 2026.
If you have questions or would like to get involved as a volunteer, contact our current artistic director Jess Iris at jessica.lee.iris@gmail.com
Vermont Theatre Company is a progressive, community-driven, non-profit organization that celebrates the transformative power of theater as a tool for social change. We envision a world where the magic of theater is accessible to all. Our mission is to cultivate community through accessible and engaging theater experiences.