The National Directors Fellowship (NDF), an 18-month program that provides training and mentorship to stage directors, has announced its 2018 participants — and all five of them are women. Per American Theatre, the NDF recipients are Arpita Mukherjee, Tatiana Pandiani, Mei Ann Teo, Hannah Wolf, and Jenna Worsham.

Mukherjee is the artistic director of Hypokrit Theatre Company. Her directing credits include “Eh Dah: Questions for My Father,” “Chokher Bali,” and “Romeo and Juliet.” Pandiani is a director and choreographer who has helmed productions such as “Eurydice,” “1989,” and “Assassins.” Teo has served as director on productions in New York and abroad, including “The Seagull,” “Caucasian Chalk Circle,” and “This is How We Begin.” Based in LA, Wolf’s directing efforts include “The Sky Game,” “Maisy and Sprout,” and “The Blue Bear.” Worsham is a NYC director and activist. “Agnes,” “Belleville,” and “Blue Ridge” are among her credits.

Kicking off in July at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, the NDF will include workshops and professional development opportunities. Each recipient will also be offered a professional directing post within the National New Play Network theater network.

“I am excited to introduce these five directors as the latest recipients of the National Directors Fellowship. For the fourth year it was an incredibly competitive process, which is a reminder of the profound need for this program,” said NDF program director Wendy C. Goldberg. “There is nothing quite like NDF for directors who are focusing on new work, and I’m honored to be working with these artists.”