Meet Illana Stein | Theater Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Illana Stein and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Illana, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I started out in theater when I was five years old. I think my parents signed me up for theater to try something new! I remember my dad telling me I wasn’t good at making eye contact and this would help bring me out of shell. I was also not very coordinated and was not a fan of sports. I hated being picked last for all the team sports. It was time for me to find “my people.” From my first acting class at Casa Manana, I was hooked. I remember early on having a very inspiring theater teacher, who told me at six years old, if she had worked as hard as they did at my age, the possibilities to a career in the arts was endless. I may be paraphrasing, but when you get that kind of positive feedback at a young age, it sticks with you! And the arts stuck with me. Haven’t looked back! I love creating and collaborating with other artists. I love that the arts offer you a new perspective of seeing something for the first time or help people find empathy, so we know how to connect and feel for others. I can’t imagine any other career path than being a director and I’m grateful I’ve gotten to work with some wonderful, generous artists along the way!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being an artist is not easy. It is about cultivating and maintaining relationships, while at the same time, finding ways every day to work on your craft. I had an assisting career for over ten years. I learned from the best directors and what I learned was the best idea in the room wins, don’t burn bridges, and how to lead a room. It is important to get your team on board from the beginning, to make sure you are on the same page. It is your job to inspire the room! It is your job to make sure the overall conceit remains cohesive. Finally, I love to bring the audience into the story-telling, make them feel complicit. That could mean breaking the fourth wall and having actors talk directly to the audience, having an actor exit through the audience, or perhaps there is something conceptual that happens that the audience is part of. I want the audience to lean in from their seats and I want them discussing the plays on the car ride home and the next day.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If someone was visiting from out of town, we’d stop by Sundance Square to walk around, perhaps Billy Bobs for some line dancing lessons, at Tinies for some appetizers along Main Street.. We’d have to end the night at the Usual for a night cap and toast with my favorite drink- a French 75!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am grateful that I have had very supportive parents. I don’t publicly get to thank them enough. They have always gone to the shows that I have performed in and directed over the years. Sometimes this means seeing a show multiple times and sometimes this means flying across country to see what I am working on next. I wouldn’t be able to pursue what I love without them. I also want to shoutout the great city of Fort Worth! I have now worked regionally all over the country but the theaters here, are my artistic home. I have gotten to direct six times with the wonderful folks at Amphibian Stage, most recently Hans & Sophie that I co-wrote with Deborah Yarchun and Sean Hudock. We proudly took home five DFW Critics’ Awards including Outstanding Director & Outstanding Play. I also want to shoutout Stage West where I directed their last holiday show Handle with Care by Jason Odell Williams. Both theaters are creating truly wonderful work in Fort Worth. Finally, I’d like to shoutout all my friends and family friends, that come back time and again to support any work that I am doing in Fort Worth! They’ve known me since grade school and it’s so wonderful to be able to share my work with them and such warm houses in my hometown!

Website: illanastein.com

Instagram: illananyc

Image Credits
All Photo Credits: Evan Michael Woods