The old boys’ club of New York theater, for decades defined by the chummy relationships of producers and directors, is changing with the rise of female directors who are in demand by veteran playwrights as well as hot young writers.

These directors are the new power players of Off Broadway, staging some of the most critically acclaimed productions in recent years, and they are starting to get more shots at the better-paying, career-making gigs on Broadway, where four out of five shows are usually directed by men. The change is unfolding largely because the female directors have cultivated collaborations with playwrights and are emerging as forces to be reckoned with.

“The more of us who have ongoing ties and success with writers, the more that producers have to pay attention to that, and it leads to opportunity,” said Pam MacKinnon, who has broken through as a go-to director with her admired Broadway productions of “Clybourne Park” last year (which earned her a Tony Award nomination) and the current revival of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”