APPLY FOR FALL 2016
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Artistry. Professionalism. Collaboration. Discovery. Diversity. Community. Yale School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theatre train and advance leaders to raise the standards of global professional practice in every theatrical discipline, creating bold art that astonishes the mind, challenges the heart, and delights the senses. The application of theory to professional practice is a central tenet of training at the School of Drama, enhanced in scope by the integration of the School with Yale Repertory Theatre in a relationship analogous to that of a medical school and a teaching hospital. More than forty productions are staged at Yale School of Drama, Yale Repertory Theatre, and Yale Cabaret each season. Yale School of Drama has an unparalleled track record of training outstanding and diverse students from every conceivable background. Together, our students, faculty, staff, and guest artists form a richly collaborative community reflecting the extraordinary breadth of contemporary society, aesthetics, and theatre experience.
Affordability. Yale School of Drama leads the nation in investing the resources necessary to remove the financial barriers to outstanding graduate theatre training. Tuition fees at Yale School of Drama are the lowest of any leading theatre training program in the country, and our needbased financial aid policy minimizes students’ educational debt: • all students are admitted without regard to their ability to pay; • 91% of students currently receive financial aid; • an average student with financial need receives 82% of the total cost of attendance over three years in aid provided by the School of Drama, amounting to the equivalent of 124% of tuition over three years, including living stipends and paid work-study; • the typical financial aid package is designed to make it possible to graduate with as little as $8,000 in educational loans.
JAMES BUNDY, DEAN
drama.yale.edu
YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA JAMES BUNDY, DEAN VICTORIA NOLAN, DEPUTY DEAN JOAN CHANNICK, ASSOCIATE DEAN
ATO BLANKSON-WOOD (’15) AND ARIANA VENTURI (’15) IN THE MASTER AND MARGARITA ADAPTED BY EDWARD KEMP FROM THE NOVEL BY MIKHAIL BULGAKOV, YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA, 2014.
ACTING FACULTY: Glenn Seven Allen, Jennifer Archibald, Christopher Bayes, Gregory Berger-Sobeck, Tracy Bersley, James Bundy, Ron Carlos, Louis Colaianni, Bill Connington, Susan Dibble, Erica Fae, Dawn-Elin Fraser, Peter Francis James, Joan MacIntosh, Beth McGuire, Ellen Novack, Annie Piper, Michael Rossmy, Billy Serow, Steven Skybell, Rick Sordelet, Anne Tofflemire, Ron Van Lieu, Justine Williams, Jessica Wolf, Robert Woodruff, Evan Yionoulis, Grace Zandarski The Acting department admits talented and committed individuals who possess an active intelligence, a strong imagination, and a physical and vocal instrument capable of development and transformation, and prepares them for work as professional actors. The program of study combines in-depth classroom training with extensive production work. Not only is each class of actors a working ensemble as it trains, but also each actor works as part of a larger company consisting of all three classes of actors. That company works within a still larger ensemble consisting of all departments of the School.
YAHYA ABDUL-MATEEN II (’15) AND ATO BLANKSON-WOOD (’15) IN ALTOGETHER RECKLESS BY CHRISTOPHER BAYES AND COMPANY, YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA, 2015.
WALTON WILSON, CHAIR
CHRISTOPHER GHAFFARI (’16) IN CORIOLANUS BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA, 2015.
RON VAN LIEU
drama.yale.edu
WALTON WILSON
JONATHAN MAJORS (’16) AND JENELLE CHU (’16) IN PARADISE LOST BY CLIFFORD ODETS, YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA, 2014.
LIZ DIAMOND
DIRECTING FACULTY: May Adrales, Stephen Brown-Fried, David Chambers, Emily Coates, Karin Coonrod, David Diamond, Patrick Diamond, Yuri Kordonsky, Tim Vasen, Robert Woodruff, Evan Yionoulis The Directing department admits talented and disciplined individuals with demonstrated potential to become professional directors. In course and production work, emphasis is placed on developing the director’s craft, artistic imagination, and mastery of collaborative leadership. Directing students bring to the School of Drama a wide range of sensibilities but share some crucial qualities. They are generators of ideas and projects. They are not afraid to take risks, and they take responsibility for the philosophical and political implications of their work. Above all, they have lively imaginations, an appetite for hard questions, and a robust curiosity about the world beyond their own cultural borders.
LIZ DIAMOND, CHAIR
NIALL POWDERLY (’16) AND MATT RAICH (’15) IN THE TROUBLESOME REIGN OF KING JOHN BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA, 2015.
DESIGN FACULTY: David Biedny, Johannes DeYoung, Matthew Frey, Jess Goldstein, Jane Greenwood, Wendall K. Harrington, Ming Cho Lee, Darrel Maloney, Ann McCoy, Lee Savage, Ilona Somogyi, Jennifer Tipton, Ru-Jun Wang, Robert Wierzel The Design department seeks to develop exciting, thoughtful designers of scenery, costume, lighting, projection, and sound for the theatre. What makes the Yale program unique is the integration of all areas of design. This provides students with the common ground of core knowledge of the field; and it emphasizes that in telling the human story for theatre, all elements of design are an integral part of the whole and cannot be conceived independently. Through classes and production, the department encourages the discovery of process in formulating the design idea, development of a discriminating standard for students’ own work, and preparation for a creative and meaningful professional life in the theatre.
WENDALL K. HARRINGTON
STEPHEN STRAWBRIDGE, MICHAEL YEARGAN, CO-CHAIRS JANE GREENWOOD
TIFFANY MACK (’15) IN THE WINTER’S TALE BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA, 2015.
STEPHEN STRAWBRIDGE, MICHAEL YEARGAN
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ALFREDO NARCISO IN ELEVADA BY SHEILA CALLAGHAN, YALE REPERTORY THEATRE, 2015.
JAMES CUSATI-MOYER (’15) AND BRADLEY JAMES TEJEDA (’16) IN DON JUAN BY MOLIÈRE, TRANSLATED BY BRENDAN PELSUE (’16), YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA, 2015.
SOUND DESIGN FACULTY: Michael Backhaus, Charles Coes, Jason Crystal, Nick Lloyd, Bronwen MacArthur, Matthew Suttor The Sound Design program works to develop and exercise the conceptual, compositional, and technical and communications skills of sound designers, composers, and engineers through substantial academic offerings and a rigorous set of practical design opportunities that together provide a comprehensive professional training experience. Sound design applicants should be innately musical, even if they do not play a musical instrument. They should be familiar with contemporary design tools and technology. They should have a love of the spoken word, an appreciation of all music and sound, and be on their way to developing good critical listening skills. A sound designer must have a natural sensitivity to the aural subtlety of our world.
ZENZI WILLIAMS (’15) IN THE MASTER AND MARGARITA ADAPTED BY EDWARD KEMP FROM THE NOVEL BY MIKHAIL BULGAKOV, YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA, 2014.
DAVID BUDRIES, CHAIR
MATTHEW SUTTOR
DAVID BUDRIES
JULIANA CANFIELD (’17) IN DEER AND THE LOVERS BY EMILY ZEMBA (’15), YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA, 2015.
REBEKAH BROCKMAN AND TOM PECINKA (’15) IN ARCADIA BY TOM STOPPARD, YALE REPERTORY THEATRE, 2014
DRAMATURGY and DRAMATIC CRITICISM FACULTY: Kimberly Jannarone, James Leverett, Jill Rachel Morris, Marc Robinson, Gordon Rogoff, Rebecca Rugg, Thomas Sellar, Paul Walsh, Maurya Wickstrom Students in this department receive intensive training to prepare for careers in three areas: to work in theatres as dramaturgs, artistic producers, literary managers, and in related positions; to work in theatre publishing as critics and editors as well as in other capacities; to teach theatre as practitioners, critics, and scholars. At the core of the training are seminars in literature, theory and criticism, and history to impart a comprehensive knowledge of theatre and dramatic literature. Students are trained in topics in institutional dramaturgy, including the formulation of artistic policy and its communication and implementation, and as production dramaturgs, operating within the rehearsal process. Upon completion of the MFA program, students are eligible to register to remain in residence for one year in which they may formulate a dissertation proposal and apply to the Doctor of Fine Arts program. Upon acceptance, the student is expected to complete the dissertation within two years.
CATHERINE SHEEHY, CHAIR
CATHERINE SHEEHY
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JONATHAN HIGGINBOTHAM (’17) (IN PHOTO), ESTON J. FUNG (’17), AND ANNELISE LAWSON (’16) IN PRESTON MONTFORT—AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY BY RYAN CAMPBELL (’15), YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA, 2015.
PLAYWRITING FACULTY: Anne Erbe, Amy Herzog, Jennifer Kiger, Michael Korie, Dan LeFranc, Kirk Lynn, Sarah Ruhl, Rachel Sheinkin Yale School of Drama’s Playwriting department is designed for playwrights who are ready to step forward as leaders of our culture and artists of our time. We work with playwrights who possess an irreducible voice, and who can demonstrate their command of language, ideas, and form. We are interested in playwrights who are ready to test their own potential, and who want to do so while forming lifelong bonds with their community of fellow artists. We encourage playwrights to keep one eye on the horizon—to hold a global view of the world but write the particularities of their own stories. We expect playwrights to learn the rules and then shatter them, and to engage with their cultural responsibilities as disclosers of truth.
JEANIE O’HARE, CHAIR
CHALIA LaTOUR (’16), CELESTE ARIAS (’15), JENELLE CHU (’16), AND CHRISTOPHER GHAFFARI (’16) IN THIS FLAT EARTH BY LINDSEY FERRENTINO (’16), YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA, 2014.
JEANIE O’HARE
CORNELIUS DAVIDSON (’15) AND TIFFANY MACK (’15) IN THE RULES BY JIRÉH BREON HOLDER (’16), YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA, 2015.
MARY HUNTER
TECHNICAL DESIGN and PRODUCTION FACULTY: Chuck Adomanis, Michael Backhaus, Alex Bagnall, Todd Berling, Erich Bolton, John Boyd, Damian Doria, Tony Forman, Alan Hendrickson, Robin Hirsch, David Johnson, Eugene Leitermann, Tom McAlister, Jennifer McClure, Neil Mulligan, Jonathan Reed, William J. Reynolds, David P. Schrader, Rosalie Stemer, Matthew T. Welander Contemporary theatre design and production practices are profoundly influenced by the technology and economics of our age. The diverse aesthetics and the increasingly complex electronic and mechanical components now being employed in the performing arts require professionals who can understand and apply these technologies to the achievement of artistic goals. The department’s sequence of required courses focuses on key principles of the physical and social sciences and their application to performing arts technology. Concurrently, each student pursues elective courses that lead to a concentration in Production Management, Technical Direction, Stage Machinery Design and Automation, or Theatre Planning and Consulting.
BRONISLAW SAMMLER, CHAIR
BEN SAMMLER
STAGE MANAGEMENT FACULTY: Laura Brown-MacKinnon, Diane DiVita, Laura Freebairn-Smith, James Mountcastle, Rick Sordelet, Matthew Suttor The goal of the Stage Management department is to assist the student in recognizing and fulfilling his or her role as a passionate artistic collaborator and as an effective organizational manager throughout the entire production process. The role of the production stage manager requires a deep commitment to the artistic process and a fundamental desire to support the work through the creation of an environment in which artistic risks can be taken in creative collaboration. The program is structured to prepare the student for work in the commercial and regional theatre, as well as opportunities in touring, dance, opera, event management, and industrials.
drama.yale.edu
MARY HUNTER, CHAIR
VICTORIA NOLAN (CENTER)
SHAUNETTE RENÉE WILSON ( ’ 16) IN THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE BY BERTOLT BRECHT, YALE REPERTORY THEATRE, 2015.
THEATER MANAGEMENT FACULTY: Deborah Berman, Jeffrey Bledsoe, Joan Channick, Michael Diamond, Marion Koltun Dienstag, Patricia Egan, Jaan Elias, Janna Ellis, Laura Freebairn-Smith, Naomi Grabel, Barry Grove, Andrew Hamingson, Greg Kandel, Susan Medak, Victoria Nolan, Robert Orchard, Joey Parnes, William J. Reynolds, Rosalie Stemer, Harry H. Weintraub, George C. White, Steven Wolff The Theater Management department prepares aspiring leaders and managers to create organizational environments increasingly favorable to the creation of theatre art and its presentation to appreciative audiences. The department provides students with the knowledge, skills, and values to enter the field at high levels of responsibility, to move quickly to leadership positions, and ultimately to advance the state of management practice and the art form itself. While focused primarily on theatre organizations, discussions incorporate other performing arts organizations, other nonprofits, and for-profit organizations to help identify the factors that make theatre organizations succeed. It is training in the practice, informed by up-to-date theoretical knowledge. The department offers a joint-degree program with Yale School of Management, in which a student may earn both the MFA and MBA degrees in four years (rather than the five years that normally are required).
EDWARD A. MARTENSON, CHAIR
TYRONE MITCHELL HENDERSON AND TONYA PINKINS (FOREGROUND) IN WAR BY BRANDEN JACOBS-JENKINS, YALE REPERTORY THEATRE, 2014.
ED MARTENSON
DEGREES and CERTIFICATES MASTER OF FINE ARTS Acting, Design, Sound Design, Directing, Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism, Playwriting, Stage Management, Technical Design and Production, Theater Management The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree is conferred on students holding a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college who complete with distinction any of the programs of study outlined and who exhibit excellence in their professional practice. Three years in residence are required. DOCTOR OF FINE ARTS The Doctor of Fine Arts (DFA) degree is conferred on students who hold the MFA degree in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism and who have completed the MFA qualifying comprehensive examinations and have written a dissertation of distinction whose subject has been approved by the DFA committee.
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CERTIFICATE IN DRAMA Acting, Design, Sound Design, Directing, Playwriting, Stage Management, Technical Design and Production The Certificate in Drama is conferred on students who do not hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited college, but who complete with distinction the three-year program. TECHNICAL INTERNSHIP CERTIFICATE The Technical Internship Certificate is awarded to students seeking to become professional scenic carpenters, sound engineers, projection engineers, properties masters, scenic artists, costumers, or master electricians who complete with distinction the one-year internship program of the Technical Design and Production department.
NON-DEGREE PROGRAMS SPECIAL RESEARCH FELLOW A limited number of scholars are admitted to Yale School of Drama as one-year special research fellows. These fellows are usually professionals in the field of theatre from abroad who wish to pursue research and audit one or two courses a term within the School of Drama. There is no fellow status affiliated with the Acting department. SPECIAL STUDENT Some students are admitted to Yale School of Drama as one-year special students in the areas of Design, Sound Design, Directing, Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism, Technical Design and Production, or Theater Management. These students must be in residence on a full-time basis and are not eligible for a degree or certificate.
CHRISTOPHER GEARY ( ’ 15), BRADLEY JAMES TEJEDA ( ’ 16), CELESTE ARIAS ( ’ 15), YAHYA ABDUL-MATEEN II ( ’ 15), SEAN PATRICK HIGGINS ( ’ 16), AND JULIAN ELIJAH MARTINEZ ( ’ 16) IN THE WINTER’S TALE BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA, 2015.
FINANCIAL AID POLICY Yale’s financial aid policy has been designed to ensure that, within the School’s resources, all qualified students with financial need will have the opportunity to attend Yale. For that reason, financial aid at the School of Drama is awarded on the basis of financial need. A small portion of our students and their families have the ability to pay the full costs of educational and living expenses, and others who have demonstrated need can bear substantial costs. Student and family contributions vary based on financial circumstances, but all students on financial aid are expected to contribute a minimum of $2,000 toward their educational and living expenses each year. Students with need demonstrated through documentation of personal, spousal, and parental income and assets receive financial aid awards consisting of a combination of work-study employment, educational loans, and Yale scholarship. The vast majority of School of Drama students on financial aid receive full tuition scholarships and, in addition, living stipends. The School expects first-year students only to take up to $8,000 in educational loans. For a student at the median of financial aid eligibility, who is typically unmarried with few assets and little income, the three-year program is financed as follows: EDUCATIONAL LOANS STUDENT/FAMILY CONTRIBUTION
6% 12%
WORK-STUDY
8% 64% LIVING STIPENDS
TUITION SCHOLARSHIP
10%
Financial aid figures are for 2015–2016 and may change in future years. Applicants offered admission are typically notified of their financial aid award at the time of their acceptance; students who meet the financial aid application deadline of February 15 (for all programs) will receive this important information soonest. If you have questions about your specific circumstances, please call the Financial Aid Office at 203.432.1540.
TUITION and GENERAL EXPENSES
NONDISCRIMINATION The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and affirmatively seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons of diverse backgrounds. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a protected veteran, or national or ethnic origin; nor does Yale discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. University policy is committed to affirmative action under law in employment of women, minority group members, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans. Inquiries concerning these policies may be referred to Valarie Stanley, Director of the Office for Equal Opportunity Programs, 221 Whitney Avenue, 3rd Floor, 203.432.0849. For additional information, see yale.edu/equalopportunity.
TITLE IX Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from sex discrimination in educational programs and activities at institutions that receive federal financial assistance. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to the University’s Title IX Coordinator, Stephanie Spangler, at 203.432.4446 or at titleix@yale. edu, or to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 8th Floor, Five Post Office Square, Boston MA 02109-3921. Telephone: 617.289.0111, Fax: 617.289.0150, TDD: 800.877.8339, or email: ocr.boston@ed.gov.
2015–2016 Tuition and fees* Books and supplies (estimated) Living expenses (estimated) $15,250 Estimated Total Costs
$28,250 $250–$2,625 $16,156 $44,656–$47,031
* Tuition for Technical Interns and Special Research Fellows is $14,125. Tuition for DFA candidates in residence is $1,000. DFA candidates in residence receive financial aid covering tuition and health care.
YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAM The School of Drama participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which allows it to enter into an agreement with the Veterans Administration to help fund tuition expenses for eligible individuals who apply to the program.
Apply online drama.yale.edu VISITOR DAYS OCTOBER 23, 2015 & DECEMBER 4, 2015 Optional Visitor Days offer prospective students the opportunity to meet the Dean, talk with faculty and students, see a production, and tour the campus. Capacity is limited. Register online at drama.yale.edu.
APPLICATION DEADLINES DECEMBER 1, 2015 Directing, Playwriting JANUARY 2, 2016 Acting JANUARY 15, 2016 Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism FEBRUARY 1, 2016 Design, Sound Design, Stage Management, Technical Design and Production, Theater Management, Technical Internship Certificate, and Special Research Fellow Complete application requirements, including letters of recommendation, transcripts, and other materials; Design department portfolio requirements and review procedures; Acting department audition dates; and interview policies for other departments are available online at drama.yale.edu. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Admission to Yale School of Drama is only for full-time graduate study beginning in the fall term. There is no rolling admission. There is no summer session. Transfer or part-time students are not accepted. Admission decisions are typically determined on or before April 1.
FINANCIAL AID DEADLINES U.S. CITIZENS/PERMANENT RESIDENTS FEBRUARY 15, 2016 File a 2016-2017 Free Application for Federal Student Aid at fafsa.ed.gov; school code: 001426. File a 2016-2017 Need Access Application at needaccess.org. APRIL 1, 2016 A signed copy of the applicant’s and their parents’ federal tax returns, including copies of all W-2s and schedules, must be mailed to the School of Drama’s Financial Aid Office. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS FEBRUARY 15, 2016 File a 2016-2017 Need Access Application at needaccess.org. Mail the International Student Certification of Finances, which can be printed from the School of Drama’s online financial aid procedures page, at drama.yale.edu. Both forms are essential for establishing eligibility for student employment, loan, and Yale scholarship. APRIL 1, 2016 Signed copies of the applicant’s and parents’ tax documents and income statements (U.S. and home country) must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office.
CONTACT US
Registrar/Admissions Office Phone 203.432.1507 Fax 203.432.9668 ysd.admissions@yale.edu David Blackmon, Financial Aid Officer Phone 203.432.1540 Fax 203.436.8195 ysd.finaid@yale.edu U.S. POSTAL SERVICE P.O. Box 208325 New Haven, CT 06520-8325 EXPRESS/COURIER SERVICES 149 York Street New Haven, CT 06511
COLLABORATION We treasure the ethical and animating exchange of ideas and spirit with each other, as well as with the audience, the field, and the world.
COMMUNITY
We champion the unique voice of each artist and strive for a collective vision of our goals; working in balance, we prize the contributions and accomplishments of the individual and of the team.
ARTISTRY We nurture imagination and court inspiration through mastery of skills and techniques, to create fluent, authentic, original storytelling that illuminates the complexity of the human spirit and questions accepted wisdom.
PROFESSIONALISM High aspirations and profound dedication fuel our conservatory training and practice: we pursue excellence.
DIVERSITY
We j oy fully embrace the differences that enrich our society and enhance our ar tistry, as a means to approach and comprehend our humanity.
DISCOVERY
We wrestle with the most compelling issues of our time, to derive new understanding for the advancement of the human condition. Therefore, we foster curiosity, invention, bravery, and humor; we also risk and learn from failure, in order to promote practical innovation and personal revelation as lifelong habits.
FRONT COVER: CHASTEN HARMON (’15) AND PORNCHANOK KANCHANABANCA (’16) IN THE SEAGULL BY ANTON CHEKHOV, YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA, 2014. PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER ASH (’14), T. CHARLES ERICKSON, MARA LAVITT, JOAN MARCUS, JOEY MORO (‘15), CAROL ROSEGG, AND CHRISTOPHER THOMPSON (‘16).