David Geffen School of Drama, 2024 Alumni Magazine
Remembering Robert Brustein
Alumni L eading
Theaters Across the Country
Understudies on Broadway Leader
On the Cover
Carmen de Lavallade DFAH ’19 (Former Faculty), Robert Brustein ’51, MAH ’66 (Former Dean), and Gordon Rogoff YC ’52 (Professor Emeritus) at 2016.
James Bundy ’95
Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean/Artistic Director
Associate Dean/Managing Director
Chantal Rodriguez
Associate Dean
Carla L. Jackson ’99
Assistant Dean/General Manager
Na ncy Yao SOM ’99
Assistant Dean
Deborah S. Berman
Editor/Senior Director of Development and Alumni Affairs
John Beinecke YC ’69 Chair
Jeremy Smith ’76
Vice Chair
Nina Adams MS ’69, NUR ’77
Amy Aquino ’86
Rudy Aragon LAW ’79
John Badham ’63, YC ’61
Pun Bandhu ’01
Sonja Berggren
Special Research Fellow ’13
Frances Black ’09
Carmine Boccuzzi YC ’90, LAW ’94
Lynne Bolton
James Chen ’08
Lois Chiles
Patricia Clarkson ’85
Edgar M. (Trip) Cullman III ’02, YC ’97
Michael David ’68
Wendy Davies
Special Research Fellow ’21
Sasha Emerson ’84
Lily Fan YC ’01, LAW ’04
Marc Flanagan ’70
Anita Pamintuan Fusco YC ’90
David Alan Grier ’81
Sally Horchow YC ’92
Ellen Iseman YC ’76
David Johnson YC ’78
Rolin Jones ’04
Sarah Long ’92, YC ’85
Cathy MacNeil-Hollinger ’86
Brian Mann ’79
Drew McCoy
David Milch YC ’66
Jennifer Harrison Newman ’11
Richard Ostreicher, M.D. ’79
Carol Ostrow ’80
Maulik Pancholy ’03
Daphne Rubin-Vega
Tracy Chutorian Semler YC ’86
Michael Sheehan ’76
Anna Deavere Smith DFAH ’14
Andrew Tisdale
Edward Trach ’58
Julie Turaj YC ’94
Esme Usdan YC ’77
Courtney B. Vance ’86
Donald R. Ware YC ’71
Shana C. Waterman YC ’94, LAW ’00
Kim Williams
Amanda Wallace Woods ’03
DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT
YALE
ANNUAL MAGAZINE
Dean’s Letter
Dear Alumni,
Greetings from New Haven and David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, where trees and talents blossom! As I write, less than a month from the end of classes, there are still eight productions in some stage of rehearsal. By the time you read this, most, if not all, will have become part of our collective memory. At its best, the rhythm of live performance invites artists and audiences into community and can change lives in the instant. What persists in theatrical memory may even reorder our personal and public priorities: after all, we’re in the change business.
In this remarkable and pandemic-inflected world, where it is possible to work with both joy and apprehension, the change-worthy subjects of our attention include war, human rights, injustice, climate change, addiction, loneliness, and polarization. I have been privileged of late to see students, faculty, staff, and alumni address such subjects in multiple and varied productions of singular artistry. They give me great hope for the future of our field.
Fittingly, this edition of the Alumni Magazine highlights urgent challenges for our art form: How can we build healthy institutional cultures and create a loving compact among theatermakers, audiences, and the communities they represent? What new or old definitions and vocabularies will we use?
It is profoundly moving to see in these pages the enduring connection between a visionary like the late Robert Brustein and subsequent generations of leaders who trained at Yale and are now meeting unprecedented challenges to artistic and civic discourse and nonprofit institutional models.
Seventy-five years ago, Bob was brave enough to drop out of the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts. He was perhaps even braver to return less than 20 years later to transform what had become Yale School of Drama by professionalizing the faculty and founding Yale Repertory Theatre.
Today’s leaders, many of whom are the first person of color, and/ or first woman, and/or first person identifying as LGBTQ+ to serve in such a role at their institution, are brave enough to serve in the vanguard of a more equitable and expressive American theater, and we owe them our gratitude and support. They shoulder responsibility for changing a system they did not invent; in some cases, one that was implicitly organized to exclude them. They are the revolutionaries we need now.
Their stories of imagination, accomplishment, love, and loss remind me how much aspiration, invention, and experience are represented in our alumni body. I know that nearly four thousand DGSD alumni have the power to usher new generations of artists, managers, artisans, and audiences into a transformed relationship to dramatic storytelling, and I count myself lucky to work among you for that purpose.
Sincerely yours,
James Bundy ’95 (Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean)
Mark Blankenship ’05
Alex Trow ’12, YC ’09
By Mark Blankenship ’05
Editor’s Letter
Dear Alumni and Friends,
This past year the energy here on York Street has been electric, and I am excited to share some of it with you in this edition of the Annual Magazine.
Perhaps no one knows more about the adage that the show must go on than an understudy. Alex Trow ’12, YC ’09 explores the rewards and frustrations of “waiting in the wings.” She spoke with many of our acting alumni working as understudies and offers a window into their experiences. Mark Blankenship ’05 examines how regional theaters are coping and creating in a changing environment to keep their shows going on. His piece looks at 19 DGSD graduates who are leading the industry in bold new directions. Mark has also written a thoughtful tribute to former dean and founder of Yale Repertory Theatre Robert Brustein ’51, MAH ’66 (Former Dean), who died this past year. And we sit down with Chantal Rodriguez (Associate Dean), who adds Associate Artistic Director of Yale Rep to her already impressive list of competencies and far-reaching responsibilities, and Montana Levi Blanco ’15, to talk about his sources of inspiration as a costume designer.
As always, we include your news, announcements, and accomplishments, which continue to delight, impress, and inspire us!
Warmly,
Deborah S. Berman Editor Senior Director of Development and Alumni Affairs
deborah.berman@yale.edu
DAVID GEFFEN
SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE ANNUAL MAGAZINE
2023-24, Vol. LXVIII
editorial staff
editor
Deborah S. Berman
associate editor
Catherine Sheehy ’92, DFA ’99 (Faculty)
acting managing editor
Delaney Kelly (Staff)
editors
Leonard Sorcher
Susan C. Clark (Staff)
contributors
Mark Blankenship ’05
James Bundy ’95 (Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean)
Claudia Campos ’26
Samanta Cubias ’24, SOM ’24
Janet Cunningham (Staff)
Liz Diamond (Faculty)
Casey Grambo (Staff)
Iyanna Huffington Whitney ’26
Chad Kinsman ’18
James Magruder ’88, DFA ’92
Joey Moro ’15 (Faculty)
Joel Polis ’76
Jacob Santos ’24
Maya Louise Shed ’25
Alex Trow ’12, YC ’09
Faith Zamblé ’23
design
SML Design s-ml.design
To make a gift to DGSD, visit www.yale. edu/givedrama.
photo
On & Off York Street
NEWS FROM THE DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE
Back on York Street
Last July, Marcus Gardley ’04 was appointed Co-Chair of Playwriting and now serves alongside Anne Erbe ’11.
“I couldn’t be more pleased to welcome a distinguished alumnus back to Yale,” said James Bundy ’95 (Elizabeth Parker Ware
Dean) at the time of the announcement. “Marcus Gardley is one of the most prolific and widely produced playwrights of his generation. We are fortunate to have someone so eminently qualified to build on the program’s outstanding legacies.”
Snapshot
Deeksha Gaur ’07 joined TDF, one of the country’s foremost arts not-for-profits, as its new Executive Director. Gaur steps into leadership at TDF after serving as co-founder and general manager of Show-Score, a theater review aggregator, and holding senior marketing and PR positions at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Two River Theater, and Long Wharf
Gardley brings a wealth of teaching experience to this new position. He has taught at Brown University, Columbia University, the University of Massachusetts, the University of San Francisco, and the National Theatre Institute.
“I am honored to co-chair the playwriting program with my colleague, Anne Erbe,” said Gardley. “Our shared goal is to encourage students to write plays that spark conversation and spread joy.”
Gardley’s work includes the plays The House That Will Not Stand; X: Or, Betty Shabazz v. the Nation; black odyssey; dance of the holy ghosts; and On the Levee (commissioned by Yale Rep). Among his television credits are Maid (Netflix), which received a 2022 WGA Award for best adapted longform series; Boots Riley’s I’m a Virgo (Amazon); The Chi (Showtime); and Foundation (Apple TV+). He wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of the musical The Color Purple, which was released in December.
“We’re so happy to welcome Marcus home to the Playwriting program,” said Erbe. “The mythic vision, attention to human relationships, and care for storytelling that has propelled Marcus’s work since he was a student here have now come full circle, amplified in service to the next generation of young playwrights.”
Theatre. Building audience has been a driving force in Gaur’s impressive 17-year career. Of the new position, she shared, “I am beyond honored to dive into this urgent work, as the industry continues its post-pandemic recovery, with TDF’s passionate, thoughtful, and purposedriven board and staff.”
Deeksha Gaur ’07. Photo by Jacquelyne Pierson. 01
Marcus Gardley ’04 (Faculty)
On & Off York Street
NEWS FROM THE DAVID
Saybrook at the Rep Snapshot
As an Associate Fellow at Saybrook College, one of Yale’s undergraduate residences, Arthur Nacht ’06 provides career advice to first- and second-year students interested in learning about not-for-profit theater or corporate finance. For the last seven years he has also organized “Saybrook at the Rep,” in which Nacht invites interested Saybrook residents to a night of theater, complete with a pre-show dinner at Mory’s and a meeting with members of each Rep show’s creative team or artistic staff. Before a preview performance of Wish You Were Here by Sanaz Toossi, students enjoyed a discussion with Chantal Rodriguez (Associate Dean), Associate Artistic Director and Director of New Play Programs, and Amy Boratko ’06, Senior Artistic Producer.
“The students were delighted to get a behind-thescenes look at a play produced in a nationally recognized theater,” Nacht shared. “My hope is that this opportunity initiates a lifelong love of professional theater.”
In September, Tarell Alvin McCraney ’07 (Faculty) was named Artistic Director of Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. This appointment follows his role as Chair of DGSD’s Playwriting department from 2017-2021; for the past two years, he served as Co-Chair with Anne Erbe ’11.
In this role, McCraney will oversee new works programming as well as reinterpretations of classics designed to bring in new audiences. “It’s an honor to take on the mantle of artistic leadership at Geffen Playhouse,” McCraney shared. “I am excited to foster intimate innovation in performance, digging deep into our collective need for live connection.” McCraney will continue to serve as Eugene O’Neill Professor in the Practice of Playwriting at the School of Drama.
GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE
Tarell Alvin McCraney ’07 (Faculty). Photo by Erik Carter.
02
Arthur Nacht ’06 and students from Saybrook College. Photo by Defining Studios.
On & Off York Street
NEWS FROM THE DAVID
GEFFEN
SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE
Dani’s Turn
by Jacob Santos ’24
Just one year after her graduation from DGSD, Dani Barlow ’20 was appointed Foundation Director of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), where she oversees
programs that support and develop directors and choreographers through all phases of their careers. In 2022, American Theatre magazine named her as one of 10 rising Black women to watch. And this past summer, she joined the 2023-2024 Tony Award Nominating Committee. All these achievements reflect how Dani creates space for others to do their best work. I knew her first as the person who made me feel at home during the School’s Theater Management interview day in 2020. Her warm response to my inquiries contributed to my positive impression of the School.
Although now a leading arts administrator, Dani’s roots lie in performance. Growing up in Olney, Maryland, she loved to dance and enrolled in dance classes at the age of 7. Dance led to singing and acting, and by the age of 9, she was fully immersed in her local musical theater troupe, even performing at the White House.
At Muhlenberg College, Dani double-majored in business and theater. Initially, it seemed as though her two interests had no overlap, but it all came together when she joined the college’s Theatre Association and realized she could use tools she gained in business classes to benefit the theater department.
Dani took that training and brought it to several D.C. regional theaters, where she sup -
Roberta Pereira ’08 was named the Barbara G. and Lawrence A. Fleischman Executive Director of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, one of the world’s most comprehensive archives of theater, film, dance, and music. Pereira previously served as Executive Director of The Playwrights Realm, a position she held for eight years.
About her new role, Pereira shared, “The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts has one of the greatest collections in the world (with many DGSD alumni represented!) and its mission of providing free and open access to material and information resonates deeply with me. I couldn’t think of a better fit.”
Roberta Pereira ’08. Photo credit: Jonathan Blanc/NYPL.
Dani Barlow ’20
On & Off York Street
NEWS FROM THE DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE
ported artists in both company management and administration. But it wasn’t enough, so she applied to DGSD. “One of the things I really like about the School of Drama is that you get to implement what you have learned in class in professional work assignments throughout the theater,” she said. One of her most memorable experiences at the School was serving as the producing director for the Dwight/Edgewood Project. Through that engagement, Dani and her classmates worked together to mentor and produce a festival of plays by local Connecticut middle school students. “It was a huge learning experience and so much fun!” she recalled.
Today, Dani’s work at the Foundation is more far-reaching, and her passion for artistry is central to her success. She joined SDCF when the pandemic had disrupted the Foundation’s observership program, which provides professional development and mentorship for early career artists with leading stage directors and choreographers on Broadway, off-Broadway, and at regional theaters. Like the dancer she was, Dani pivoted and turned the pause into an opportunity to improve the program. “Not having the observerships for a while was disappointing,” she said, “but gave us the time to re-evaluate and create better, stronger relationships and productive collaborations.”
Throughout her time in the theater industry, Dani has been passionate about making opportunities for artists to thrive. “One of the things I learned at Yale and applied in the broader field,” she shared, “is that strong management and leadership skills are key to a successful creative process. I’m thrilled to play my part in this collaboration.”
Snapshot
Angela Bassett ’83, YC ’80, DFAH ’18 received an Honorary Award at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards. A veteran star of film and television, Bassett’s career spans over 40 years. In 1993, she received an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It. Last year, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the first woman from a superhero film to receive acting recognition. On television, Bassett serves as executive producer and star of FOX’s 9-1-1 and has had notable recurring roles on American Horror Story and ER
Snapshot
Zach Bailey ’20 is “livin’ it up on top” with the Hadestown national tour. Since October 2021, Bailey has traveled the country as the Assistant Stage Manager for the multiple Tony Award–winning show. While at the School, Bailey was the Co-Artistic Director of Yale Cabaret and General Manager of The Dwight/ Edgewood Project. He also worked on shows at the Rep, including Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3), Twelfth Night, and The Plot.
Zach Bailey ’20
Angela Bassett ’83, YC ’80, DFAH ’18.
Photo by Michael Rowe—Getty Images.
DAVID
On & Off York Street
NEWS FROM THE DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE
Restoring the Arts Locally
04
One of the newly renovated buildings of Ball and Socket Arts which houses a gallery space.
05
Ilona Somogyi ’94 (Faculty) in front of the original Ball and Socket Manufacturing building in Cheshire, CT. 04
For those who have grown up in or around Cheshire, CT, the abandoned Ball & Socket Factory, once one of the world’s largest producers of metal buttons, is a fixture of the landscape and a reminder of the town’s manufacturing past. For Ilona Somogyi ’94 (Faculty), a resident of Cheshire, it meant the potential to bring the arts to a community without a central artist hub. Thus, Ball and Socket Arts was born. The project is committed to maintaining the heart and soul of the original space while “bringing arts into the middle of people’s lives,” as Somogyi stated. By the time the project is com-
Snapshot
A New Role for Marc Robinson
Marc Robinson ’90, DFA ’92, professor of Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism at DGSD, has been appointed dean of humanities for Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). A member of the Yale faculty since 1993, Robinson currently serves as the Malcolm G. Chace ’56 Professor of Theater & Performance Studies and English, and professor of American Studies. He is also a leading theater critic and the author of several books on American theater, among them The Other American Drama and The American Play: 1787-2000. “Marc Robinson is a scholar of uncommon breadth,” said FAS Dean Tamar Gendler. “With his expansive vision and collaborative ethos, he will be an exemplary leader for the humanities.”
pleted, the former button factory will house art and music classes, gallery space, and local businesses.
Transforming the facility has not been easy. Since Ball and Socket Arts bought the property in 2014, massive renovations and building plans have been underway. In 2020, local favorite ice cream shop Sweet Claude’s moved into one of the recently renovated commercial spaces. And in fall 2023, Ball and Socket’s first gallery opening took place and showcased Connecticut-based photographers.
“This will be one of the music rehearsal rooms,” Somogyi said in a tour of the unfinished space, standing between dilapidated floorboards below and a water-damaged roof above. She attributes her ability to see the potential in even the most exhaustive projects to her design background at DGSD. “Costume designers are incredibly good project managers,” she observed. “We have to address the unexpected and pivot.” While at the School, Somogyi shared that Ming Cho Lee DFAH ’20 (Faculty Emeritus) taught her to be a “complete theater artist,” which meant familiarizing herself with all disciplines in design. She equates creating a community center for artists to “world-building
Marc Robinson ’90, DFA ’92
On & Off York Street
NEWS FROM THE DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE
for an audience,” which in this case, means her friends and neighbors. Somogyi’s enthusiasm is palpable in her commitment to the project. “I’m not going anywhere,” she affirmed. “I live here!”
The progress achieved in the former factory already presages a bright future. Its proximity to the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail signals the potential for Ball and Socket to be a walkable and sustainable community gathering space. Sweet Claude’s, its flagship commercial offering, attracts patrons of all ages to the site. While there is still more work to be done, the project has been a labor of learning and love for Somogyi. She sees the project as inspiring action: “How do you get the thing you want to happen, and how do you build it with integrity and authenticity?”
Snapshot
Two Well-Crafted Careers
Eric Sparks (Scene Shop Supervisor) and David Schrader (Properties Craftsperson), two longtime and esteemed staff members, announced their retirements this past year.
“Eric’s work as a creator and his leadership as scene shop supervisor helped shape Yale’s reputation for quality and efficiency,” said Neil Mulligan ’01 (Faculty). “His mastery of process and technique and ability to see the straightest path from raw material to finished product is what every craftsperson aspires to but seldom nears.”
Jen McClure (Faculty) praised David’s “unparalleled skill
and inexhaustible dedication” throughout his career at Yale Rep.
“He constructed innumerable pieces of specialty furniture, fake animals, delicious looking but inedible food, and many other ‘hero props’ that have been integral to Rep shows during his tenure.”
Eric (30 years) and David (35) were both honored in January at the Long-term Service Awards, along with thirteen other staff members: Lia Akkerhuis (10), Tracy Baldini (30), Martha Boateng (5), Amy Boratko ’06 (15), Mark Dionne (5), Janna Ellis (20), Zach Faber (5), Ryan Gardner (15), Nate Jasunas ’12 (10), Molly Leona (5), and Karem Orellana (5).
Eric Sparks (Staff), James Bundy ’95 (Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean), and David Schrader (Staff).
On & Off York Street
NEWS FROM THE DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE
Right on Cue: Chantal Rodriguez Takes on the Rep
by Samanta Cubias ’24, SOM ’24
In Summer 2023, Chantal Rodriguez (Associate Dean) was appointed Associate Artistic Director of Yale Repertory Theatre, succeeding Jennifer Kiger (Faculty), who held the position for 18 years.
The appointment furthers Chantal’s influence and impact on the School of Drama community and allows her to expand the excellence students, faculty, staff, and alumni have come to admire as quintessentially Chantal: honoring the legacies of her mentors, raising the standards of care and craft for everyone at the School and the Rep, and, whatever the weather, always bringing L.A. vibes to New Haven.
“Chantal is the kind of person who elevates discourse,” reflects James Bundy ’95 (Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean). “She combines intellectual rigor and insights into institutional dynamics with empathy and compassion in ways few people can. She is also at the forefront of equity, diversity, and inclusion in our field. She is the perfect fit for this role.”
Producing is not new to Chantal. Prior to Yale, she served as Programming Director and Literary Manager at Los Angeles’ Latino Theater Company (LTC) from 2009 to 2016. “People tend to assume L.A. is only film and television, but it has a really rich theater history with so many beautiful companies and artists rooted in their mission and values,” she shares.
To prove her point, Chantal offers two of her mentors—LTC’s visionary Artistic Director José Luis Valenzuela and the late, celebrated stage artist Diane Rodriguez—who have inspired and guided her. Valenzuela showed her what having an indomitable spirit can achieve and the importance of joyful gatherings in sustaining a community. Diane, whom Chantal first met while working on her dissertation at UCLA, had told her, “You always need to think about what is next as a woman and artist.” Her position at Yale turned out to be the next step.
Combined with her continuing responsibilities as Associate Dean and Associate Professor Adjunct in the Dramaturgy & Dramatic Criticism program, Chantal now has an added vantage point. “This appointment means that there’s one more extremely gifted person who is explicitly charged with making the partnership between the Rep and the School work,” James says. “If the Rep works better, that’s an outcome that is good for students.”
While acknowledging the difficulties of balancing school and production work, Chantal enthusiastically sees the Rep as “a place where the vision and mission of the Geffen School come alive. Students, staff, faculty, and alumni are all working together as equals, and I am thrilled to be a part of this collaborative artistry—we get to work with the best people.”
06 Samanta Cubias ’24, SOM ’24 and Chantal Rodriguez (Associate Dean).
Photo by LindaCristal Young (Staff)
06
On & Off York Street
NEWS FROM THE DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE
Snapshots
is immaculate,” and “Blanco’s costumes speak volumes.”
In Fall 2023, David Geffen School of Drama welcomed two new faculty members to the Design department.
Jill BC Du Boff joins DGSD as Lecturer in Design and Head of Sound Design. Du Boff has designed hundreds of resident theater and Off-Broadway productions as well as fifteen on Broadway.
Stepping into her role as Assistant Professor Adjunct of Design and Scenic Charge at Yale Repertory Theatre, Mikah Berky arrived at DGSD after an eight-year tenure with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where she worked as Assistant Scenic Charge and Scenic Charge Artist.
Cross-Cultural Collaboration
Hugh Farrell ’15 was recently named Cultural Officer at the Embassy of Ireland, based in Paris, France. In this role, Farrell will nurture Franco-Irish relationships among artists. This position was created as part of the government’s Global Ireland 2025 strategy, which aims to expand the reach of Irish artists
across the world. Prior to his appointment, Farrell worked with a number of prominent Ireland-based theater, film, and music groups, including Landmark Productions, Gare St. Lazare Ireland, Brokentalkers, Sun Collective, and OneTwoOneTwo.
Hugh Farrell ’15. Photo by Rosie Barrett.
Max Gordon Moore ’11, Madeline Seidman ’22 and Deborah S. Berman (Staff). Photo by Bruce Berman.
Jill BC Du Boff
Mikah Berky
New Faces in Design
On & Off York Street
NEWS FROM THE DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE
Montana’s Multiverse
A classical oboist, a curator, and a Tony Awardwinning costume designer walk into a bar. The twist is…they’re all Montana Levi Blanco ’15. Perhaps it’s not surprising that someone who has worked on mind-bending plays like Is God Is, Fairview, An Octoroon, and The Skin of Our Teeth—the show for which Blanco was awarded the Tony—is as multifaceted as the characters he costumes and as complex as the projects he takes on. Hearing Blanco reflect on his career, his aesthetic, and his process, what comes to
Levi Blanco ’15 receiving the Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Play at the 75th Annual Tony Awards. Photo by Charles Sykes.
by Faith Zamblé ’23
for lamps for my grandmother and furniture that my mom could reupholster.” Watching his grandmother work also gave him an appreciation for the tactile and structural qualities of fabric and the artistry that goes into handmade crafts.
the fore, besides a celebration of multidimensionality, is community and connection, rather than achievement and awards. Blanco reminds me, again and again, that good theater is always a “collective achievement” rather than a solo triumph. His ethos as a designer is defined by his generosity, curiosity, humor, and diligence—traits that he has acquired as a result of his eclectic journey.
Blanco was raised by his mother and grandmother in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He cites them as his earliest creative inspirations, saying that his love of beautiful objects comes from a distinctly familial place. His grandmother was a lampshade artisan. “On weekends,” he explains, “we would go to estate sales to look
With such a rich artistic background from which to draw, it seems only right that Blanco would enter the arts in some capacity. How he achieved this, however, was not through the theater, but through the oboe. He attended Oberlin College to study in a conservatory setting with the intention of becoming a professional classical musician. By graduation though, he wasn’t feeling it. He remembers thinking at the time, “I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I don’t think it’s being a principal oboist in an orchestra.” Instead he pursued a master’s degree in public humanities at Brown University, where he wrote a thesis on “clothing and the Black body.” It was at Brown, in his final year, that he found theater. His introduction to the medium was an undergraduate set design course. And, although his interest in the class was initially an intellectual one, he quickly fell “hard and fast,” realizing that the theater was a place that could hold his interests, his love of both history and music, as well as his burning curiosities about the world we live in.
From this point on, the story takes on the pacing of a well-plotted film. Blanco applied to the Drama School, and during his interview was told by Ming Cho Lee DFAH ’20 (Faculty Emeritus) to improve his drawing. So he did and reapplied. As a student, he focused his at-
On & Off York Street
NEWS FROM THE DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE
tention on honing his skills as a costume designer. He also forged relationships with future collaborators, including Lileana BlainCruz ’12 (Faculty) and Adam Rigg ’13 Blanco calls them his “design family.”
Which brings us to The Skin of Our Teeth Not only was it a mammoth undertaking, requiring Blanco to design five to seven costume changes for each of the 28 characters, but it also happened at the same time he was designing A Strange Loop—both productions on Broadway. Fortunately, he was able to rely on the trust he’d built with his Skin of Our Teeth collaborators over the years, including Blain-Cruz who was, as he puts it, “stewarding the ship,” as well as many other DGSD alumni. Blanco grounded his work for his costumes in paintings and photographs that reflected the time, place, and energy of the play. The fez Blanco designed for the character of Mr. Antrobus, for example, was inspired by a photo he had
Snapshot
Omid Akbari ’24 received the Burry Fredrik Design Fellowship this year. This generous award provides a $10,000 grant to a graduating student; for the next two years, any Connecticut producing theater where the student works will also receive a grant in an equal amount to the standard designer’s fee.
“We are so pleased that Omid Akbari
of Black Shriners in 1920s Harlem. This is the kind of detail, often unnoticed, that, according to his teacher Jane Greenwood (Faculty Emerita), “can contribute to some of the most successful designs.”
In Montana Levi Blanco’s work, art, craft, design, music, fashion, family, Blackness—a multiverse of inspiration—come together in a rich tapestry, beautifully and thoughtfully rendered. What a joy it is to witness it.
is this year’s Burry Fredrik Design Fellow,” said Barbara Pearce, Chair of The Burry Fredrik Foundation Board of Directors. “Since its inception, the Burry Fredrik Design Fellowship has enriched the lives of talented designers in all concentrations and has helped advance their career ambitions. We look forward to seeing what Omid’s next projects are!”
Omid is a scenic designer and costume concept artist from Iran. His recent credits include Wish You Were Here at Yale Repertory Theatre, Furlough’s Paradise for the Carlotta Festival, and Macbeth for the School’s Shakespeare Repertory Project.
“I am deeply grateful and honored
to receive this year’s Burry Fredrik Design Fellowship,” Omid shared. “As an international designer, I look forward to collaborating with the talented members of the Connecticut theater community. Thank you to the David Geffen School of Drama design faculty, my wonderful classmates, and the Burry Frederik Foundation for providing earlycareer designers with such a remarkable opportunity to make their way into the American theater.”
09
The Skin of Our Teeth at Lincoln Center Theater, 2022. Photo by Julieta Cervantes.
Burry Fredrik Fellow: Omid Akbari ’24
Omid Akbari ’24
On & Off York Street
NEWS FROM THE DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE
Nancy Yao Named New Assistant Dean
Nancy Yao SOM ’99 (Assistant Dean)
In March, Nancy Yao SOM ’99 was appointed Assistant Dean of Student Life and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging and Assistant Professor Adjunct of Theater Management at David Geffen School of Drama. Nancy previously served as President of the Museum of Chinese in America and was Executive Director of the Yale-China Association. Since 2018, she has been a lecturer in Theater Management at the School, teaching courses in both governance and financial accounting.
Nancy brings to her new position decades of leadership experience as a staff or board member at various organizations, including the Center for Finance and Research Analysis, The Community Fund for Women and
Snapshot
Monette.
I AM ALAN TURING, an experimental opera by Matthew Suttor (Former Faculty), performed for three nights as part of the Machine as Medium: Matter and Spirit symposium, presented by Yale’s Center for Collaborative Arts and Media. Devised with a team of musicians, theater artists, and computer programmers, I AM ALAN TURING draws on cryptography, mathematics, AI, and Turing’s fascination with natural patterns in the universe. The event featured actors Solá Fádìran ’22, Hugh
Farrell ’15, Max Monnig ’24, and Emily Reilly ’13, and other collaborators Kino Alvarez ’25, Liam Bellman-Sharpe ’20, Frederick Kennedy ’18, Tyler Kieffer ’15, Aura Michelle ’25, Madeline Pages ’23, Dakota Stipp ’20, and Wladimiro A. Woyno R. ’18. Suttor is a senior lecturer in the Department of Theater and Performance Studies in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences and former Professor in the Practice of Sound Design and Stage Management at DGSD.
Girls, Council on Foreign Relations, Goldman Sachs & Co., and The International Festival of Arts and Ideas. She was also a founding member of Here and Now Theater Company, and has appeared onstage in Connecticut, New York, and Hong Kong.
“The power of narrative, storytelling, and sharing is alive and well at DGSD,” Nancy stated. “I am excited to partner with students, staff, faculty, and the broader DGSD community in the making of art to inspire joy, empathy, and understanding. Thirty years ago, I dreamt of being a part of this community; then, it was somewhat of a pipe dream. Now the world is different, and I am grateful to be in a position to advance storytelling and support the storytellers.”
Snapshot
Da’Vine Joy Randolph ’11 received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mary Lamb in Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers. She was honored with seven wins throughout awards season, including a Screen Actors’ Guild Award, an Independent Spirit Award, and a Golden Globe. Her castmate Paul Giamatti ’94, YC ’89, DFAH ’23 was nominated for Best Actor by the Academy and received a Golden Globe Award and Critics’ Choice Award in that same category.
Max Monnig ’24 as Alan Turing in I AM ALAN TURING. Photo by Jean-François
Da’Vine Joy Randolph ’11 with her Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Photo credit: Jordan Strauss/ Invision/AP.
On & Off York Street
NEWS FROM THE DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE
Snapshots
A Leading Role
Winston Duke ’13 was recently appointed UN Ambassador for Responsible Tourism. In his new role, Duke, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, will advocate for sustainable tourism practices and raise awareness of the positive impact of world travel. He will also actively promote the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) new Tourism Open Minds campaign, which aims to encourage travelers to embrace diverse cultures, traditions, and perspectives.
Announcing the appointment, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili recognized Duke’s accomplishments on the screen and
in the social arena: “As an actor, he is a master storyteller and capable of showcasing the power of tourism to open minds and transform lives, and as a humanitarian, he lives tourism’s values of empathy, delivering opportunity for all and going the extra mile for the common good.”
Duke starred in Marvel’s Black Panther and its sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He also appeared in Us, Nine Days, and Spenser Confidential. His latest project is The Fall Guy, with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, which was released in March 2024.
A Tale for Our Time
The Winter’s Tale, directed by Tamilla Woodard ’02 (Faculty), was the first production staged at Folger Theatre since its reopening after a major renovation.
“Woodard’s modern-dress Winter’s Tale works especially well because of the seamless way she integrates the play’s humanly emotional and fantastical elements,” said former Washington Post critic Peter Marks. Antoinette CroweLegacy ’18 was featured as Hermione in a performance Marks praised for her “compassionate warmth.” The production ran from November 4 to December 17, 2023.
Zurab Pololikashvili and Winston Duke ’13
The cast of The Winter’s Tale at Folger Theatre. Photo by Brittany Diliberto.
DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA
Great
Continues The
Here’s how 19 DGSD alumni are leading theaters across the country through a complicated era.
by mark blankenship ’05
Continues Work P
erhaps you’ve heard the American theater is dying. Perhaps you’ve heard it’s already dead. For almost two years now, reporters have been saying as much, citing everything from anemic subscription numbers to a general industry malaise. It’s enough to make you chuck it all and go work for a bank.
Some people, of course, have done just that. There’s no denying that after the lockdown era, people have left the field, just like there’s no denying that many theaters are losing subscribers and canceling productions. But these facts don’t tell the entire story. Because in spite of it all, thousands of theater professionals are still showing up. They’re finding reasons to make art, and they’re finding innovative ways to make it.
Many of those innovators are DGSD graduates. I recently spoke to 19 of them about what keeps them going in this complicated time. And wouldn’t you know: though everyone agrees that things are tough, they all reject the catastrophic narrative. Instead, they speak with cleareyed determination about what must happen next. As Jacob Padrón ’08, Artistic Director of Long Wharf Theatre, puts it, “The story being told for us is one of doom and gloom and crisis. And it is true that if we’re trying to uphold the status quo, then we are in crisis. But if we’re trying to imagine a new way forward, then we’re in a time of evolution.”
Shaking the Foundations
Long Wharf’s recent programming embodies that change. After decades in the same brick-andmortar space, they’ve chosen not to have a permanent home. Instead, they’re presenting online projects like the annual Black Trans Women at the Center short play festival, and they’re mounting boundary-pushing versions of established works, like a production of The Year of Magical Thinking staged in libraries, living rooms, and other gathering spaces in the New Haven area.
It’s a way to engage people who might not visit a traditional venue. “The decision for us to leave the building and do something bold and imaginative is very much in the DNA of Long Wharf Theatre,” says Padrón. “We’re trying to grow and evolve that history.”
Granted, not everyone is thrilled about it: After shedding its building, Long Wharf lost several long-time patrons. Significant change always creates fallout, however, and many people I interviewed assert that given the state of the industry, risks are mandatory.
“Clearly what was there wasn’t working, or hasn’t been able to hold up,” says Snehal Desai ’08, Artistic Director of Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles. “This is a moment to experiment.”
According to Adam Frank ’18, SOM ’18, Managing Director of Baltimore Center Stage, that’s why his board has embraced the company’s decision to eliminate the traditional subscription model. BCS will soon offer memberships that are akin to museums, letting patrons access everything from a traditional show to a pop-up installation at a local park to a children’s summer theater camp. “[This model] will allow artists and leadership to create different sizes and shapes of containers for creative work,” Frank says. “There previously may have been board resistance, but now the board is looking at a business model that is very clearly broken. They’re saying, ‘Great. Show me how this could work.’ Because if you’re facing extinction, people are much, much more willing to be innovative.”
Innovation is also guiding programming choices. “So many of us are asking fundamental questions like, ‘Who are we even producing for? What is an audience? Who do we want our audience to be?” says Jeffrey Herrmann ’99, Managing Director of Seattle Rep. That’s partly why his theater produced Between Two Knees, a
Jeffrey Herrmann ’99.
Photo by Alan Alabastro.
Stevie WalkerWebb and Adam Frank ’18, SOM ’18
“So many of us are asking fundamental questions like, ‘Who are we even producing for? What is an audience? Who do we want our audience to be?”
—Jeffrey Herrmann ’99
sketch comedy piece about the Native American experience created by the intertribal troupe The 1491s. (It was a co-production with Oregon Shakes and Yale Rep.) “It was a very different show than we’ve ever done,” he says. “It attracted a very different kind of audience than we’ve ever had.”
And while some audience members wrote Herrmann to say they didn’t like the show, he still believes it was essential to shake up the foundations of the company’s programming. “We need to find that sweet spot where we’re slightly ahead [of the audience’s expectations],” he says. “To do that, we have to vary the diet.”
03
03
Snehal Desai ’08 and Meghan Pressman ’10, SOM ’10
Neighbor to Neighbor
As uncomfortable as it can be at first, theaters that change their approach to programming and ticketing may also strengthen their ties to their community. Between Two Knees, for instance, did well at the box office for Seattle Rep. Long Wharf sold out its site-specific take on The Year of Magical Thinking. At Kansas City Repertory Theatre, the 2022 production of A Christmas Carol set a box office record, which proved the power of tradition, but the company also has succeeded with KCRep for All, a program that takes productions to community venues throughout the area. The initiative, which was inspired by similar projects at theaters like The Public and The Old Globe, only started in 2022, but it’s already expanding the company’s relationships.
“Many of the KCRep for All audiences have never been to a play,
and it’s incredible to be there for their first experience,” says Nelson T. Eusebio III ’07, KC Rep’s Associate Artistic Director. He recalls meeting a man who saw a performance of Marco Ramirez’s The Royale at a senior center: “This gentleman says, ‘I’m 78 years old, and I’ve never seen a play before. I thought it was gonna be so terrible.’ But then he says, ‘It was so awesome. I loved it. I understand why people would pay for it.’”
Eusebio adds, “That kind of community engagement is getting me out of bed.”
He’s not the only one. “What puts a skip in my step is feeling like we can produce plays [in the aftermath of lockdowns] and not just run up against obstacles every three minutes,” says David Muse ’03, YC ’96, Artistic Director of Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C. “Just the simple act of doing what we’ve
always done, and being able to do it, and not fall down all the time is very nice.” Danilo Gambini ’20, Studio’s Associate Artistic Director, adds, “The accomplishment of doing [the work] also feels like the accomplishment of reaching people on a deep level. Theater is the art of togetherness. People are feeling this need.”
And when that need is addressed, then the benefits could last for years. “The idea of having audiences who are dedicated to an artistic institution in everything that it does, whether it lands or doesn’t, and having a commitment to that institution that goes beyond a single production is incredibly important,” says Chris Jennings ’97, who became Managing Director of Manhattan Theatre Club last summer. “And so we’re talking about maintaining and building that while recognizing the time that we’re in.”
To wit: MTC recently gave Jocelyn Bioh’s play Jaja’s African Hair Braiding its world premiere directly on Broadway. It was the rare play by a Black writer to arrive on the Main Stem without a prior production, which sent a message about MTC’s commitment to reaching as many people as
possible. Lynne Meadow ’71, MTC’s Artistic Director, notes that the response was palpable. “The composition of the audience represented in part our aspirations to bring theater to underserved populations,” she says. “It was very satisfying to see the play embraced and to see such a dynamic response from a very diverse audience.”
Similarly, as the Artistic Director of New York Theatre Workshop, Patricia McGregor ’09 has been thinking about her company’s relationship to its neighbors on the Lower East Side. That’s why she invited Teens Ukraine Theatre, a troupe comprised of teenage Ukrainian refugees, to present their show Are We There Yet at the Workshop last spring. “Where we are, this area of the city, is called Little Ukraine,” she says. “And I often think of the 10 blocks right around us as an organizing principle for some of what we say yes and no to.” She adds that the show brought in a mix of familiar audiences and Ukrainians who had never been to the Workshop before: “For me, having everyone from the neighborhood in the room together felt like an incredible moment of belonging.”
People can also be united by a shared sense of wonder. That’s why Drew Lichtenberg ’08, Associate Director of D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company, has been inspired by what he calls “populist approaches to the classics.” His own company recently succeeded with a production of As You Like It that incorporated Beatles music, and he notes that a troupe like The 7 Fingers has thrived by fusing traditional storytelling with cirquestyle performance. “We tend to look down on ‘novelty’ as a term, but it’s a huge part of the appeal of theater,” he says. “You’re reminded that, oh yeah, theatre people have always
“The accomplishment of doing [the work] also feels like the accomplishment of reaching people on a deep level. Theater is the art of togetherness.”
—Danilo Gambini ’20
been acrobats. They’ve always been singers. They’ve always been dancers. They’ve always done these things that Aristotle looked down upon, but that are a huge part of the intrinsic value of the performing arts. When a production has those elements, it reminds people why they love seeing live performances.”
Even the tiniest gesture can foster those feelings. “The smallest change I’ve noticed that makes a big impact is greeting people with a curtain speech,” says Desai.
Meghan Pressman ’10, SOM ’10, CTG’s Managing Director and CEO, agrees. “At some point it became déclassé to do a curtain speech, like it was so community theater,” she says. “But really, it’s such a human thing that you can do. It acknowledges that we’re all here for a community event.”
Danilo Gambini ’20 on his first day at Studio Theatre.
Chris Jennings ’97 and Lynne Meadow ’71 at the first rehearsal
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding at Manhattan Theatre Club.
Drew Lichtenberg ’08. Photo by Teresa Wood.
Patricia McGregor ’09. Photo by Rich Soublet.
Nelson T. Eusebio III ’07 at KCRep For All.
Photo by Kenney Ellison.
Artist to Artist
Theater staffers need to feel like part of that community, too. When she became Managing Director of Pittsburgh Public Theater last year, Shaunda McDill ’04 focused immediately on her colleagues.
“When I stepped in the room, I saw so many talented people, so many gifts. And I thought, ‘We have everything here. We just don’t have the confidence that we have it.’ The challenge was to let the staff know that they’re amazing. They’ve weathered a storm, and they’ve been making miracles happen in the midst of this.”
She started with predictive index testing, which probed how employees wanted to be treated and which job responsibilities would help them succeed. That’s similar to the deep listening Rachel Fink ’00 has done as the new Managing Director of Cleveland Play House. She arrived in May of 2023, and she got to work on building a “people and culture” department. “I’m trying to focus on processes and foundations of how we care about each other,” she says.
That’s relevant because just a few months before Fink arrived, a playwright pulled the rights to a production to protest the Play House’s response to an actor’s allegation of sexual assault. When Fink was hired, she immediately began overhauling the company’s
institutional culture. “There have been bad things that have happened here, and they’ve been called out,” she says. “And the folks who have stayed are carrying the weight. We’re trying to figure out which resources are necessary and which tools we make available to better investigate how we treat each other.”
Katie Liberman ’13, SOM ’13 is also thinking about how artists are treated. As the Executive Director of Rhode Island’s Trinity Rep, she’s been safeguarding the Rep’s resident company. It’s a rare thing to have local artists who are guaranteed a certain number of contracts every year, and it would’ve been easy to cut the program as a cost-saving measure.
Liberman and her colleagues weren’t willing to do that. “The resident artistic company is a core value for the organization,” she says. “There’s something very special in this community about having artists
Tarell Alvin McCraney ’07 (Faculty). Photo by Erik Carter. 11
Rachel Fink ’00
12
Shaunda Miles McDill ’04. Photo by Asia Margo.
Katie Liberman ’13, SOM ’13 in front of Trinity Rep.
here, so that our audiences can bump into them at the grocery store. We’re trying to make sure we have artists who can still work as artists, knowing there’s been a real brain drain in our industry after Covid. We can’t lose all that talent.”
She adds that Trinity Rep has “doubled down” on supporting its resident company and that a plan is developing to ensure it will never be eliminated.
As the Artistic Director of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, Tarell Alvin McCraney ’07 (Faculty) is considering how the work at his theater can help artists create what he calls a “supportive kinship” with each other. He advocates for replacing the traditional notion of a work ethic with what the theorist bell hooks described as “a love ethic.” He explains, “If you’re joining me as an artist, then I am committed to nurturing your growth. I want your change to happen in a spiritual, molecular way so that you can grow towards the aspirational part of yourself.”
He adds that achieving a love ethic means we can’t see theater as a grind, where artists simply crank out one production after another. “If I’m thinking about the next production, if I’m already working on the next production, then how can I be present for what is happening night after night? It’s like the acting adage, ‘If you’re already thinking about the next line, you’re not actually in the moment.’”
McCraney continues, “We’ve drifted away from being present not because we’re bad people and not because we’re bad at what we do, but because the economy of what we did deemed it necessary. Now that’s been disrupted, and rather than cry doomsday, we should cry freedom.”
“If you’re joining me as an artist, then I am committed to nurturing your growth. I want your change to happen in a spiritual, molecular way so that you can grow towards the aspirational part of yourself.”
—Tarell Alvin McCraney ’07 (Faculty)
Arm in Arm
But as much they’re rethinking their buildings, their subscription models, and their human resources, the leaders I interviewed are also rethinking their approach to partnerships. It’s the one subject they all mentioned when they talked about the future. Nobody, it seems, expects to survive this moment on their own.
“I feel that my generation of theater leaders, both artistic and management, tends to be more collaborative in that we play in each other’s sandboxes more,” says Pressman. “That feels so essential as we move through difficult times.”
The Pittsburgh Public, for instance, has invited the locally beloved New Horizon Theater to produce in its building. “They can remain uniquely themselves,” says McDill. “I don’t take their box office. I don’t want their lists. I just want their people to come into the Public.”
Similarly, the WACO Theater Center in Los Angeles may not be doing many traditional productions, but it’s made its space available to plenty of artists for multi-week residencies. “Some artists have been able to pull off a full performance,” says Executive Director Shay Wafer ’89. “I’ve been
amazed.”
The residencies have allowed WACO to continue its mission, even when resources are tight. Wafer says, “We know how to do this. Smaller and mid-size organizations have always been under-resourced. We say, ‘What can we do? And who can we do it with? Can we put our pennies together and get this done?’ And most of the time, we find a way.”
Meanwhile, David Bruin ’16, DFA ’21 says theaters offer value to non-artistic partners simply by being theaters. As the Executive Artistic Director of the Celebration Barn, a center for physical theater training and performance in rural Maine, he’s leveraging the allure of the arts to work with community groups of all sorts. “There are other organizations in our area that have earned the trust and attention of their community,” he explains. “Sometimes, our invitation is, ‘Hey, bring your community here to our space.’ What’s great about theater is that it has the sense of event—the sense of a special, framed moment. A theater can focus attention in a way that’s much more difficult in
“I feel that my generation of theater leaders, both artistic and management, tends to be more collaborative in that we play in each other’s sandboxes more. That feels so essential as we move through difficult times.”
—Meghan Pressman ’10, SOM ’10
non-theatrical spaces.”
Ethan Heard ’13, YC ’07, Associate Artistic Director of Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, has also witnessed his company’s power to make a partner feel appreciated. During a recent production of Pacific Overtures, he sought input from a Kabuki expert, a taiko drummer, and a fight director experienced with samurai swords. The taiko drummer got so invested that he not only devised drumming content for the show but also staged a special lobby performance for opening night. Heard cultivated a similar relationship with a local troupe of Chinese Lion Dancers, who contributed to a production of Lauren Yee’s King of the Yees. Like the taiko drummer, they performed on opening night, and they even created specialty props for the event.
“These groups bonded with us in a very special way,” Heard says. “And it was a way for me to step up. The pandemic experience really made me own this responsibility and this joyful work of building groups and fostering respectful collaborations.”
Note that Heard describes the work as “joyful.” Shay Wafer likewise says her core belief in the arts—that they are “a mechanism for creating change”—is as strong as ever. Katie Liberman adds, “Things are hard out there. Things are hard in here But every day we still get to go work for a theater. The reason to do it has not changed.”
To put it another way, every other innovation in the field ultimately rests on our collective decision to keep going. “I keep thinking about this,” says McDill. “I’ve been thinking, ‘Are you going to stand by and watch, or are you going to go inside and help mold this moment, when the American theater has the opportunity to evolve?’ Personally, I want to go inside.”
14
Shay Wafer ’89 at Black Women on the Rise Film Festival.
15
Matthew Gardiner, Ethan Heard ’13, YC ’07, and Anika Chapin.
16
David Bruin ’16. Photo by Ezrah Churchill.
DAVID
Waiting
Wings
Since the pandemic, understudies have saved countless shows, going on with mere minutes’ notice, sometimes in clothes that don’t fit, occasionally without a full rehearsal, and often for a disappointed audience who came to see a “star.” These artists rely on their training and lots of hard work to turn in a performance functionally identical to that of the performer they are covering. And because they don’t know whether or when they’ll go on again, they may experience the elation of opening and the bittersweetness of closing all at once.
Brontë England-Nelson ’17 in the James Earl Jones Theatre.
DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL
A rite of passage in the acting program at the School of Drama is understudying at Yale Repertory Theatre, where students observe professional actors who range from roughly their age to decades older. No two understudying experiences are alike, but they provide a critical opportunity to train in a professional theater setting. When actors graduate, many of them land Broadway understudy gigs. I had the pleasure of speaking to nine such alumni. For some, the work was extremely rewarding; for others, somewhat less so. But common themes emerged from our conversations: the thrill of performing on Broadway, the humility required to take a creative timeout in order to serve the play, the joy of having a steady job that at times feels easy, and the uncanny sensation of wearing someone else’s pants, metaphorically and sometimes literally.
The pandemic made the importance of understudies clearer than ever. Waves of illness meant “if” was replaced by “when.” During the run of To Kill a Mockingbird, understudies managed to keep the show afloat despite regular Covid-19 spikes. Baize Buzan ’17 understudied Scout in Mockingbird, and, despite various forms of pandemic-related delay and heartbreak, used the word “magical” to describe her experience. Her track meant she had been on stage as part of the ensemble for months, so, when she went on during the primary actor’s planned vacation week, she felt the thrill of “having pulled the slingshot back for so long and then letting it loose.” The company felt like family at that point, and meeting them onstage in that role, “was just a lovefest.” She eventually took over the part and felt the freedom of autonomous creative work in a project with which she was deeply familiar.
Rosalyn Coleman Williams ’90 also understudied To Kill a Mockingbird, and, because of Covid, went on with every single actor who played Atticus. Rosalyn has taken on many Broadway understudy roles in her career: “it’s fun, it’s easy—I live in the neighborhood,” she said with a laugh. Most recently, she understudied for The Piano
Christopher Ryan Grant ’08 backstage at The Thanksgiving Play.
The understudy play slip for Good Night, Oscar with Max Roll ’13.
Rosalyn Coleman Williams ’90 backstage at The Piano Lesson.
Lesson, a play with which she has a long history: she covered the Rep production in her first year at the School, “hand-writing August Wilson’s line changes into [her] script.” She then joined the Broadway cast when she graduated, followed by the national tour and eventually the TV movie, which also featured alumni Charles S. Dutton ’83 and Courtney B. Vance ’86. When I asked what it was like to understudy a play she knew so well, Roz reflected on understudying itself. She noted that acting is “a delight,” even if just during understudy rehearsal, and mentioned something echoed by many others: once you’ve learned the part or parts,
These artists rely on their training and lots of hard work to turn in a performance functionally identical to that of the performer they are covering.
the work becomes second nature, and you are recognized for your ability to step in and save the day. When it’s a good play and the company is great, what could be better?
Several actors mentioned the importance of the company dynamic. Christopher Ryan Grant ’08 most recently understudied two tracks in the Broadway production of The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa FastHorse. For that project, understudies were present from the beginning, and the rehearsal room ethos was “the best idea wins.” This stood in contrast to a past
DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL
experience of his. For that project, understudies were not invited into the room and were functionally siloed until they were needed to go on. In Christopher’s case, this was in the middle of a show. He recalls being paged from the green room, and while random, un-fitted costume pieces were thrust upon him, he found himself saying: “Stop, stop, stop! Who am I going on for?” The question was necessary because he was covering not one, not two, but five different tracks, and he hadn’t yet had a rehearsal. He managed it anyway.
Covering many roles is only one of the anxietyinducing feats an actor may be asked to perform. For Good Night, Oscar, Max Roll ’13 noted that the job was “unlike any other challenge” because he had to perfect Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” which the title character plays at the climax of the show. In addition to learning lines and blocking, Max rehearsed the iconic piano piece
Making it through the performance [w]as a “dream coming true, in the sense that you have an imaginary thought, and then you watch as it literally plays out.”
—Brontë England-Nelson ’17
over and over again. Although he has a classical music background, he was also balancing work in another production, so he was sometimes “practicing Gershwin until one or two in the morning.” On the night he went on, he felt the anxiety and ultimate elation of playing a canonical work on a Steinway piano in a Broadway
05
Brontë England-Nelson ’17 signing playbills for The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.
06
Elizabeth Stahlmann ’17 and Jonathan Higginbotham ’17 backstage at Slave Play.
07 Elizabeth Stahlmann ’17
08
The understudy play slip for Fat Ham with Matthew Elijah Webb ’22.
09
Matthew Elijah Webb ’22
house—quite apart, of course, from performing the title role for which the principal actor, Sean Hayes, won a Tony Award.
Preparation takes many forms. Brontë EnglandNelson ’17 set up a mock stage with stand-in set pieces and props in order to hold a one-woman run-through during each performance of The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window. She received advance warning of the date she would go on and had enough time to alert her friends and family. They showed up in force to celebrate her Broadway debut, and afterwards, her brother accidentally referred to the high stakes event as Brontë’s “wedding day.” The slip resonated with her: intense preparation, anxiety, and expectation culminating in a major event in the presence of loved ones. She described making it through the performance as a “dream coming true, in the sense that you have an imaginary thought, and then you watch as it literally plays out.”
Despite the rewards that can come with understudying, nearly everyone I spoke to reiterated, albeit graciously, how hard it can be to sit on the sidelines while others play. Matthew Elijah Webb ’22 understudied Fat Ham and noted the “difficulty of finding agency or autonomy in [his] artistry in light of the form that had to be followed.” Ultimately, he discovered ways of “keeping the form, but finding freedom within the form.”
Elizabeth Stahlmann ’17 noted the challenge of squaring her instincts with those of the originating performer and found creative room by acknowledging that the same performance would necessarily be different when performed by a different body. During the run of Slave Play by Jeremy O. Harris ’19, she recalls listening to her track over the green room monitor until she could “karaoke” the rhythms of the principal performer, singing it “like the original, but in [her] own voice.” She noted that the work required her to justify another actor’s choices, and she was able to expand her “instinctual skillset” to include those foreign impulses, which ultimately became part of her acting toolbox.
When we spoke, Abigail C. Onwunali ’23 was in the middle of understudying three performers in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, for which she learned five characters-worth of lines, blocking, accents, timing, and quick changes. She acknowledged this was “crazy,” but also noted, “I’m learning how to trust myself, to believe that the lines and the blocking are there, and that I will be able to do it all when the stage lights hit.” Like her fellow alumni, she acknowledged how fun the job was, but
“I’m learning how to trust myself, to believe that the lines and the blocking are there, and that I will be able to do it all when the stage lights hit.” —Abigail C. Onwunali ’23
also how difficult, and shared that she thought of understudying as a “sabbatical from acting” since the work is so much about understanding and expressing the thought process and choices of another actor. Abigail also mentioned that she’d been referring to understudies as “off-stage actors” instead of understudies to represent the abilities of the talented people backstage more accurately. For her part, she’s been putting her time off-stage to excellent use, taking her acting sabbatical as an opportunity to work on a play of her own.
There was general agreement that respect for understudies is somewhat lacking, not just by production teams who don’t always provide sufficient resources, but also by audiences, who may feel deprived
Brandon E. Burton ’20
Abigail C. Onwunali ’23
Photo by Bruce Glikas.
I’d love to see the elevation of the understudy.
—Brandon E. Burton ’20
of the primary actor’s performance. Brandon E. Burton ’20, who most recently followed one understudying gig at Shakespeare in the Park with another in Death of a Salesman on Broadway, identified the phenomenon of “understudies [having] a weird cultural rap” as performers who are apprentices or intraining. Brandon noted that understudies are neither: like these DGSD acting grads, many have advanced degrees and are excellent actors in their own right, often required to work harder than the primary cast thanks to covering multiple roles. Brandon has “loved watching fellow understudies’ stars rise,” and knows that his experience will inform how he treats understudies of his own. He also feels that a cultural shift is possible, and he is eager to see greater respect for understudies from both theatermakers and audiences alike: “I’d love to see the elevation of the understudy.”
At some point in every interview, I asked “would you do it again?” A few people said definitely yes, a few said definitely no, and the remainder said perhaps, but they’d need a break first. For the latter two camps, the perks— including paychecks and the possibility of going on— don’t always outweigh the hardest part: putting the health of the production before the personal desire to invent and explore. Recognition of their work and their service to the show is a first step to giving understudies the attention they deserve. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the slip of paper in the program announcing the understudy also read: You’re about to see a multi-talented performer slip into another actor’s choices, make them their own, and deliver an indelible performance. The show must go on! And thanks to them, it will.
Robert Brustein:
Leader of
the Revolt
A rebellion helped Robert Brustein become dean.
Not long before he assumed the reins at Yale School of Drama in 1966, nearly its entire student body sent a petition to Kingman Brewster, Jr., then the University’s president, insisting the School overhaul its training. At the time, students were taught to lose their accents or to write up index cards summarizing the Broadway season’s biggest hits, but they weren’t often asked to push themselves.
Robert Brustein ’51, MAH ’66 (Former Dean), who passed away last October at the age of 96, escaped this fug himself when he dropped out
of the School in 1949, after just one year. Shortly thereafter, he became a high-profile drama critic who distilled his aesthetic in a book called The Theatre of Revolt, and he later joked that the title alone was good enough to get him the job as dean at Yale. When Brewster appointed him, he gave his new dean the freedom to make sweeping changes. Brustein grabbed the broom with both hands. “I knew we would have to do more with students than simply teach them their craft,” Brustein later wrote. “Some sort of spiritual regeneration would have to take place as well.”
Brustein wanted that rebirth to mirror his own philosophy. In a letter to The New York Times, he explained, “In the final analysis, our theatre exists for its animating idea which (hopefully) arches beyond the individual satisfactions of the performer, the career of the playwright, or the entertainment of the audience: The search for a theatrical art which has poetry, imagination, and intelligence as its central values, and that speaks to us truly of our current hopes and afflictions.”
In 1966 this was a radical notion for a drama school. “That’s partly
Robert Brustein ’51, MAH ’66 (Former Dean). Photo by Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images.
“Bob insisted that anything he produced in the School would not be a tryout for Broadway. That was a very specific desire on his part, to be the anti-Broadway.”
—Gordon Rogoff YC ‘52 (Faculty Emeritus)
what happens when you hire a theater critic to be dean,” said Gordon Rogoff YC ’52 (Professor Emeritus), one of the first people Brustein appointed to the faculty. “Bob insisted that anything he produced in the School would not be a tryout for Broadway. That was a very specific desire on his part, to be the anti-Broadway.” (Rogoff was interviewed for this piece shortly before he passed away in January 2024.)
Brustein’s vision included more than a school: He also founded Yale Rep, with the University’s money funding professional productions while the Rep’s artists worked with the students. Again, this was a bold idea. “He is the person responsible for the professionalization of the Drama School faculty,” says James Bundy ’95 (Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean). “Now the notion of practice is embedded in our faculty recruitment, but before Bob came, it wasn’t something people were thinking about.”
The new order caused one controversy after another. In his first season, Brustein invited Philadelphia’s Theatre of Living Arts to stage their production of
Endgame, which included the actors playing Ham and Clov making masturbatory gestures at the audience. A few months later, he asked the Open Theater to stage Viet Rock, an anti-Vietnam rock musical that laid the groundwork for Hair. Audiences, faculty, and critics were divided. “There was a general impression that we were bringing on an avant garde holocaust,” Brustein wrote.
But that was just the prologue to 1968, when Judith Malina and Julian Beck brought The Living Theatre to campus. Their time in residence culminated with Paradise Now, a semi-improvised protest piece that included a segment in which the performers stripped off their clothes and lit up joints while declaring those things were illegal. They encouraged the audience to follow suit, and then they urged the half-naked crowd to run through the streets. That led to multiple arrests for indecent exposure.
“When the visit of The Living Theatre was over, some of us took our first deep breath in weeks,” Brustein wrote. He also wondered if the work was all that good, or if the group’s methods were a form of authoritarian mind control disguised
01
Robert Brustein ’51, MAH ’66 and his wife, Doreen Beinart.
as liberation. That sparked arguments, not only with the artists, but also with faculty and students. Just two years after he arrived, one professor called him “the enemy of the new.”
It’s striking to consider that for all his zeal and idealism, Brustein also had colleagues who felt he wasn’t radical enough, that he was a stodgy old-timer. While that speaks to the general volatility of the ’60s and ’70s, it also underlines that Brustein got what he wanted—a school and a theatre where ideas felt urgent.
Even when it provoked outrage, Brustein’s commitment was contagious. “People in the theatre respond to passion,” says Rocco Landesman ’76 (Former Faculty),
who was both a student and a teacher under Brustein. “And when someone like Bob comes along, whose commitment is obviously authentic, he’s going to make you pay attention. He’s going to make you react.”
That passion certainly attracted students. “Bob is the reason I came to Yale,” says Charles Turner ’70, who studied acting and eventually joined the Yale Rep company. “I read his articles, and I was inspired. And the people he brought in to teach— what amazing people. It was a great place to spring forth as an artist.”
Carmen de Lavallade DFAH ’19 (Former Faculty) immediately reacted to the intellectual rigor on campus. A celebrated dancer and
choreographer, she had been hired by Brustein to perform at the Rep and teach acting at the School. “Because I was there, my dancing got better,” she says. “I can remember I was amazed that all the actors, when they went through a script, would ask questions. In dance you’re usually told what you’re going to do. You’re not encouraged to ask why. But the actors would bring up so many interesting things about the script. And when I went back to my dancing as a soloist, my work got richer, because in my head I knew why I was doing what I was doing. Bob encouraged that kind of thinking.”
Meryl Streep ’75, DFAH ’83 was also shaped by Brustein’s standards. She recalls, “Bob’s idea was that a play written in any time period can be, and should be, revived, but only if the air blown into its lungs, the current that restarts its heartbeat, is pulled from the present moment. He felt there had to be a reason, within the living context in which it finds itself, for any play from the past to speak to the day. Otherwise, we are just polishing relics, and the provocative role of theater is mummified.”
She continues, “It was a rigorous doctrine, and it excluded many plays
that we all might have been very happy doing if we’d had any idea of how to point up meaningful resonances and line up the connection with our own lives that felt urgent and real. This was my translation of the ideas he raised at school—and might be wildly misconstrued by me!—but it turned out to be valuable nonetheless. ‘No more masterpieces,’ he declared, and it has resounded in my awareness of the exigencies of art all my life.” Really, this might be the most important part of Brustein’s legacy. Yes, he restructured the Drama
School and founded the Rep. Yes, he went on to found the American Repertory Theater at Harvard. But those were the outcomes. The animating principle was the belief that one should strive for the theater of one’s imagination. Never mind that it doesn’t always work. Never mind that Brustein had enemies and arguments, or that, as Landesman noted in a piece for American Theatre, he could be “exasperating” and “thin-skinned.” Never mind that as his time at Yale went on, he himself lamented “the consequences of putting an ideal into action.” The
point is that the ideal was always there. As Streep notes, “Robert Brustein possessed an antic intellect. [He] stayed young and improbably optimistic all his life in his conception of what theater needed to and could be.”
Consider his landmark debate with August Wilson, which was hosted by TCG at New York City’s Town Hall in 1997. For months the two men had argued via magazine articles about the need for authenticity and representation on stage, particularly with regard to race, and their disagreements culminated in a conversation that everyone in the industry wanted to attend. “There was a sense that it was something really important,” says Fran Kumin ’77 (Former Faculty), who was working for TCG at the time. “People were really curious about how the two of them were going to communicate.”
They communicated like the intellectuals they were. Their arguments are too complex to shorthand here, but it’s worth listening to the recording of the event on NPR’s website. No matter how we feel about their statements, we can surely appreciate that both Brustein and Wilson were hurling themselves
“Robert Brustein possessed an antic intellect. [He] stayed young and improbably optimistic all his life in his conception of what theater needed to and could be.” —Meryl Streep ’75, DFAH ’83
at the debate with everything they’ve got. Kumin is right: It sounds like something important. In our current era, when the theater attracts so much negative press about its impending obsolescence, it’s bracing to encounter this kind of gusto. When these two speak, the necessity of art is taken as a given.
Yet for all his fire and conviction, Brustein also leaves a legacy of compassion. Charles Turner recalls that he could be quite gentle, calling him “a dean you could talk to.” To that end, James Bundy ‘95 (Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean) was only 17 when he spoke to Brustein on the phone, asking whether he should attend a liberal arts college or go to an acting conservatory. Brustein told him to run toward the liberal arts, since so many interesting artists have a great education. “That’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received,” Bundy says.
Often, Brustein’s interest in his students helped launch their careers. When Fran Kumin was a student, he saw her potential and invited her to be a casting director for Yale Rep. She went on to cast dozens of major productions, including several by August Wilson. He asked Rob Orchard ’72 to become Managing
Director of Yale Rep just a few years after he graduated from the School and that led to decades of close collaboration. “Usually, these partnerships are with people of the same generation, people who come from common sensibilities,” Orchard says. “But he didn’t want that. He wanted to work alongside a younger generation. I think that that was in his nature as a teacher.”
In American Theatre Landesman wrote that Brustein’s “saving grace was the charm. When he wasn’t despairing for the end of enlightened civilization, he was funny, generous, and warm. And always fiercely loyal. In some strange alchemy, that signature indignation was not just righteous, it was also exuberant. Bob was one of the happiest people I have known.” That’s partly what inspired Landesman to co-found a scholarship at the Drama School in Brustein’s name. “I felt very indebted to him,” he says. “I’ve tried my best to bring Bob’s ideals into everything I’ve done.”
Perhaps we all have. Anyone who leaves the School trying to make art that matters is extending the rebellion that Robert Brustein fomented so well.
02
Robert Brustein ’51, MAH ’66 receives the 2010 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama.
2023 NEW YORK ALUMNI PARTY
01
Riw Rakkulchon ’19, Kim Powers ’84, Alexander Woodward ’16, and Mary Louise Geiger ’85
02
Melvin James Anderson ’24, Jordan Mahome ’05, Tyler Cruz ’23, Jacob Santos ’24, and Doug Robinson ’24
03
Stephanie Bahniuk ’20, Evan Anderson ’20, Alicia J. Austin ’20, Marcelo Martínez García ’23, and 邱嘉皓 Jiahao Neil Qiu ’23
04
James Bundy ’95 (Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean) and Joan Channick ’89 (Faculty), recipient of the 2023-24 DGSD Phyllis Warfel Award.
Miguel Angel Lopez ’24, Rob Chikar ’14, Eugenio Sáenz Flores ’24, Carolynn Richer ’14, and Nicole Marconi ’13
Carla L. Jackson ’99 (Assistant Dean), Michael Field ’02, Pun Bandhu ’01 (Board of Advisors), and Elena Maltese ’03 07
Ricardo Morris ’97, Liza Vest ’97, and Chris Jennings ’97 08
Art Priromprintr ’11 and Stephanie Rolland ’15
Bookshelf
01
Adrienne Kennedy: Collected Plays & Other Writings, edited by Marc Robinson ’90, DFA ’92 Library of America, 2023
02
African American Perspectives in Musical Theatre by Eric M. Glover (Faculty) Methuen Drama, 2023
03
Being Henry: The Fonz…and Beyond by Henry Winkler ’70 Celadon Books, 2023
04
Betty Friedan: Magnificent Disrupter by Rachel Shteir ’90
Yale University Press, 2023
05
Courtroom Dramas on the Stage Vol. 1 by Amnon Kabatchnik ’57
BearManor Media, 2023
06
Greasepaint Puritan: Boston to 42nd Street in the Queer Backstage Novels of Bradford Ropes by Maya Cantu ’10 University of Michigan Press, 2024
07
Image Breaker by Mark E. Leib ’80 Vine Leaves Press, 2023
08
Introduction to Show Control: Connecting Entertainment Control Systems for Live Shows by John Huntington ’90 Zircon Designs Press, 2023
09
What is Lighting Design? A Genealogy of People and Ideas by Michael Chybowski ’87 Focal Press, 2024
DAVID
Graduation
CLASS OF 2023
Congratulations to our newest alumni — the Class of 2023!
Master of Fine Arts/ Certificate in Drama
acting
Malachi dré Beasley
Tyler Cruz
Olivia Cygan
Samuel DeMuria
Shimali De Silva
Patrick Falcón
Anthony Grace
Tavia Hunt
Rebecca Kent
Mihir Kumar
Maggie McCaffery
Abigail C. Onwunali
Nomè SiDone
Kayodè Soyemi
Isuri Wijesundara
yao
design
Kyle J. Artone
Kitty Cassetti
Travis Chinick
Emmie Finckel
Aidan Griffiths
KIMKIM
Marcelo Martínez García
邱嘉皓 Jiahao (Neil) Qiu
Evdoxia Ragkou
Cat Raynor
Henry Rodriguez
Bryn Scharenberg
Hannah Tran
Miguel Urbino
Graham Zellers
directing Jacob Basri
James L. Fleming
Leyla Levi
dramaturgy and dramatic criticism
Lily Haje
Madeline Pages
Nicholas Ruizorvis
Ashley M. Thomas
Faith Zamblé
playwriting
a.k. payne
Esperanza Rosales Balcárcel
Rudi Goblen
stage management
Aisling Galvin
Andrew Petrick
Samantha Tirrell
technical design & production
Nate Angrick
Megan Birdsong
Joe Hsun Chiang
Mia Sara Haiman
Sky Pang
Andrew Riedemann
Jen Seleznow
theater management
Jason Gray
Sarah Scafidi
Matthew Sonnenfeld
doctor of fine arts
Michael Breslin
Lauren Dubowski
technical internship certificate
Bennet Goldberg
Saida Joshua-Smith
Xi (Zoey) Lin
Jasmine Moore
Erin Sims
01 (left to right) Jacob Basri ’23, Rebecca Kent ’23, Shimali De Silva ’23, Maggie McCaffery ’23, Tavia Hunt ’23, and Olivia Cygan ’23
Graduation
02
GRADUATION PRIZES
Prizes are given each year as designated by the faculty.
ASCAP Cole Porter Prize
a.k. payne ’23, YC ’19
Edward C. Cole Memorial Award
Andrew Riedemann ’23
Carol Finch Dye Prize
Olivia Cygan ’23
John W. Gassner Memorial Prize
Gabrielle Hoyt ’24, YC ’15
The Bert Gruver Memorial Prize
Aisling Galvin ’23
Andrew Petrick ’23
Allen M. and Hildred L.
Harvey Prize
Jen Seleznow ’18
Alan Hendrickson Prize
Andrew Riedemann ’23
Morris J. Kaplan Prize
Sarah Scafidi ’23, SOM ’23
Julian Milton Kaufman
Memorial Prize
Jacob Basri ’23
Jay Keene and Jean GriffinKeene Prize for Costume
Design
Travis Chinick ’23
Leo Lerman Graduate Fellowship in Design
Kyle J. Artone ’23
Kitty Cassetti ’23
Aidan Griffiths ’23
Dexter Wood Luke Memorial Prize
Ashley M. Thomas ’23
Donald and Zorka Oenslager Fellowship
Emmie Finckel ’23
Pierre-André Salim Prize
Abigail C. Onwunali ’23
Bronislaw “Ben” Sammler Mentorship Award
Andrew Riedemann ’23
The Frieda Shaw, Dr. Diana Mason, OBE, and Denise Suttor Prize for Sound Design
Evdoxia Ragkou ’23
Bryn Scharenberg ’23
Oliver Thorndike Acting Award
Nomè SiDone ’23
George C. White Prize
Jason Gray ’23, SOM ’23
Herschel Williams Prize
Abigail C. Onwunali ’23
02
Kayodè Soyemi ’23
Graduation
FELLOWSHIPS & SCHOLARSHIPS
The recipients for the 2023–2024 academic year were:
Nina Adams and Moreson
Kaplan Scholarship
Cindy De La Cruz ’25
John M. Badham Scholarship
Bobbin Ramsey ’24
John Badham Scholarship in Directing
Juliana Morales Carreño ’25
Mark Bailey Scholarship
Hannah Fennell Gellman ’24
George Pierce Baker Memorial Scholarship
Gabrielle Hoyt ’24, YC ’15
Abraham E.S. Rebollo-Trujillo ’26
Tia Smith ’26
Herbert H. and Patricia M. Brodkin Scholarship
Gretta Marston ’26
Patricia M. Brodkin Memorial Scholarship
Chloe Xiaonan Liu ’24
Charlie Lovejoy ’24
Robert Brustein Scholarship
Sophia Carey ’25
Paul Carter Scholarship
Cian Jasper Freeman ’25
Ciriello Family Scholarship
Kino Alvarez ’25
Class of 1979 and Friends Scholarship
Jason Dixon ’24
August Coppola Scholarship
Anne Ciarlone ’25
Caris Corfman Scholarship
Rosie Donoghue ’26
Cheryl Crawford Scholarship
Doug Robinson ’24
Edgar and Louise Cullman Scholarship
Andreas Andreou ’26
Cullman Scholarship in Directing
Garrett Allen ’24
Kemar Jewel ’25
Destyne Miller ’26
deVeer Family Drama
Scholarship Fund
Tré Scott ’25
Richard H. Diggs ’30 Scholarship
Cameron Waitkun ’24
Holmes Easley Scholarship
Charles T. Meier ’24
Anthony Robles ’26
Eldon Elder Fellowship
Constanza Etchechury López ’25
Constant Dzah ’26
Cathy Ho ’26
Yun Wu ’26
Elihu Scholarship at David Geffen School of Drama
Tojo Rasedoara ’25
Wesley Fata Scholarship
Ariyan Kurmaly Kassam ’25
Foster Family Graduate Scholarship
Stefani Kuo 郭佳怡 ’24, YC ’17
Gabrielle Hoyt ’24, YC ’15
Dino Fusco and Anita Pamintuan Fusco Scholarship
Messiah Cristine ’25
Annie G. K. Garland Memorial Scholarship
Adam Taylor Foster ’25
Earle R. Gister Scholarship
Lucas Iverson ’24
Randolph Goodman Scholarship
Doaa Ouf ’25
Stephen R. Grecco ’70 Scholarship
Matthew Chong ’26
Jermone L. Greene Scholarship
Giovanna Drummond ’24
Malik James ’24
Janiah-Camile François ’24
Max Monnig ’24
Rebeca Robles ’24
Julie Harris Scholarship
Amelia Windom ’24
Stephen J. Hoffman ’64 Scholarship
Nic Benavides ’24
Sally Horchow Scholarship for David Geffen School of Drama Actors
Lawrence Henry ’25
William and Sarah Hyman Scholarship
Yung-Hung Sung 宋永鴻 ’25
Geoffrey Ashton Johnson/ Noël Coward Scholarship
Samuel Douglas ’24
Pamela Jordan Scholarship
Sufiyan Farmer ’24
Stanley Kauffmann Scholarship
Karoline Vielemeyer ’25
Slyvia Fine Kaye Scholarship
Amrith Jayan ’26
Jay and Rhonda Keene Scholarship for Costume Design
Risa Ando ’24
Ray Klausen Design Scholarship
Forest Entsminger ’24
Gordon F. Knight Scholarship
Emilee Biles ’26
Sam Skynner ’24
Ming Cho Lee Scholarship
Lia Tubiana ’24
Lotte Lenya Scholarship
Karl Green ’24
Helene A. Lindstrom Scholarship
Lauren F. Walker ’25
Victor S. Lindstrom Scholarship
John Simone ’25
Frederick Loewe Scholarship
Juice Mackins ’26
Frederick Loewe Scholarship for Directors in Honor of Floria V. Lasky
Sammy Zeisel ’24
Lord Memorial Scholarship
Natalie King ’24
Edward A. Martenson Scholarship
Samanta Cubias ’24, SOM ’24
Virginia Brown Martin Scholarship
Tyler Lahren ’26
Stanley R. McCandless Scholarship
Gib Gibney ’26
Yichen Zhou ’24
Alfred L. McDougal and Nancy Lauter McDougal Endowed Scholarship
Omid Akbari ’24
Karen Killeen ’24
Graduation
Benjamin Mordecai Memorial Scholarship in Theater Management
Annabel Guevara ’24
Tom Moore Scholarship
Mike Winch ’24
Kenneth D. Moxley Memorial Scholarship
Ro Burnett ’24
Alois M. Nagler Scholarship
Austin Riffelmacher ’25
G. Charles Niemeyer Scholarship
Lily Haje ’23
Nick Ruizorvis ’23
Victoria Nolan Scholarship
Jacob Santos ’24
Dwight Richard Odle
Scholarship
Kim Zhou ’24
Donald M. Oenslager
Scholarship in Stage Design
Patti Panyakaew ’25
Suzu Sakai ’24
Donald and Zorka Oenslager
Scholarship in Stage Design
KT Farmer ’25
John Horzen ’24
Yu-Jung Shen 沈毓融 ’24
Kristen Taylor ’26
Eugene O’Neill Memorial Scholarship
Stefani Kuo 郭佳怡 ’24, YC ’17
Mary Jean Parson
Scholarship
Alexis Kulani Woodard ’25
Raymond Plank Scholarship in Drama
Hope Ding ’25
Alan Poul Scholarship
Jasmine Brooks ’26
Jeff and Pam Rank Scholarship
Sydney Raine Garick ’24, YC ’18
Mark J. Richard Scholarship
ML Roberts ’25
Lloyd Richards Scholarship in Acting
Chinna Palmer ’25
Barbara E. Richter Scholarship
Nakia Shalice Avila ’24
Alexus Jade Coney ’24, YC ’20
Rodman Family Scholarship
Stan Mathabane ’24
Pierre-André Salim
Memorial Scholarship
Steph Lo ’26
Twaha Abdul Majeed ’25
Ankit Pandey ’25
03
a.k. payne ’23, YC ’19
Bronislaw “Ben” Sammler
Scholarship
Luke Tarnow-Bulatowicz ’24
Scholarship for Playwriting
Ida Cuttler ’25
Richard Harrison Senie Scholarship
Kiyoshi Shaw ’24
Arthur Wilson ’25
Daniel and Helene Sheehan Scholarship
Chloe Knight ’24
Eugene F. Shewmaker and Robert L. Hurten Scholarship Fund
Marlon Vargas ’25
Shubert Scholarships
Whitney Andrews ’24
Michael Allyn Crawford ’24
Caro Reyes Rivera ’24
Graduation
Howard Stein Scholarship comfort ifeoma katchy ’25
Taft Family Scholarship
Ellora Venkat ’25
Stephen B. Timbers Family Scholarship for Playwriting
Emily Breeze ’26
Jennifer Tipton Scholarship in Lighting DeCarolis ’24
Tisdale Family Scholarship
Jeremy Landes ’25
Frank Torok Scholarship
Aura Michelle ’25
Nancy and Edward Trach Scholarship
Augustine Lorrie ’24
Ron Van Lieu Scholarship
Hiêú Bùi ’26
Leon Brooks Walker Scholarship
Erik Robles ’26
Richard Ward Scholarship
Andrew Aaron Valdez ’25
Zelma Weisfield Scholarship for Costume Design
T.F. Dubois ’24
Constance Welch Memorial Scholarship
Mariah Copeland ’25
Henita Telo ’26
Rebecca West Scholarship
Nat Lopez ’24
Jahsiah Mussig ’25
Audrey Wood Scholarship Andrew Rincón ’26
David Geffen School of Drama at Yale Board of Advisors Scholarship Joe Krempetz ’24
Albert Zuckerman Scholarship Danielle Stagger ’24
Art of Giving Artists Abroad!
by Liz Diamond (Faculty)
01 Garrett Allen ’24, Karin Coonrod (Faculty), Liz Diamond (Faculty), Bobbin Ramsey ’24, Sammy Zeisel ’24, Jacob Basri ’23, James L. Fleming ’23, Yura Kordonsky (Faculty), and Leyla Levi ’23 at the Avignon Festival in Avignon, France. Photo by Ella Pennington.
In 2012, Special Research Fellow alumna Sonja Berggren ’13 (Board of Advisors) arrived at two milestones. As she cheerfully says, “I became a grad student and qualified for Medicare!” But age was no factor for this lifelong learner. As a Fellow in Directing, Sonja was indefatigably curious, playful, and creative; she embraced the role of student with gusto. There was nothing she wouldn’t try, no artistic problem she wouldn’t tackle. One evening, as her year of theatrical exploration with us was ending, Sonja and her husband, Patrick Seaver YC ’72, invited me to dinner and Sonja asked me what my biggest dream for our directing students might be. I replied that I wanted them to be able to share ideas and practices with
theatermakers from around the world, to feel at home beyond their own national borders. She smiled in her warmly supportive way, and we moved on to other topics. Little did I know that this brief conversation would inspire a transformative series of gifts to our program.
Over the past 10 years, a fund established by Sonja and Patrick has enabled us to bring theater artists from around the world to the Directing program, and, more recently, to take our directing students out into the world. Our first “Berggren Adventure,” as the students gratefully have named these trips, was to France, to the Avignon Festival in July 2022, where, for 10 days, our secondand third-year directors and three faculty members experienced one of the world’s largest gatherings of theater artists, attending performances every afternoon and evening on the mainstages of the Festival and throughout the medieval city. Students mingled at post-show discussions, in local cafes, and clubs. They made trips to ancient Roman theatres, regional museums, galleries, and other historical sites. Every morning the group met to discuss the previous day’s productions, and these conversations would extend for hours.
Our second destination in June 2023 was the famous Vienna Festwochen or “Festival Weeks,” which also features a global program of performances. DGSD directors spent 10 days seeing work from countries all over the world across the city. Students explored the streets, palaces, parks, museums, and cafés of Vienna, absorbing the complex history of this Middle European capital, its art, culture, and politics, and, thanks to the support of Festival organizers, met with student groups from other conservatories and universities. A committee of student directors is now planning this coming summer’s trip. Excitement is running high, and our gratitude to Sonja and Patrick knows no bounds.
Art of Giving
Sonja and Patrick’s visionary gift is making it possible for our student directors to experience the power of cross-cultural exchange to challenge one’s perspective, fuel the imagination, and deepen understanding and compassion. These journeys have also, and not incidentally, strengthened the bonds of trust and friendship among students and faculty, making our work together so much more meaningful. Above all, our students are seeing themselves and one another as part of a global community of artists, all in search of stories and ways to tell them that will resonate across borders.
Eichholz Foundation Endows Youth Programming at Yale Rep
by Maya Louise Shed ’25
WILL POWER! and the Dwight/Edgewood Project, the David Geffen School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theatre’s longstanding youth education outreach programs, are now assured a bright future thanks to a generous gift from the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation.
The Foundation, established in 2012, was founded by the family of Mercedes Eichholz, a lifelong patron of the arts, and her husband, Robert, an art collector, who believed that art education is necessary in helping people understand the world around them. Executive Director Alexa D. Suskin, Mercedes Eichholz’s granddaughter, and her husband, Marc Suskin YC ’01, are proud to carry on the Eichholz legacy by continuing to invest in the arts.
New Haven and Yale feel local to the Suskins. Marc was an undergraduate in Trumbull College and a member of two of Yale’s renowned a cappella groups—the Whiffenpoofs and the Spizzwinks(?).
“I chose Yale because of its vibrant arts scene, and throughout my time I was very involved in the arts,” Marc recalled. When the couple was looking for a project to support at Yale, they were impressed by Yale Rep’s community outreach, and wanted to learn more.
Through WILL POWER!, hundreds of middle and high school students from across the state come to Yale Rep to see live theater. Their experience is enhanced by Yale Rep-led workshops for their teachers, play-related study guides, and post-show discussions with cast and creative team members. The Dwight/Edgewood Project is a month-long summer playwriting program for eight New Haven middle school students. Through mentorship by DGSD students, these young playwrights write original works that are later presented in fully produced performances for an audience.
“The Rep and the School’s extraordinary commitment to provide access to the arts inspired us to make this gift. We wanted to support in perpetuity these important programs, which we see as strategic investments in the young people of New Haven and the surrounding areas,” Alexa said.
“We think theater is essential to American life and hope that this gift to Yale might inspire the next great American playwright,” Marc smiled.
02
Mercedes and Robert Eichholz
In Memoriam
David Biedny Lecturer in Design
David Biedny passed away in January 2024 while on leave from David Geffen School of Drama. He taught at the School for more than 15 years, joining the faculty the first year the projection design concentration was offered. David taught classes such as “Motion Graphics and Film Production” and “Advanced Media Production,” drawing upon his expertise as a multi-media artist who designed projects for General Motors, Apple, HBO, American Express, and others. He also served on the digital effects team for many films, including Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Hook, and Memoirs of an Invisible Man.
Joey Moro ’15 (Faculty) shares a memory of his colleague.
David Biedny: Dare to Be Different
If you happen to find a copy of the 1991 Industrial Light & Magic yearbook, among the
straightforward titles and unremarkable faces, you’ll find one with a difference: David Biedny (Faculty) with the job title “Digital Maniac.” That Maniac was the first to fix unfixable shots on Terminator 2, Hook, The Rocketeer, and others on the way to becoming a visual effects supervisor. That same problem solver was responsible for introducing a then-little-known piece of software
“He was concerned with exploring the unknown, and finding answers and possibilities where others could not.”
called “Photoshop” to a small company called “Adobe.” David later penned the first book on the software, “Photoshop Channel Chops,” a seminal volume on the philosophy and practice of visual effects compositing. It is so universal in its scope that over 30 years later it is still an important reference for visual effects artists.
That same face would later be found headlining Mac conferences, giving keynote addresses about computing philosophies, digital graphics, and future practices. His calling card action of throwing candy at his audience (a daring feat for someone with notoriously poor depth perception), transcended from major conferences in front of hundreds, to his successful one-man graphics studio business in NYC, to his true lasting passion, teaching. Regardless of the audience, the candy flowed freely.
01
David Biedny (Faculty)
In Memoriam
He was an outspoken believer in what was right no matter the size of the company. David had no problem personally going toe-to-toe with Steve Jobs at Pixar, and George Lucas at the Skywalker Ranch. David never flinched at authority. He was concerned with exploring the unknown, and finding answers and possibilities where others could not. This made him not only a truly unique thinker and creator, but an incredibly compassionate person. David dared to be unwaveringly himself, which is something few can claim.
As his students and colleagues all know, David was a man of many voices. Nearly every day, class might begin with a serenade of voices ranging from Jabba the Hut, to Ewoks and Looney Toons, and of course the fast-paced and heavily accented Caracas Spanish of his youth abroad. On the phone David could start with a cacophony of energy, then meander through several minutes of complete and utter gibberish before suddenly dropping into a mellow FM tenor, warmly waiting to help solve a problem, console you, or simply ponder the universe with you. To his college fraternity, he was the unstoppable “Animal,” to his radio audience he was the “Angry Human.” To countless of his students, he was an inspiration who forever changed their lives.
I only knew David as my teacher in the classroom at Yale, and I can do no justice to his full career in the movie industry, the birth of modern computing, his deep involvement with music, the guitar, art, the paranormal, and so much more. His presence in the classroom was respected by every student brave enough to listen. It didn’t matter if they were in projection, costume, lighting, set, theater management, or stage management, all were touched by his philosophy of knowing why something worked, not just how to use it. The spirit to dare to be different, to dare to be uniquely yourself, will travel with all of us and transcend this plane into the broader universe. Thank you, my friend—it’s time to throw some candy.
Peter Crombie Actor
Peter Crombie ’79, a veteran film and television actor, died on January 10, 2024, in Palm Springs, California. He was 71.
Crombie was perhaps best known for his portrayal of “Crazy” Joe Davola on the long-running TV sitcom Seinfeld. Joe Davola was Jerry Seinfeld’s nemesis in typically zany and hilarious plots over a handful of episodes from 1992 to 1993, including one that saw Crombie dressed as a creepy clown at a performance of Pagliacci. While Seinfeld and the show’s co-creator, Larry David, had conceived the character of Joe Davola, it was Crombie’s memorable performances, manic and menacing, that have made him a fan favorite.
A native of Chicago, Crombie received his MFA from the School of Drama in 1979. He appeared in the films Se7en, My Dog Skip, Rising Sun, Born on the Fourth of July, Natural Born Killers, Desperate Hours, and the remake of The Blob. Among his many television credits are the miniseries House of Frankenstein, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, L.A. Law, NYPD Blue, and Walker, Texas Ranger.
Peter’s ex-wife, Nadine Kijner, as well as many friends and colleagues paid tribute to him on social media as a gifted artist, immensely talented writer, and a kind, caring, and creative soul.
02
Peter Crombie ’79
02
In Memoriam
Michael Diamond Theater Professor
Michael Diamond ’90 (Former Faculty), a member of the David Geffen School of Drama Board of Advisors, died on July 13, 2023, after a brave, yearlong battle with esophageal cancer. He was 57. A graduate of Oxford University, where he produced and directed plays, Michael attended the Theater Management program at the School of Drama on the prestigious Harkness Fellowship, awarded by the Commonwealth Fund. He spoke eagerly and with great affection of his training at Yale: of having been inspired by colleagues, and particularly by his experience working on the plays of August Wilson with Ben Mordecai (Former Associate Dean) and Lloyd Richards MAH ’79 (Former Dean).
After working in development at Manhattan Theatre Club, Michael returned to the U.K. to earn an MBA at London Business School. Shortly thereafter, he embarked on a career of nearly 20 years at Time Warner, most recently as Senior Vice President and acting Chief Marketing Officer.
In 2005, Michael joined the Board of Advisors, providing thoughtful insight and guidance throughout his tenure. His forthright intellectual rigor was as energizing as his excitement about attending theater productions wherever his travels took him. Beginning in 2015 and through this past academic year, he taught in the DGSD Theater Management program, inspiring students and faculty colleagues.
From 2018, Michael was Assistant Professor of Integrated Marketing and Communications at NYU’s School of Professional Studies, where he also served as Academic Director, and where he was able to put his expertise at the service of his abiding belief in the transformative power of education for students and communities.
The loss of such a brilliant and generous man to our community is heartbreaking. Michael Diamond was someone who knew that theater can only thrive when people show up ready and able to share themselves authentically. He did much in his lifetime both to model that habit and to encourage it in others: may his memory be a blessing to us all.
Michael is survived by his wife, Amy Miller; children, Cordelia, Oliver, and Leo, whose adventures and accomplishments he celebrated so joyfully; parents, Angela and Tony; brother, Trevor, and sister, Judy. — James Bundy ’95 (Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean)
Leslie Michael Elliard
Actor
Leslie “Les” Elliard ’02, an actor who appeared widely in theater, film, and television productions since graduating from the School of Drama, died at his home in Los Angeles on July 15, 2023. He was 46.
Les Elliard was born in Indianapolis and raised in Detroit. He attended the city’s Cass Technical High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication and theater arts from the historically Black col-
03
Michael Diamond ’90 (Faculty)
Leslie “Les” Elliard ’02
In Memoriam
lege Dillard University in New Orleans. He received his MFA from DGSD in 2002. Among his Yale theater roles were Claudius in Hamlet, Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, and Dr. Gibbs in Our Town. He appeared in Yale Rep’s staging of Caryl Churchill’s Serious Money, directed by Jean Randich ’94, in 2002.
Les made his Broadway debut as Mufasa in The Lion King and appeared Off-Broadway in Crowns at Second Stage Theater. That Hollywood would recognize his talent for comedy would come as no surprise to Drama School classmates who knew him and had seen him perform. He was cast as Jimmy James in Showtimes’s Barbershop: The Series, the spin-off from the popular movie franchise. He also appeared in the films Allergic to Nuts with Vanessa Williams, Into the Fire, and Dorian Blues, and on television in The Wire (HBO), Law & Order (NBC), and the CBS drama Hack.
Elena Maltese ’03 remembered her contemporary and friend as singularly talented and yet extremely modest. “Leslie saw the best in classmates onstage and off, and always considered himself lucky to know us and witness our growth at Yale,” she said. “He was one of the best of us.”
Alan Eisenberg Professor of Theater Management
Alan Eisenberg, the former executive director of Actors’ Equity Association and member of the DGSD faculty, died on October 7, 2023, in Rhinebeck, NY. He was 88.
Eisenberg led Equity from 1981 to 2006, overseeing a period of growth in which membership increased by 60 percent and earnings for actors and stage managers more than doubled.
Raised in Brooklyn, Eisenberg graduated from the University of Michigan, where he majored in English, and earned a law degree from New York University. He served as a staff attorney for the National Labor Rela-
tions Board and as a senior partner at Spelman, Eisenberg, Paul and Wagner, a Washington, DC, firm that specialized in labor law, before joining Actors’ Equity in 1981.
During Eisenberg’s stewardship, earnings for Equity members rose from $119 million to $250 million. He was instrumental in obtaining domestic partnership benefits as part of Equity’s health care coverage, extending medical care to those in need during the HIV/AIDS crisis. When the union’s health plan faced a debt crisis, he negotiated for increased employer contributions, which improved its financial condition and secured its viability for future members.
Beyond Equity, Eisenberg served as vice president of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, chaired the Broadway Alliance, and was a member of the Tony Awards administration committee. He was also a volunteer mentor with Open Doors, the TDF program that introduces underserved New York City students to Broadway and Off-Broadway theater.
An inveterate theatergoer, Eisenberg rarely missed a Broadway show. He meticulously saved his Playbills, amassing an extensive collection, which was acquired by the University of Michigan for its theater department archives.
Eisenberg was a member of the School of Drama faculty from 1990 to 2006; his Theater Management classes were an integral part of School’s curriculum. He also taught at the University of Michigan, Brooklyn College, and Columbia University.
“Alan understood that the best way to teach and to lead was to get out of the way,” remembered Flora Stamatiades ’94, who studied with Eisenberg at DGSD and later worked with him at Actors’ Equity. “He was smart, funny, wise, and difficult—and one of the most caring men I’ve ever known. The entire theater industry is better for the work that he did, and the industry and I will miss him profoundly.”
Alan Eisenberg is survived by his wife, Claire Copley, and his daughters, Mollie and Emma.
Alan Eisenberg (Former Faculty)
In Memoriam
Wier Harman
Director
Wier Harman ’99, the former Executive Director of Town Hall Seattle, died on December 11, 2023. He was 57.
Harman joined Town Hall in 2005, and in his 17-year tenure oversaw its transformation into one of the country’s leading cultural institutions. He established Town Hall’s artist-in-residence program and its Saturday family concert series, and supported a full calendar of community-curated
events, including many focused on science, the environment, and civic engagement. He also orchestrated a $35.5 million renovation of Town Hall’s historic building, while maintaining its commitment to affordable ticket prices.
After a cancer diagnosis, Harman stepped down from his position at Town Hall to spend time with family and friends, traveling and attending concerts and shows, which had remained his lifelong passion.
Julian Wier Harman III was raised in Virginia, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989, and received his MFA from the School of Drama in 1999. Before taking the reins at Town Hall, he served as artistic director of Actor’s Express in Atlanta and New York’s Obie Award-winning Foundry Theatre; he also directed at Seattle’s cutting-edge Annex Theatre.
Dawn Helsing Wolters ’01 worked with
Wier on a workshop production of María Irene Fornés’s Enter the Night at the School. “As a first-year theater management student on a work-study assignment,” she recalled, “I was keenly aware that Wier had drawn the short straw by getting me and not a ‘real’ stage manager for his production. Watching Wier work with actors taught me an important insight about managing people. Rather than focusing only on his vision, Wier understood that each of the individual actors needed something different from him to achieve their greatest performance and that their success meant his success.”
“Wier had a wide-awake, ludic vision,” remembered K. Elizabeth Stevens ’99. “He would search for the obscure and the beautiful, and delight in sharing these finds with us. When we were with him, he made his friends and collaborators feel funnier, more perceptive, more creative because he could see our potential with such keen and generous eyes.”
Harman is survived by his wife, Barbara, and their children, Stella and Ruby.
Emalie Mayo
Senior Administrative Assistant
Emalie Mayo, who served as Senior Administrative Assistant for the Theater Management Program, Managing Director, and General Manager’s offices for 14 years, passed
06 Wier Harman ’99.
Photo by Dan DeLong.
07
Emalie Mayo (Staff)
DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE / ANNUAL
In Memoriam
away unexpectedly on March 8, 2024. Her commitment to anti-racism and inclusivity shone through her involvement in FOLKS, her extensive training with artEquity, and her service on DGSD’s Committee on AntiRacist Theater Practice. For nine years Emalie was the Senior Project Coordinator for the Dwight/Edgewood Project, a playwriting mentorship program which pairs DGSD students with local New Haven middle schoolers. Emalie was also a beloved member of the New Haven community, where she worked with Elm City LIT Fest, which advances literary artists of the African diaspora, United Way, and Community Leadership Program New Haven. Last August, Emalie left her position at DGSD to join the staff at Sterling Memorial Library.
“This is a huge loss to all of us in the Theater Management, Dwight/Edgewood, and DGSD community, but also the city of New Haven, to which Emalie devoted so much of her heart and her energy,” remembers Joan Channick ’89 (Faculty). “She was a truly good person in every way, deeply committed to her family, friends, and community. The shock of her sudden absence reminds us all to appreciate and care for one another, as Emalie’s life exemplified.”
Stephanie Rolland ’15 recalls, “Upon our first meeting, Emalie embodied one of the highest forms of love: consideration. She was a place of empathy, peace and encouragement for me (and many other Black students at the School) and she remained so upon my return to teach. She saw me. And I hope she felt seen in return. She was fun, kind, loving, caring, hilarious, fierce and a beautiful dreamer. I am grateful to have known her. It is still hard for me to speak of her in the past tense so I will end with this: as the words of love and consideration pour forth, even the ones we cannot speak aloud, I hope she hears them all and knows that we love her and consider her to be love.”
LT Gourzong ’19 (Faculty) worked with Emalie for many years. “Emalie Mayo was the real deal,” LT stated. “She listened, shared
jokes, shared meals, shared hugs, she shared. She shared her passion for what was important to you and held you accountable for finding what was important to you. Her compassion and love were authentic, she was authentic. I loved her and will miss her deeply.”
Ruth Hunt Newman
Actress
Ruth Hunt Newman ’62, an actress who performed on Broadway and in regional theaters across the country in a career spanning more than two decades, died on April 24, 2023, at the age of 87.
Performing under her professional name, Ruth Hunt, she appeared with some of the most celebrated actors of the stage and screen, among them Dame Judith Anderson, Rex Harrison, Deborah Kerr, and Fred Astaire.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1935, and raised in Kansas, Ruth attended Pittsburg State Teachers College, graduating with majors in English literature and psychology. She married William England, moved to New Haven, and enrolled as an Acting student at the School of Drama, where she would meet the man who would become her second husband, TD&P classmate Derek Hunt ’62. When her 10-year marriage to Hunt ended, Ruth married actor Stephen D. Newman, who performed with her in the British American Repertory Company (BARC), founded by Ed Berman in the late 1970s.
Ruth appeared in Dame Judith Anderson’s bold production of Hamlet (1970), a revival of The Last of Mrs. Cheney with Deborah Kerr (1978), Pirandello’s Emperor Henry IV, alongside Rex Harrison, and Crown Mat-
In Memoriam
rimonial (1973), in which she played Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Duchess of York. She also acted in the Hollywood film Ghost Story, with leading men Fred Astaire, John Houseman, Melvin Douglas, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. With BARC, she appeared in a number of noted plays, among them Tom Stoppard’s Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth on Broadway in 1979.
Walter Kerr, the legendary New York Times theater critic, captured Ruth’s dynamic stage presence in his review of Crown Matrimonial: “The heat, in Miss Hunt’s striking performance, at last persuades us that one of these figureheads has a home, and lives in it. She permits herself passion, [and] flares into a fierce denunciation that is finally and intensely personal.”
Ruth Hunt Newman is survived by her husband, Stephen.
Harriet Pattison
Artist, Architect
Harriet Pattison ’54, an award-winning landscape architect, died on October 2, 2023, a few weeks shy of her 95th birthday.
Born in Chicago in 1928, Pattison developed an interest in theatrical scenery in high
school. After earning her BA from the University of Chicago in 1951, she was accepted to the School of Drama.
In New Haven, Pattison was reunited with fellow Chicagoan Joy Carlin ’54. The two would live in an apartment above a bar on Chapel Street. “I met Harriet during my days at the University of Chicago Lab School,” Joy shared. “After getting my college degree, I went to the School of Drama, determined to become an actor. I was surprised but very happy to see Harriet at Yale. She seemed to be a very shy person, so I knew she had no intention to be on the stage. She came to learn about theater design.”
Unfortunately, the design cohort was already at capacity. Pattison was moved into the Acting program, where she came to enjoy performing in comedies alongside classmates such as Paul Newman ’54, LHDH ’88. Still eager to study design, she enrolled in a color theory class at the School of Art, taught by Josef Albers MAH ’50.
Settling in Philadelphia in 1958, Pattison met—for the second time—the renowned architect Louis Kahn, 28 years her senior. Their first meeting had been a chance lunch-counter conversation about art on a New Haven winter afternoon five years earlier. The two began a personal and professional relationship lasting until Kahn’s death in 1974.
After earning her master’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Philadelphia in 1967, Pattison compiled an impressive portfolio with numerous design firms. She served as a consulting landscape architect for Kahn from 1968 to 1974, working on projects including the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth and the FDR Memorial on New York’s Roosevelt Island.
Following Kahn’s death, Pattison ran her own company, taking on projects from intimate gardens to large-scale environments, including the 150-acre corporate campus for the Hershey Company. She was inducted as a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2016. In 2020, she published
08–09
Ruth Hunt Newman ’62 and her caricature by artist Al Hirschfeld.
10
Harriet Pattison ’54
In Memoriam
Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn. Harriet Pattison is survived by her son, filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn YC ’85.
Gordon Rogoff
Professor Emeritus of Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism
Gordon Rogoff passed away on January 26, 2024. He was 92. A prominent theater director, dramaturg, professor, and theater critic, Gordon served as Associate Dean under Dean Robert Brustein in 1966, helping to reshape the School of Drama as a professional conservatory. In 1986, he returned to the School at the invitation of Dean Lloyd Richards. After a tenure spanning more than 35 years, Gordon retired from DGSD in 2019.
Stanley Kauffman (Former Faculty), the anti-stylist mandarin who had made me cry in class my first semester.
Moving down the platform, I spy Gordon in the second car from the engine in a green heather tweed jacket. Heading home to tell his partner Mort what the years have wrought upon Robert Brustein ’51, MAH ’65 (Former Dean)’s demented theatrical teaching hospital, he is seated on the north side of the aisle, folder in his lap. Dare I claim the seat beside him? Will he remember me from class? With the determination of Gertrude Slescynski, a.k.a. Eve Harrington, I spot an opportunity and nerve up. I am going to accost this man and entertain him to death.
Gordon Rogoff YC ’52 (Faculty Emeritus) and James Magruder ’88, DFA ’92.
Gordon published two collections of criticism, Theater Is Not Safe and Vanishing Acts: Theater Since the Sixties and authored more than 200 reviews and articles for publications including The New Republic, The Village Voice, and American Theatre. His awards and honors included an Obie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Directing, the Morton Dauwen Zabel Award in Criticism from The American Academy of Arts and Letters, the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism, a Guggenheim Fellowship, two Ford Foundation Fellowships, and a Rockefeller Foundation Grant.
James Magruder ’88, DFA ’92 shares a memory of his mentor.
Gordon the Greatest
Of the roughly three thousand train trips I’ve endured over the last 40 years from New Haven to New York, I count as most important the one I took on Tuesday, the 9th of September 1986. I had had my first Crit Class meeting that morning with Gordon Rogoff YC ‘52 (Faculty Emeritus), who just returned to Yale after 17 years to replace
I recall nothing from my act. Slander, truth, obscene surmise—it didn’t matter, because Gordon laughed, never opened his folder, and I disembarked at Grand Central, having f*cked my first star—or, borrowing Gordon’s own term for one of his favorite life pursuits—I had collected my first celebrity.
At the news of his death last week, I went back to Theatre is Not Safe and Vanishing Acts, his essay collections that I would press on my own students like Laura Wingfield with her yearbook. Re-reading them, I fell in love with the mind—and the style—so inseparable one from the other—and the man—all over again.
He sets a course, fueled by the rhythms of the 17th-century English prose masters he met as a Yale undergraduate, drawing us closer to his red armchair in the salon he created on W. 96th. He doesn’t hector; he doesn’t admonish, badger, or scold; he grabs hold of an idea and seduces, amplifies, implicates outward, sideways, backwards a season, five seasons, five centuries, two countries over, pauses to cast an elegant, withering nosegay against the prejudicial powers that led us to this state of malaise—and always they lurk at the edge of his assessments—how could they not, given the parlous state of our theatrical biosphere and national culture?—and then sticks a ten-
In Memoriam
point sprezzatura landing.
When it comes to describing what actors actually do in performance, Gordon was peerless. Read him on the antic legerdemain of friends like Ashcroft or Olivier or Guinness or Gielgud or the Redgraves or O’Toole or Worth. Prose of that caliber ravishes the reader and stops time.
David Rotenberg
Director and Educator by Joel Polis ’76
By his impish, unceasing example, Gordon gifted all held within his ever-expanding orbit with the tools and the confidence to become clearer thinkers, sharper writers, better editors, teachers, mentors, listeners, friends, spouses, travelers, bon vivants, and queer persons of every gender. Astride imperishable sentences and a magnificently generous heart, Gordon Rogoff was a theater poet for the ages.
David Rotenberg ’76 passed away on November 8, 2023, after a protracted struggle with cancer. Born and educated in Toronto, David sculpted a prolific, multifaceted, and influential career in the arts for half a century. As a director, he mounted a prodigious number of plays in the U.S., Canada and around the world, including Paul Schierhorn’s ’74 The News on Broadway. He also directed television in Canada and was the first director to stage a Canadian play in the People’s Republic of China. His experience in Shanghai led, unexpectedly, to a second career in writing. David became a critically celebrated, best-selling author of mystery thrillers and historical fiction. He also penned plays, teleplays, stage adaptations, and the best-selling Act—his innovative manual on acting for the camera. As an educator, his faculty credits included York University, Tulane, Simon Fraser, UNC Chapel Hill, and the University of Cape Town. He was Founding Artistic Director of what became Canada’s premier acting studio, the Professional Actors Lab in Toronto, a position he relished right up until his death. He was known for his unique and effective acting technique as well as his unflagging commitment to his students.
David leaves a singular and enduring legacy to the arts: the gratitude and devotion of hundreds, if not thousands, of students, actors, and professionals in the theater, film and TV community, as well as fans of his mystery/thriller and historical fiction books. His 13th novel, City Rising, was released on November 9th, the day after his death. David is survived by his wife of 46 years, Susan Santiago, their children, Joey and Beth, along with his beloved family. Of his death one student wrote, “I know for myself and our acting community, he was our faithful friend, ally and wind at our backs—our fighting chance.”
12
David Rotenberg ’76
DAVID GEFFEN
In Memoriam
Laraine Sammler
Friend By Janet Cunningham (Staff)
It is with great sorrow that I write of the passing of our dear friend, Laraine Sammler, wife of Ben Sammler ’74 (Faculty Emeritus). She passed away on January 24, 2024, at age 79.
When I think of Laraine, I can see her sitting in her favorite spot in the kitchen, smoking a cigarette, then rising to greet me with a smile and a big hug. Hugs were followed with the offer of a glass of wine, great conversation, and lots of laughter. Generations of us have experienced this hospitality. Whether at a Mandatory Fun, Orphan Thanksgiving, or Game Night, Laraine had a fantastic way of making you feel welcome. Like you belonged.
Anyone who ever attended a gathering at the Sammlers knows that Laraine could command the room with her stories. Everything from off-beat travel adventures to an adopted show lamb named Fluffy. No matter
the subject, the room was sure to be filled with laughter.
Laraine could recall stories of just about every former student, staff, or faculty member whom she had encountered. She could tell you about shows they worked on, the names of their children, or how many pieces of Popeyes chicken they had consumed at Mandatory Fun.
If you were lucky, she might share a fun story about Ben that would make him blush a little as she told it. Laraine might tease Ben at times, but you could see that she loved him more than anything.
During her time with us, Laraine had helped to create a community. A community filled with students, neighbors, friends, and her beloved family. A community of people from all over the world, remembering and celebrating her life. A community that she gifted to all of us.
Anyone who knew Laraine has an awesome story to share about her. I hope by reading this you will think of Laraine, and in your memory, see her mischievous smile and hear her infectious laughter. May that bring you happiness and inspire you to make someone feel like they belong. Keep her stories alive and her memory close to your heart.
13
Laraine Sammler
13
In Memoriam
John Henry ThomasIII
Actor
John Henry Thomas III ’62, an actor with the New York City Opera, died in New York City on February 27, 2023. He was 87.
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Thomas was raised in Connecticut. He graduated from Darien High School and then returned to Ohio to attend Denison University. After serving in the U.S. Army in Korea, Thomas came to the School of Drama and received an MFA in 1962. Following graduation, he moved to New York City where he landed a job as a page on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jack Paar, and later Paar’s successor, Johnny Carson. Thomas also found time to pursue his acting, appearing in a number of teleplays, before joining the New York City Opera as a supernumerary; he would remain there until his retirement in 2013.
One of his notable—and legendary—roles was playing Buoso Donati, a corpse, in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. Night after night, audiences would acknowledge his stalwart performance with a standing ovation.
Thomas also served as a volunteer gardener and tour guide at the Morris-Jumel Mansion, Manhattan’s oldest surviving residence and George Washington’s headquarters during the Revolutionary War. He helped restore the mansion’s garden with appropriate colonial plants and herbs and gave tours of the house and grounds. In 1976, during the U.S. bicentennial celebrations, he had the honor of leading a tour for a visiting Queen Elizabeth II. His volunteer work was recognized by awards from New York City mayors Ed Koch, in 1984 and 1985, and Michael Bloomberg in 2003.
John Henry Thomas is survived by his brother Thomas R. Thomas, nephews David and John Guinivere, niece Mary Guinivere Maisonneuve, and grand-nephews JohnHenri and Charles.
Peter White
Actor
Peter White ’62, who played Lincoln Tyler on the long-running daytime soap opera All My Children and starred in the original stage production of The Boys in the Band, died on November 1, 2023. He was 86.
Peter was born in New York City in 1937. He graduated from Northwestern University’s School of Communications in 1959 and the School of Drama in 1962. His first professional role came as Jerry Ames on the CBS soap The Secret Storm. He also appeared on ABC’s N.Y.P.D. Later, he joined the national touring company of Neil Simon’s 1963 romantic comedy Barefoot in the Park, with its star Myrna Loy. In 1975, he was featured on Broadway in P.S. Your Cat is Dead!
Peter’s breakthrough performance came in Mart Crowley’s 1968 Off-Broadway play The Boys in the Band, the story of a group of gay male friends who come together for birthday celebration at an apartment on New York’s Upper East Side. His character, Alan McCarthy, is the one married party guest, and his sexual orientation, never explicitly revealed to the audience, creates one of the play’s dramatic through lines. The play was a surprise hit, hailed for its cleareyed portrayal of 1960s gay life, a subject which had not been the focus of mainstream theater. Peter reprised his role in the 1970 film version, directed by William Friedkin.
15
Peter White ’62. Photo by Cinema Center Films/Getty Images.
14
John Henry Thomas III ’62. Photo by Deborah S. Berman (Staff).
In Memoriam
Over the course of a prolific career that spanned more than 50 years, Peter appeared in a host of television dramas including Dallas, The West Wing, and Ally McBeal. He appeared in the films Dave (1993), Armageddon (1998), Thirteen Days (2000), and First Daughter (2004), among others.
Peter White is survived by his nieces, Alison and Leslie, and their spouses.
Farewell
David Biedny (Faculty) / 1.2024
Roderick Bladel ’61 / 8.10.2023
Robert Brustein ’51, MAH ’66 / 10.29.2023
Peter Crombie ’79 / 1.10.2024
Michael Diamond ’90 (Board of Advisors) / 7.12.2023
Leslie ‘Les’ Elliard ’02 / 7.15.2023
Alan Eisenberg (Former Faculty) / 10.7.2023
Lewis A. Folden ’77 / 11.3.2023
Patricia Gilchrist ’44 / 5.2023
Rose Gregorio ’50 / 8.17.2023
Todd Haimes SOM ’80 (Former Faculty) / 4.19.2023
Wier Harman ’99 / 12.11.2023
Carol T. Hemingway ’55 / 11.29.2023
Marvin Lichterman ’66 / 11.19.2023
Emalie Mayo (Staff) / 3.8.2024
Peter McCandless ’64 / 12.26.2023
Katherine (Kate) Mendeloff ’80 / 4.15.2023
Ruth Hunt Newman ’62 / 4.24.2023
Harriet Pattison ’54 / 10.2.2023
Rio A. Puertollano ’01 / 11.19.2023
Gordon Rogoff YC ’52 (Faculty Emeritus) / 1.26.2024
David Rotenberg ’76 / 11.8.2023
Laraine Sammler / 1.24.2024
John Henry Thomas III ’62 / 2.27.2023
Peter White ’62 / 11.1.2023
Alumni Notes
1940s
Joan Kron ’48 recently moved from Manhattan to Miami to be near her son and loves it there. She is 95 now and writing a memoir of her life in Pop Art in the 60s (producing avant-garde events and multiples with Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Robert Indiana). Joan is also trying to raise finishing funds for Weapon of Beauty, her documentary on the cloak-and-dagger history of Botox. Joan’s last film Take My Nose…Please! won the Knight Documentary Achievement Award at the Miami Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Berkshire International Film Festival.
1950s
Amnon Kabatchnik ’57 had three books published in 2023. Courtroom Dramas on the Stage: Volume 1 analyzes more than 50 trial plays from Ancient Greece to the Elizabethan era to early America. Horror on the Stage covers the plot and production data of unnerving plays featuring fictional monsters Frankenstein, Dracula, and more, as well as such real-life monsters as Jack the Ripper and Lizzie Borden. Also identified are terrifying plays adapted from literary sources and stage treatments of nightmarish stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, H.G. Wells, among others. Courtroom Dramas on the Stage: Volume 2 concentrates on trial plays mounted in the twentieth century by distinguished playwrights including Jean Genet, Arthur Miller, Herman Wouk, James Baldwin, Terence Rattigan, and Aaron Sorkin.
1960s
David Madden’s ’60 memoir of his mother, Momma’s Lost Piano, in which he employs an innovative style, was published in June 2023. A memoir of David’s Army days in Alaska, My Creative Life in the Army, is being seriously considered by his publisher. And David just finished a novel, It
All Came Together in Paris. He is 90 years old and writing every day. ● Helen Yalof ’60 went to the DGSD Alumni Party at the Yale Club in October. She was delighted to speak to faculty and graduates. “Yet,” she said, “I missed my annual chat with the recently retired great Janice Muirhead, and (Alas!) did not meet anyone from my own era.” This past year Helen acted, performed stand-up comedy, and sang at several venues. She has also been working on her musical about Maxwell’s Plum. Helen is a member of Jo Firestone’s Greenwich House Senior Center Comedy Workshop. Jo led the troupe into some amazing and unexpected projects, including Good Timing with Jo Firestone, a documentary about the comedy workshop; The Singles Retreat, which played at several film festivals; and The Staring Contest, an absurd, experimental, improvised short film. Helen was also in Theater for Change’s Tenants in Crisis, which debuted at the Greenwich House Off-Broadway Theater. Helen played the combined role of Cohost, Joker, Comedian and Singer. As a singer/ songwriter she entertained at festivals and other events in New York City. She also did stand-up comedy over Zoom with Dany Dechi’s Good Timing NYC OG shows and with AhHa!Broadway. Helen writes that she had “a wonderful year, and there are so many new, exciting opportunities coming my way.” ● Robert Edward Darling’s ’63 year began with dark moments, then lightened when OPERA America asked to do an exhibit of his work at the National Opera Center in Manhattan. At the same time, he was selling his house and studio in Washington, DC. Moving, searching through portfolios in Fayetteville, PA, for paintings to include in the exhibit became a delightful time-travel, attempting to discover who this young person in his 30s was working in live theater and opera. Megan Carpenter curated the exhibit for OPERA America. She included a sketch from Robert’s 2nd Year Project of Luther for a found space, which assumed projection equipment not yet available. She found a letter Robert wrote to Donald Oenslager (Former Faculty) among his papers at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, thanking
01
Joan Kron ’48 (right ) at Joe’s Pub, New York City, with the comic actor and professional curmudgeon, Jackie Hoffman, who is featured in Joan’s documentary, Take My Nose…Please! and will narrate Joan’s next documentary, “Weapon of Beauty.” Photo by Andrea Miller.
02–03
Courtroom Dramas, Volume II; Horror on the Stage by Amnon Kabatchnik ’57
04
Amnon Kabatchnik ’57
Alumni Notes
Alumni Notes
05
Momma’s Lost Piano: A Memoir by David Madden ’60
06
Fused glass creation by Vienna CobbAnderson ’67
07
Betsy Howie, Lonnie Carter ’69, and their daughter Calpurnia.
08
William Boardman ’64. Photo by Deirdre Larson.
09
Susan Horowitz ’69 on roof of The Lambs Clubhouse.
10
Ev Lunning, Jr. ’69, YC ’67 as Dracula. Photo by Warinda Harris.
11
Robert Greenwood ’67 and Dana Luebke in Rainforest/Stroke in Calgary, Alberta, 1982. Photo by Ian Southern.
12
Tony Shalhoub ’80 and Roger Hendricks Simon ’67
13
Doll-puppetry by Carrie Robbins ’67
14
Jim Metzner ’69 and Radio Lab’s Jad Abumrad at the Library of Congress. Photo credit: Eileen McAdam.
15
Orlando Dole and Helen Yalof ’60 in The Staring Contest.
him. It was painstakingly typed out on a public library typewriter in Juneau, Alaska, where he was on tour. Seeing it again made Robert laugh as he described “The O’s” entrance into the horrid basement room where first-year designers met in 1961. With precise timing—he burst into the room—knocking all the #10 butt cans asunder. It was quite an introduction. His energy and delight in students, is firmly fixed in Robert’s mind today. The American Daffodil Society (ADS) presented Robert with their Gold Medal last March for “Service to the Daffodil” to design and build a Photography Division for the Society across the country. After leaving Washington, Robert became Emeritus, serving the Alliance for New Music-Theatre which he co-founded in 1995. The company grew out of a Composer-Librettist Studio based on the work of Wesley Balk ’65 and Ben Krywosz (Faculty). Last spring, they produced another very small opera, Floral Arrangements, by composer Alva Henderson, for the ADS Meeting in Gettysburg. Robert is actively working with librettist Judith Fein and composer A. Douglas Biggs, to complete Henry Mollicone’s last opera Mariette in Ecstasy and bring it from workshop to stage in the near future. ● William Boardman ’64 performed in the world premiere of Tales of Old Woodstock broadcast on WCTV in Woodstock, Vermont, in June 2023, with a cast of some 40 local notables, and some not so. He played President James Monroe during his visit to Vermont in 1817. To view online, go to: woodstockcommunitytelevision.org. ● “Defying age and common sense,” he says, Gordon Coffey ’66 appeared in a Seattle production of Strong Waters, by Claire (Brown) Zaslove YC ’81, a tale of love, loss and family, which was profiled in Northwest Prime Time. The play centers on a retired actor living on a houseboat, whose tranquil life is upended by an unexpected visitor from the past. Coffey and Zaslove have worked together for several years through Global Works Productions. ● Vienna Cobb-Anderson ’67 is now experimenting with a new form of creation—fused glass. “It’s great fun and the results are always surprising.”
● Robert Greenwood ’67 celebrated the 45th anniversary of Sun.Ergos, a company of theater and dance, which he founded with his life partner, Dana M. Luebke, a dancer from the Minnesota Dance Company and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in 1977. They produced a gala performance of works they have created from 1977–2023 in the cSpace Theatre in Calgary in January 2023. The company has won awards from Canada, U.S., Poland, Croatia, Mexico, Iran, Tunisia, and helped create an NGO for the United Nations—Dance and the Child International. In August 2023, Robert also had a month-long exhibition of 80 paintings he had done during the pandemic. ● Ray Klausen ’67 published his book Behind the Scenes: From Hollywood to Broadway, which chronicles his journey from Yale to Hollywood and on to Broadway as a set designer. He designed over 425 sets and in the process was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards and won three. Ray created sets for 10 Academy Awards, 11 American Film Institute shows, 10 Kennedy Center Honors, and worked with Sinatra, Cher, Barbra Streisand, and Elvis. He designed Broadway shows for Rosemary Harris, Lauren Bacall, Liza, James Earl Jones, Bea Arthur, and more. Ray has also been writing murder mystery novels which are created with a television series in mind. He writes: “They’re great stories with lots of intriguing characters. Any producers out there?” ● Carrie Robbins ’67 was honored to be one of 32 professional designers chosen to present her play For the Lost Children of Paris with the doll-puppets she designed to play the French children at the Prague Quadrennial-23 Exhibit. The doll-puppets are designed by Carrie and executed by Beatriz Chung with many friends’ help and support. All the dolls’ clothes are vintage 1940s, including their shoes, of which she now has a lovely collection. Carrie has been working with wonderful actors since before the pandemic and has done lots of Zoom and as much video as they could afford. Carrie writes: “It has been hellish to see the flood of scenes on TV which bring you pictures of a little boy floating alone in a boat, or hearing reportage from Ukraine
Alumni Notes
Alumni Notes
16
Nancy and Robert Montgomery ’71
17 Charles Steckler’s ’71 grandson, Elliott (Gelato) Charles Steckler, poses in front of their puppet theater.
18 Autumn Pond by Adrianne Lobel ’79.
19 Jimmy Comes Marching Home, screenplay by Robert Gulack ’78. Photo courtesy of Keeve Productions.
20
Her Rightful Place by Joseph Capone ’76
21
Edith Tarbescu ’76
22
David M. Conte ’72 and Charles Dillingham ’69
23
Puppet from Barnacle Bill the Husband by Dick D. Zigun ’78.
24
Michael Basile and Serena Ebony Miller in The Garbologists, directed by Roy Steinberg ’78. Photo by Aleksey Photography.
25
Self-portrait, linoleum block print by Andy Friedlander ’70.
26
Yesterday by Les Moore (1973), featuring compositions by Charles Davis ’76.
where a large theater was used as a bomb shelter. In the final scene of For the Lost Children of Paris, one of the dolls asks when they’ll be performing the play again. The Dollmaker replies, ‘Not for a while; it really shouldn’t be necessary.’ The Dollmaker was wrong.” ● Roger Hendricks Simon ’67 (Founding member of Yale Rep) currently has four feature films out in 2023! Roger is featured in Colin Wilson’s Linoleum opposite comedian Jim Gaffigan, Tony Shaloub ’80 (Monk), Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul) and Amy Hargreaves (Homeland) and co-stars in Daniel Keith’s Love in Kilnerry (and received International Independent Film’s Best Supporting Actor Award). Roger has two additional feature films making their way on the 2023 Festival circuit. He costars in Dan Simon’s Another Year Together, winner of 2023 Best Feature at Manhattan Film Festival and 2023 Best Foreign Feature at Fort Worth Film Festival (those amazing Texans consider any film not produced in Texas “foreign”!). And he is featured opposite Mario Cantone in Roy Szuper’s Can’t Let it Go. Currently in progress: Noir Playhouse, an episodic film series designed for social media, directed by Dan Simon and written by Dan Simon and Patrick Davin. ● Lonnie Carter ’69 is working on two plays about Black women.
1—The Book of Gwen, about Gwendolyn Reed, who played Aunt Jemima in the Northeast for 18 years, 1956–1974, with Hartbeat Ensemble in Hartford, directed by Godfrey Simmons, for presentation spring 2024 with grant from The Playwrights’ Center and the National New Plays Network.
2—Mumbet, later known as Elizabeth Freeman, the first enslaved person to win her freedom in a court of law, 1781, with the great Wanda Houston, the stellar singer-actor, as Mumbet. ● Susan Horowitz ’69 is a playwright, musical theatre creator, singer-songwriter, and actor. Her plays include Poetic Justice: a feminist-fatale, comedic twist on Edgar Allan Poe and Marilyn Monroe. Her musicals include Rainbow to Oz: a funny, femalepositive, heart-warming story about a grownup Dorothy who dreams she goes to Oz. Susan loves to post on Yale social media and hopes to connect with fellow
Yalies in NYC and beyond. ● Ev Lunning Jr. ’69, YC ’67 appeared as the Governor in a production of George M. Cohan’s The Tavern; the run was cut short by Covid in the cast. Ed volunteered with Central Texas Interfaith, a chapter of the Industrial Area Foundation and lobbied against the resurrection of a piece of corporate welfare that siphoned funds from education. When the program was labeled “the Dracula bill,” Ed was enlisted to testify as The Count. If you search YouTube “Dracula 313,” you will find him. Ed appears as a befuddled TV anchor in a new episode in The Toxic Avenger screened at Austin’s Fantastic Fest, featuring Peter Dinklage and Kevin Bacon. Austin Shakespeare is about to begin rehearsal for a new translation of Pierre Corneille’s El Cid. Ed has been cast as the hero’s father. ● Jim Metzner ’69 has achieved a high-water mark in his career as a sound recordist. An installation of his sounds appeared in the Library of Congress’s Jefferson Building. Radio Lab’s Jad Abumrad interviewed Jim in the Jefferson Building’s Great Hall—a magnificent space. You can listen at: www.loc.gov/item/ webcast-10801.
1970s
Andy Friedlander ’70 notes that there isn’t much theater in the small town of Sedro Woolley, Washington. He continues to make art as a painter, printmaker and musician. Andy has three pieces in juried exhibitions, all visible at ajfriedlander.com. The Prozac Mtn. Boys, a bluegrass band he helped to organize in 1997, is still going strong. Their fourth CD, Bright Angel, is all original music and is available online or from Andy for free. Those of you in L.A. in need of recording services should check out Soundbox:LA, a studio built and owned by Andy’s eldest son, Tim. He is also a cofounder and current president of NAVA who are on the forefront of the AI issue. And the best for last—Andy and his wife celebrated their 51st anniversary this year. ● Kathleen Gray ’70 is writing her first class note ever because she is back acting again after working for the past 30 years as a licensed marriage and family therapist
Alumni Notes
with a doctorate in clinical psychology. She played the lead role of Katherine Brin in A Perfect Ganesh by Terrance McNally at The Pico Playhouse in Los Angeles. Stella Adler, who taught the first year Kathleen attended the School of Drama, talked about Stanley the actor who was great in class and that’s all he ever did. Well, as much as Kathleen loves a great class, sometimes it’s good to actually perform for the public. Tip of the hat to classmate Henry Winkler ’70 (Board of Advisors) for his brilliant portrayal of Gene Cousineau, acting teacher, in HBO’s Barry! ● Robert Montgomery ’71 sends greetings to all you with theater in your blood! He continues to write and teach writing (formerly at Columbia, currently The New School) and stays in touch with friends David Epstein ’68, Lonnie Carter ’69, Joe Grifasi ’75, Steve Mendillo ’71, David Chambers ’71, Barnet Kellman ’72, David Ackroyd ’68 and Jill Eikenberry ’70. Bob’s latest work, an internet glom finished during Covid (no rehearsals allowed) can be seen at macrumpus.com. Current work-inprogress: MORE, a “revue” of Varieties of Religious Experience by William James. Bob and wife, Nancy, recently celebrated their 55th anniversary, and they’re still singing gigs from time to time. ● Charles Steckler ’71 shares that his son, a musician and composer; his wife, a singer; and their 8-year-old son, Gelato, a drummer; with him and his wife together, both visual artists, made their home a creative and homeschool oasis during the year of their Covid residency. Music and arts projects, math and geography lessons, and taking turns cooking meals tied thematically to the holidays and festivals they studied, gave form to their days. Gelato and Charles rehearsed and performed skits, vignettes, and improvised folderol in their garage puppet theater. The basement became an arts and crafts workshop, the extra bedroom served as a music studio, and poetry corner was at the end of the couch. And that’s how they merrily got through that ominous year. ● David M. Conte ’72 is enjoying retirement! ● Joel Schechter ’73 (Former Faculty) wrote Citizen’s Arrest of a Climate Criminal for a San Francisco performance by Extinc-
tion Rebellion. ● Joseph Capone’s ’76 full-length play, Her Rightful Place, had a staged reading at the Stissing Center, Pine Plains, New York. Joe was delighted by all of the positive feedback he received. ● Charles Davis ’76 writes: “Woo hoo! Several original compositions that my brother, John, and I had written for New Orleans’ singer, Les Moore, this year brought in royalties of $160K…looks like a typo there… never mind…but the checks are regular…and didn’t bounce…one album is Les Moore’s Yesterday (1973). I swear I didn’t write the liner notes: “‘...Now to Begin’ may be the most moving anti-war song I have ever heard. And ‘Ooh-Pah-Do-Pah-Do’ maybe the most deceptively titled track you’ll ever hear. It’s included on Numero Group’s documentary film soundtrack Wayfaring Strangers: Lonesome Heroes.” –Douglas McGoway, Yoga Records. ● Edith Tarbescu ’76 had a memoir published titled Beyond Brooklyn It included short, humorous plays and a one-woman play titled Suffer Queen, all performed in New York and in regional theaters. ● Bob Sandberg ’77 is the series editor of Global Theatre Anthologies, which is being published by Methuen/Bloomsbury, and co-editor of each of the individual volumes. Each volume includes classical and modern plays from a non-western region or country, giving English language readers the opportunity to explore the theatrical inventions and cultural values of the specific area. The first volume Ancient, Indigenous and Modern Plays from Africa and the Diaspora will be available by the end of 2023. Anthologies of plays from India and China are in the works. ● Ryan Scott Yuille ’77 finally retired from full-time theater after a double disk replacement. During his physical therapy, he was asked about his daily yoga routine. The conversations concluded in his taking The Yoga Alliance’s Registered Yoga Teacher 200-hour training program. Ryan is now a certified yoga instructor. His concentrations are chair yoga, vinyasa, and guided meditation. Ryan writes: “If you are ever in Aberdeen, stop by Fit and Fire Studio and I will get those stiff muscles feeling better!”
● Robert Gulack ’78 wrote the screenplay for Jimmy Comes Marching Home, in which Frank Capra is trying to interest war hero
Jimmy Stewart in doing It’s a Wonderful Life. Stewart, however, has been so badly traumatized by aerial combat over Europe during WWII that he isn’t sure he wants to resume his acting career. The short film was recently designated an Official Selection by the European Short Awards film festival. Jimmy Comes Marching Home has also been named a Semi-Finalist in the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival. ● Roy Steinberg ’78, Artistic Director of Cape May Stage, directed The Garbologists, by Lindsay Joelle. ● Dick D. Zigun ’78 has been refocusing his playwriting efforts from Coney Island to Manhattan. His 1989 play Barnacle Bill the Husband was briefly revived at the International Puppet Fringe in NYC. New York Theater Review called it “a fanciful, elaborate and charming rewrite of the old criminally sexist American drinking song, Barnacle Bill the Sailor. The sailor falls for a mermaid—which is less surprising if you know that the librettist of this musical is Dick Zigun, the founder of Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade.” His new rock opera called Killin’ Republicans will have its world premiere at Theater for the New City in November. ● Adrianne Lobel ’79 had two shows of paintings this year. The first was at The Bowery Gallery in Chelsea and the second was at the Fenimore Museum in Cooperstown. She is painting away and loving it. 1980s
Mark Bly ’80, Susan Hilferty ’80, and Victoria Nolan (Former Deputy Dean, Professor Emerita) were inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. Past inductees have included Lloyd Richards MAH ’79 (Former Dean) and Ming Cho Lee DFAH ’20 (Faculty Emeritus). Mark was excited to learn that his former student Marcus Gardley ’04 was appointed Co-Chair of the Playwriting Program at DGSD. ● Allan Havis ’80 is in his 35th year on faculty at UC San Diego’s theatre program. He published two novels within a year: Clear Blue Silence and Maddie Q, and contributed a chapter on Bergman’s film The Magician in Ingmar Bergman at the
Alumni Notes
Bragg ’87 and Amy Aquino ’86 (Board of Advisors) on the picket line with SAG-AFTRA at
Butler ’87 on set of Insatiable
Crossroads (Bloomsbury 2023). In addition, Allan’s libretto is featured in Jane Forner’s Sex, Myth, and Power: Reclaiming the “Dark Feminine” regarding Anthony Davis/Allan Havis’s Lilith opera as part of Contemporary Opera in Flux ● Rick Davis ’83, DFA ’03 has just been reappointed for a third term as Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts, George Mason University, and continues his other roles as Executive Director of the Hylton Performing Arts Center and professor of theater. His multidisciplinary exploration of the historical roots of the Western water crisis, The 100th Meridian Project, had a successful showing at the Kennedy Center as part of the Center’s RiverRun Festival, a celebration of the arts and the environment. The recording of the song cycle “Stations of Mychal,” for which he wrote the libretto (music by Kevin Salfen), is scheduled to be released this year by Centaur Records. ● Julia Fulton ’84 writes that she recently published a memoir called The Bridal Path: “It’s a roam-antic adventure story all true about my global stumbles on the way to the altar and motherhood. An action adventure with heart and many rabies shots in India, France and Spain! Temple monkey attacks and a malevolent Basque stallion just the beginning of this voyage full of risk and rewards!!!” Julia is also teaching at UCSD and starring in a global podcast called Mercury’s Wake, helmed by Stephanie Vlahos YC ’79. ● Robert Wierzel’s ’84 recent projects include: Watch Night, a unique music-theater-dance piece, at the Perelman Performing Arts Center, NYC; Roméo et Juliete at the Washington National Opera; Blind Injustice, a new opera, at PEAK Performances, Montclair, NJ; Songbird (La Périchole) at Washington National Opera; Die Walküre at Atlantic Opera; and Pagliacci at Glimmerglass Festival. ● Robert Lee Alford II ’85 received the 2022-2023 Theatre Fellowship award from the Shreveport Regional Arts Council. He directed Sweat by Lynn Nottage ’89 (Former Faculty) for Shreveport Little Theatre in January 2023. He co-directed The Meeting by Jeff Stetson with Dr. Angelique Feaster-Evans
DAVID GEFFEN
Alumni Notes
39
Jane Macfie ’88 and Joseph Fuqua ’90
35–36
David and Jaylene Graham Wallace ’86 in Estes Park, Colorado. William Wallace and Phillip Wallace, their sons, looking at KCMO from atop the Liberty Memorial. Photo by Jaylene.
37–38
Campbell Dalglish ’86 at the Lake Placid Film Festival. “Holding the torch for the Water Fire Ceremony in Providence, RI, at my brother Tom’s funeral June 24th, 2023, with a canoe sent out to sea in his memory.”
40
41 Julia Fulton ’84
42
The Bridal Path by Julia Fulton ’84.
Hussain Muhammad Jalil as As’ad in Hanging Gardens, co-written and co-produced by Margaret Glover ‘88, YC ‘81
Poster for Posterity by Wendy MacLeod ’87.
Alumni Notes
for Mahogany Ensemble Theatre in partnership with the Drama Club at LSU Shreveport in September 2023 and also directed The Woolgatherer by William Mastrosimone at LSU Shreveport. ● Campbell Dalglish ’86 is living in Patchogue, Long Island, with 15-year old son, Milo. He is a Suffolk County Film Commissioner, President and Co-Founder of The Plaza Cinema and Media Arts Center, a full professor at CCNY Film Program in Harlem teaching screenwriting and directing, and Founder and Director of D’Arc Productions. His PBS Documentary Savage Land won 10 Best Feature Documentary Awards, his short film Road Kill won seven Best Short Film Awards, and his short screenplay, Charade of a Fly (a dark comedy looking for a producer), won three Best Short Screenplay awards in international film festivals. Savage Land was selected for the 2023 Society of Visual Anthropology Film Festival in Toronto. He is most proud of his children; Sierra Kay, puppeteer in New Orleans; Sage Brantley, composer in Arvada, Colorado; Ariel Brantley Dalglish, dancing midwife in Tacoma, Washington; and his son, Milo, a budding architect/soccer player. ● Jaylene Graham Wallace ’86 and her husband, David, celebrated 32 years of marriage in July and are looking forward to retirement at the end of the year. David is looking for mountain land near the San Luis Valley in order to build a cabin retreat. They have planned to travel, but pandemics and medical adventures have interfered so far. Meanwhile, they’re finding contentment in Colorado. ● Barbara Bragg ’87 played Diedre in The Humans at CVRep directed by Adam Karsten last fall. In 2023 she was lucky to work on a SAG verified contract right before the strike playing Dr. Leigh Brackett in sci-fi thriller Space Command: Forgiveness ● Rick Butler ’87 had a busy year, designing Power Book II: Ghost for Starz, and The Peripheral second season, for Amazon. In movies, he was production designer for Maybe I Do, and co-designer of Miranda’s Victim with Lily Guerin ’20 ● Michael Chybowski ’87 is still an associate professor at UConn teaching lighting design. He wants to let everyone know that he has written a book (!) that will
be published by Routledge in February: What Is Lighting Design? A Genealogy of People and Ideas. It’s a bit of a detective story—how did lighting design come to be, and what is it exactly? The book is not only for students—it’s for anyone who is curious about the whole thing or wished they knew more. It includes a “family tree” of American lighting designers beginning with the first three in the 1930’s (not a very old profession, is it?). Hope everyone is doing well! ● Wendy MacLeod’s ’87 newest play, Posterity, will be done in Philadelphia by the graduate acting students at Villanova University, directed by Ed Sobel. The play is about stories of loss that move from the Civil War to 9/11 to the present. ● Cheryl Mintz ’87 is the Production Stage Manager of the theatrical world premiere of The Pianist adapted for the stage and directed by Emily Mann. This is Cheryl and Emily Mann’s 38th production collaboration together, and “the most superb and meaningful in every way!” Cheryl returns to American Repertory Ballet as their Production Stage Manager during the 2023-2024 season, and as the Production Supervisor for the Lewis Center for the Arts International Poetry Festival at Princeton University. She continues at Montclair State University as an adjunct professor teaching stage management and serves as the Stage Managers’ Association Director-at-Large and as Host, Producer and Event Chair of the Del Hughes Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Art of Stage Management. This past year, Cheryl and her husband, Harris, escaped to Italy, Iceland, and Portugal for extended adventures. Cheryl is most proud of her son, Jake, who is a freshman thriving at Syracuse University School of Architecture. ● Hanging Gardens by Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji, co-written and co-produced by Margaret Glover ’88, YC ’81 is in the running for Best International Feature at the 2024 Oscars. The film premiered at Venice in 2022 and won Best Film at Red Sea, among other prizes at numerous international festivals. Margaret and Ahmed are at treatment stage on their second collaboration, Madness and Honey Days. ● Benjamin Lloyd ’88 writes that he had a great time
at the DGSD Alumni event at the Yale Club NYC. “Got to hang with some other 1980s vintage alums: Laila Robbins ’84, Michael Rogers ’85, Campbell Dalgleish ’86, Quincy Long ’86, Peter Lewis ’87, Steven Skybell ’88, YC ’84, and Teresa Eyring ’89! ● Jane Macfie ’88 had a great time working with Joseph Fuqua ’90 on a brand-new musical at the Rubicon Theatre Company, Dark of the Moon, with book by Jonathan Prince and music/lyrics by Lindy Robbins, Dave Bassett, and Steve Robson. This one may have “legs.” Stay tuned! ● Robert Barnett ’89 writes, “Even though Covid still lurks among us, it’s hard to remember how bunker-like our lives were not that long ago.” Robert celebrated by heading off to London and Rome this spring with his friend Kate Stout, catching as much London theater as he could squeeze in before digesting a week’s worth of Roman ruins and Baroque churches and basking in the verdant vistas of Umbria. Theater-wise, Robert had a pair of readings of his play One Good Tree in upstate New York this past summer with whisperings of possible production. He tried his hand at a one-woman play about Mary Magdalene (she’s not who you think she is or who you want her to be) but the material proved too unwieldy, so recasting it as a novel. And he is revising a screenplay, American Classic, a political thriller set in DC about a media hotshot who gets out on a limb with a serial killer. Robert stepped back from being president of Harlem River Community Rowing, so he has time now to compete in a couple of head races this fall. Keeps him out of trouble and keeps his cardiologist happy. ● Mark Stevens ’89 writes that he is now retired.
1990s
After 24 years, John Huntington ’90 has early-retired from full-time teaching at City Tech (New York City College of Technology/ CUNY). But he is far from done with this industry that he loves. He has been busy with workshops, book promotion, and consulting, and will help the school in any
Alumni Notes
way that he can. He finished the process of taking his big book, Show Networks and Control Systems, and extracting out the show control information into a new, smaller book, Introduction to Show Control John’s two volumes should carry this information into the future. ● Gil Kofman ’90 will be having a production of his play Leni’s Last Lament at the Invisible Dog in Brooklyn, directed by Richard Caliban and starring Jodie Markell. It is produced by Brave New World Rep. He will also have his play Dickhead produced by Theater for the New City in October 2024, directed by Caliban. He has just completed a play on Hitchcock called Ghost Cameo, and he is in pre-production on an Icelandic thriller. ● Adam Versényi MFA ’86, DFA ’90 continues to teach in the Department of Dramatic Art at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where he is also Senior Dramaturg for PlayMakers Repertory Company and most recently dramaturged Much Ado About Nothing Having previously chaired UNC’s curriculum in International and Area Studies (now Global Studies) and Dramatic Art, he was recently appointed Director of the Chairs Leadership Program at UNC’s Institute for the Arts and Humanities. His translation of Mexican playwright Sabina Berman’s The Agony of Ecstasy was produced at Oakland University in Michigan, and his translation of Chilean playwright and director Ramón Griffero’s book of aesthetic theory and practical exercises received an Honorable Mention for the 2023 American Society for Theatre Research Translation Prize. This past summer he spent two glorious weeks with his partner, Robin Kirk, hiking and exploring County Mayo and Connemara prior to directing his study abroad program in Galway, Ireland on Arts Criticism in conjunction with the Galway International Arts Festival. ● Joshua Fardon ’91 became a Chicago Dramatists Resident Playwright in September 2023. He has been the Creative Director of Naked Angels Tuesdays@9 Chicago since 2018. He’s working on a new musical. ● Daniel Kramer ’91 had the great pleasure during the summer of 2023 to work with Alex Draper ’91 at Chester Theatre Company,
where he directed Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation. Alex and Daniel had not worked on a play together since graduating from Yale—but they picked up as if no time had passed. Alex and the entire cast have been nominated for Outstanding Ensemble Performance by the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association. ● Paul Zimmerman ’91 writes “I’m excited to announce that an incredible cast led by André Holland, Nicole Beharie, and DeWanda Wise has finished shooting my screenplay Fleeing. It’s been an endless slog to get the film made, and I’m excited (and relieved!) to see it released sometime in 2024.” In other news, Paul is still living in Brooklyn and teaching at Hofstra University. ● Sarah Long ’92, YC ’85 stepped down as the founding chairman of The Bedford Playhouse in April 2023, after eight and half years of working with a great group of people restoring and reimagining the theater. It is now a vibrant hub for culture, connection, and conversation. The Bedford Playhouse regularly hosts authors, directors, live music, panel discussions, comedy nights, as well as wine tastings, trivia nights, and hundreds of other events throughout the year. Sarah will be producing Fun at the Beach Bomp-Romp-a-Lomp, an original musical by Martin Landry and Brandon Lambert with direction by Mark Bell, set to open in London in May. ● Michael Manuel ’92 and Roxanna Augesen ’93 are living in Sierra Madre with their sweet pups, Jayz and Bertie. Their daughter, Lily, is living in NY navigating what it is to be a young actor these days. Michael performed in Sunday in the Park with George at the Pasadena Playhouse in January. The production was directed by Sarna Lapine and the same team from the 2017 Broadway show with Jake Gyllenhaal. His pal Chris Bauer ’92 was there opening night supporting him. He only had a page or two of notes. Michael was nominated by Danny Feldman, the artistic director of the Pasadena Playhouse, for the 2023 Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship and was lucky enough to win. He spent July in Wisconsin at Ten Chimneys with Jerry Zaks and the other nine fellows. Also in July, Michael started working as John Legend’s
acting coach and the creative consultant for his one-man show An Evening with John Legend: A Night of Songs and Stories. When the show was in Chicago, he stayed with Dan Rubin ’93 and his lovely wife, Karen Frederick. He looks forward to expanding his coaching clientele and directing next year and sends love to all. ● Elaine Tse ’92 visited Kauai with her family in 2023. ● Dominica Plummer (Borg) ’93, DFA ’98 moved to London in 2019 where she has been writing plays and theater criticism. Her most recent play, Antwerp 1658, about early feminist playwright and philosopher Margaret Cavendish, was long listed by the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 37 Plays Project. When Dominica is not writing plays, she is lead reviewer for thespyinthestalls. com. ● Christina Sibul ’94 had the extreme pleasure of working with DGSD alum Patricia Clarkson ’85 (Board of Advisors) in the movie Monica. It was released theatrically by IFC in May of 2023, and has been included on numerous top ten lists, mentioning both lead Trace Lysette and Patty as Awards Contenders. ● Phillip Christian Smith ’94 received his second MFA from Hunter College, served on staff at The Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and is a new member of New Dramatists class of 2030. His play Denizens had a run at The Brick. ● Ilona Somogyi ’94 (Faculty) spent most of the last 10 years diverting her non-teaching, design and other energies toward Ball & Socket Arts, a non-profit organization that is restoring a historic factory in the middle of her hometown of Cheshire, CT, and converting it into a multi-disciplinary arts center. Ilona finally got to celebrate the opening of the first gallery space. She is happy to present the early photography of Charlie Erickson, whom so many know as one of the best theater photographers working today. Together with Tom Hearn, a local legend and chronicler of the downtown music scene of the 1970s, they are the focus of Rites of Passage. It’s all cool rock and roll photography and Ilona hopes you have a chance to stop by and check it out. ● Flora Stamatiades ’94 has just completed her first year in Leadership Transitions with Arts Consulting Group. In that year, she worked
Alumni Notes
43
Sunday in the Park with George at Pasadena Playhouse, featuring Michael Manuel ’92. Photo by Jenny Sullivan.
44–45
Flora Stamatiades ’94 with Laura Wilts Perlow ’93 and Chris Jennings ’97.
46
Assistant Professor of Acting Esther K. Chae ’99. Photo by Asa Mathat.
Blunt ’99
Michael Manuel ’92 and Chris Bauer ’92
49
Sarah Long ’92, YC ’85 (Board of Advisors) and Clive Davis, 2023 award honorees at the Bedford Playhouse Gala.
50
Leni’s Last Lament by Gil Kofman ’90.
51
Narda E. Alcorn ’95 (Faculty) and Lisa Porter ’95
DAVID GEFFEN
Alumni Notes
52 Access Granted by Magaly ColimonChristopher ’98
53
Zoom reading of A Wife in the Shadows, written and directed by Julius Galacki ’98.
54 (left to right) Ricardo Morris ’97, Melanie Deas ’97, and Chris Jennings ’97. Photo by Chris Jennings.
55 Chris Weida ’95 and family. (left to right) Alex, Danny, Chris, Emily, Connor.
56 Still from Monica, starring Trace Lysette and Patricia Clarkson ’85 (Board of Advisors)
57
Phillip Christian Smith ’94 (third from left) at Hunter College graduation. Photo credit by Angela Carlo.
Alumni Notes
58 Ilona Somogyi ’94 (Faculty) outside The Workshop Gallery at Ball & Socket Arts on opening night of Rites of Passage. Photo by Patti Flynn-Harris.
59 Marty New ’92 and Sy Sussman ’94 after a hot morning of grape harvesting.
60 Alex Draper ’91 in Circle Mirror
Transformation with Tara Franklin and Corinna May. Photo by Andrew Greto.
61 Elaine Tse ’92 and her family visiting Kauai.
on searches for Manhattan Theatre Club (go Chris Jennings ’97!), Roundabout Theater Company, Soho Rep, and many others. Arts Consulting Group also re-activated Broadway for Biden with an eye to the 2024 Presidential Election—follow them on Facebook or Instagram to see what they’re up to. Flora also found time to go on vacation to New Orleans with Laura Wilts Perlow ’93, and to visit George C. White ’61, YC ’57 (Former Faculty) in Waterford, while working on a search with the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. She is still living in Manhattan, and thanks to Emily Beck ’95, has two new cats after losing her dear Nutley. ● Sy Sussman ’94 had the pleasure of seeing a couple of friends from the class of 1992. In July, Sy had dinner in Aspen with Lisa Rigsby Peterson ’92. He was there on vacation and found out that Lisa is the Executive Director of Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House. She was very excited to tell Sy that he was the main character of a story she’s been telling for 30 years about the opening night of Ivanov. As it turns out, Sy was not yet a student when the Rep did Ivanov. But he’s happy to keep starring in Lisa’s story. In October, Sy got a text from Marty New ’92 saying that the heat wave was turning her vineyard of pinot noir grapes into raisins, and she needed emergency pickers. So, he drove up to her place in Lompoc, CA, and spent a few hours with Marty and friends harvesting grapes. Sy was paid with a hearty meal, a bottle of Malbec, and an Asian pear from Marty’s garden. ● Narda E. Alcorn ’95 (Faculty) and Lisa Porter ’95 are thrilled about the publication of the second edition of their book, Stage Management Theory as a Guide to Practice: Cultivating a Creative Approach The book includes additional experiential stories and a brand-new chapter with more strategies to inspire and empower stage managers. ● Suzanne Cryer ’95 is currently part of the ensemble comedy Lucky Hank on AMC, playing poet Gracie DuBois. The show is based on the novel Straight Man by Richard Russo. Suzanne is also in the new Disney series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, playing Echidna, the mother of monsters. Percy aired in late
2023 and features the brilliant Lance Reddick ’94 as Zeus. ● David Feiner ’95 premiered Port of Entry this summer with the Chicago theater he co-founded and co-directs—Albany Park Theater Project (APTP)—in collaboration with Third Rail Projects. Other DGSD alums on the project include Elizabth Mak ’16 (Lighting & Projections Designer), Nicole Lang ’22 (Associate Lighting & Projections Designer), and Noel Nichols ’22 (Associate Sound Designer). Five years in the making, Port of Entry is an immersive theater experience that recreates and invites audiences into a Chicago apartment building where immigrants and refugees displaced from all parts of the world launch new lives. ● John James Hickey ’95 completed his 40th year teaching acting to children and adults and his 21st year teaching filmmaking at Camp Scatico. It’s rewarding for John to see prior campers and counselors now working in film, television, and animation. He continues to write, direct, and produce in L.A. Although, since the strike started, he has instead painted a lot of portraits and even designed his first album cover. Recently, John was hired to edit a book called Freedom of Movement about a Polish dancer and choreographer from London’s Royal Ballet. It’ll come out next year. This is the second book he has edited. The first was Acting for the Camera: Back to One, which he also illustrated. ● Rachel Shteir’s ’95 book, Betty Friedan: Magnificent Disruptor, was published by Yale Jewish Lives. ● Chris Weida ’95 writes that he is still living in the Milwaukee area and continues to work at Derse, Inc., a faceto-face marketing company specializing in exhibits, events and environments. Chris and Rosanne celebrated their 25-year wedding anniversary with a trip to Nashville to enjoy the sights downtown and some wonderful hiking. Alex started Pharmacy School in the fall, Connor graduated from UW Madison in the spring, and his internship with the Wisconsin Investment Board turned into a full-time position. Connor also will be marrying next summer so we will welcome Ashton, a pre-school special ed teacher, to the family. Emily started her sophomore year at UW LaCrosse,
Alumni Notes
studying event planning and marketing, and Danny, our last one at home full time, started his junior year in high school. He’ll be the designer in the family as he has a strong creative interest backed up with talent he does not get from his dad! ● Michael Goodfriend ’96 went back to his “survival work” in audio, teaming up with an old friend to head up Scripted Fiction at Next Chapter Podcasts during the pandemic. Michael launched the Play On Podcast series, re-telling Shakespeare’s stories in serialized podcast adaptations. They have created more than a dozen series from Shakespeare’s plays, surpassing two million downloads and winning lots of awards and kudos. The Podcasts have featured the talents of countless Yale alums, including Marcus Gardley ’04 (Faculty), Josh Wilder ’18, Nelson T. Eusebio III ’07, Jane Shaw ’98, Francesca Fernandez ’18, Elijah Alexander ’96, Tiffany Rachelle Stewart ’07, Matthew Elijah Webb ’22, Sarita Covington ’07, Ashley Bryant ’08, Barret O’Brien ’09, and more. Michael also teamed up with fellow DGSD alum Kevin Henderson ’96 to produce his podcast series, In the Cards, starring Yale alums Laila Robins ’84 and Chukwudi Iwuji YC ’97 and featuring performances by Joanna Glushak ’99, Amy Malloy ’96, and Chris Henry Coffey ’99. The series rose to the top ten fiction podcasts in its first month and took the top spot in the comedy genre. Visit ncpodcasts.com to hear the extraordinary work of all your friends! ● Mark Kupferman ’96 took on a new role as the Chief Marketing Officer for Chuck E. Cheese. ● Ric Morris ’97 had a wonderful time celebrating classmate Chris Jennings’ ’97 new position as Executive Director of the Manhattan Theatre Club. As an extra added treat, Ric and other classmates helped Chris kick-off his first season by attending the absolutely fabulous world premiere of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding ● Magaly ColimonChristopher ’98 presented a reading of her new play, Access Granted at The Secret Theatre in Queens, NY. Play synopsis: In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Haitian American Marie calls upon her Haitian ancestors to help her daughter Grace free
her mind from the grip of negativity, the “cancel culture,” and the digital world to find her way to her predestined spiritual path. This project was made possible by a NYFA QAF New Works Grant. ● Julius Galacki’s ’98 full length play A Wife in the Shadows was a 2023 finalist in the Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival. His latest comedy screenplay Don’t Eat Paper! is winding its way through various screenplay competitions, among them for Final Draft’s Big Break competition. His short film All Things Chicken got a screening at the Eau Claire Film Festival in Wisconsin and three of Julius’s short plays were in the Decameron Project’s 1 Minute Play Festival at the Victory Theatre Center in Burbank, CA. Lastly, Empty Slot, a short play, was published in the journal Literature Today in July 2023. ● Ed Blunt ’99 writes: “The entrepreneurial path is NOT for the faint of heart. I am grateful for the foundation I built while living in NYC auditioning and booking, knowing if I didn’t book, I didn’t eat. It was hard and I applied the skills I learned & honed at DGSD to work enough to not have to do anything else after my first year in NYC. Now as a Brand Ambassador for the most potent nutraceuticals on the planet, I continue to positively impact the quality of life & health of people throughout the U.S. and beyond! And yes, I still do voice overs, commercial shoots, and photo shoots. Once you’ve acquired these skills, they can feed you for life!” ● Esther K. Chae ’99 is proud to announce her appointment as tenuretrack Assistant Professor in Acting at University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts. Please reach out for possible collaboration and/or to come visit Esther on campus. Additionally, she has never had so much fun as she did shooting the new Hulu series Interior Chinatown with executive producer Taika Waititi and Charles Yu (writer of the original novel) and starring Jimmy O. Yang, Chloe Bennet, and her personal crush, Ronny Chieng. ● Says Andrea Chi-Yen Kung ’99, “Hi and best wishes!” Andrea is living in New York City. Her ex-husband, Ben, and two kids, Laura (age 12) and Ian, (age 10) are doing well.
2000s
Luke Cantarella ’00, along with Scott Bolman ’03 and Stan Mathabane ’24 worked on Our Home, the U.S. National Exhibit Design for the Prague Quadriennial 2023. The house-like structure, which featured a two-channel video installation was created from salvaged floorboards and upcycled backdrops by Jim Lile ’00 and his graduate students at Florida State University. ● Brian Robinson ’00 recently published Project Boing;), a novel satirizing Silicon Valley. It’s based on his amazing, crazy, inspiring, and infuriating experiences over the past two decades working as an analytics leader at tech companies like Facebook and Yahoo. (There’s a mini-Restoration Comedy in the middle!) Otherwise, life is good. Let Brian know if you’re ever in San Francisco! ● Junghyun Georgia Lee ’01 joined Amherst College, MA, as Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance. She is teaching scenic and costume design for performing arts. She also received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Set Design in 2022 and was nominated for a Henry Hewes Design Award in 2023. She will be continuing her creative work with Asian American theatre artists, as well as developing curriculum for design and diversity. ● Vincent Olivieri ’01 and Sarah Hodges Olivieri ’08 continue to live in sunny southern California, where she is an assistant director for television, and he practices sound design and teaches at University of California-Irvine. Their daughter, Hallie, continues to delight them, and they wish you all could meet her! ● Clara Rice ’02 recently assumed the role of Global Director of Marketing for Adirondack Studios (ADKS), an industry leader in the design, fabrication and installation of entertainment, retail and cultural experiences. Prior to ADKS, she spent nearly 16 years at JRA, an exhibit and attraction design studio, as well as its parent company, entertainment experience powerhouse RWS Global. She is the 2023 recipient of NEAAPA’s Paragon Award for Marketing Excellence and enjoys speaking on topics such as gender equity, universal design, and
Alumni Notes
62–63
U.S. National Exhibit for the Prague Quadriennial 2023. Photos by Jim Lile ’00.
64
Sandra Goldmark ’04, Michael Banta ’03, Luke, and Eric on a break from construction.
65
Project Boing;) by Brian W. Robinson ’00
66
Hamlet, directed by Christopher Sanderson ’05.
67
Vincent Olivieri ’01, Sarah Hodges Olivieri ’08, and daughter, Hallie.
68
Gia Forakis ’04 (center) at the Itaka Shakespeare Festival, Novi Sad. Photo property of Itaka Shakespeare festival.
career development at industry conferences around the world. ● Gia Forakis ’04 says, “Hello, from Brooklyn.” Gia Forakis & Company (GF&CO) created, produced, and premiered a new original production, After Othello: The Moor the Merrier—an original dark comedy featuring the oftenforgotten role of The Clown from Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice. The Clown takes us on a comical, absurd, and sometimes searing search to uncover the truth behind the motives and the murders in Othello–from his point of view. In June of 2023, GF&CO received a month-long residency at Kövér Béla Bábszínház theater in Szeged, Hungary. They then traveled to Novi Sad, Serbia, where they performed After Othello at the 10th Annual International Itaka Shakespeare Festival. Future goals include teaming up with producing partners to bring After Othello to the U.S., and touring to other Shakespeare Festivals both here and abroad. If you are interested in discussing a producing partnership and/or supporting further productions of After Othello, please contact GFandCO@gmail.com. ● Sandra Goldmark ’04 and Michael Banta ’03 live in New York with Luke, 15, and Eric, 11, and new addition Nina the dog. Michael is the Director of Production for the Barnard College Department of Theatre, and Sandra is an Associate Professor of Professional Practice at Barnard and Senior Assistant Dean at the Columbia University Climate School. They put their design, production, and sustainability skills to the test each summer, slowly building a rustic getaway in the Adirondacks with battery-powered tools, local lumber, and lots of help from friends. ● Christopher Sanderson ’05, a producer and director, achieved another accolade for his ongoing SAG-compliant project to film Shakespeare in the popular 9/16 aspect ratio of TikTok and FaceTime with a semi-finalist placement at the Cannes Continental Film Festival for the second of these innovative feature films, Hamlet, starring Henry Austin Shikongo. The first, Macbeth, starring Leajato Robinson, won several Best Director awards on the festival circuit and is available on VOD. The third film in this aesthetic is Richard III, starring
DAVID GEFFEN
Alumni Notes
69–70
Consider the Lobster at Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, directed by Yana Ross ’06.
71
Jenn Lindsay ’08 (bottom) with her So Fare Films Production Team.
72
Yuri Cataldo ’08 at graduation from MIT Sloan.
73
Cyrano de Bergerac at KCRep, directed by Nelson T. Eusebio III ’07.
74
Malcolm K. Darrell ’07. Photo by Amy Haring Photography.
Alumni Notes
Filipino-American actor Josh Spafford. All the projects build on Sanderson’s 25-year history of Shakespeare production in New York City with his company Gorilla Rep. Richard III is based on his workshop of the play, titled R3, at DGSD. ● Yana Ross ’06 and Zane Pihlstrom premiered Consider the Lobster, based on an essay by David Foster Wallace, at the Lithuanian National Drama Theater. They are currently working on the world premiere of the French novel Cher Connard at Schauspielhaus Zürich, where Yana is one of the artistic leaders. She continued her long-term collaboration with the Berliner Ensemble, directing My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård in March
“I’m thrilled to begin my 2nd season as Associate Artistic Director at KCRep with the first ever Asian American Cyrano de Bergerac.”
—Nelson T. Eusebio III ‘07
2024. ● “Who knew everything I learned at Yale would lead me to a distillery?!” writes Malcolm K. Darrell ’07. Since his years at DGSD, his career and life have been a unique and adventurous journey. From Los Angeles theater (Ebony Rep, Center Theatre Group), black car driving (BLS—yep no shame!), and married with kids to theme parks (Walt Disney Imagineering). And now, in Tennessee: Malcolm, Director of Experiences for Nearest Green Distillery, home of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey—The Most Awarded Bourbon or American Whiskey of 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022. “Truly, my life is one enormous blessing.” ● Nelson T. Eusebio III ’07 writes: “I’m thrilled to begin my 2nd season as Associate Artistic Director at KCRep with the first ever Asian American Cyrano de Bergerac. James Chen ’08 (Board of Advisors) became the first Asian American Cyrano
in American theatre history at the regional level. Featuring gorgeous design from Riw Rakkulchon ’19, Marie Yokoyama ’10, and excellent production management from Janann Eldredge ’06, I am so proud of this show. The fights choreographed by Mike Rossmy (Faculty) were incredible. I became the first Asian American director of a Cyrano (can you believe that?). James was brilliant, and what a full circle moment for the both of us as the last time I acted, James directed me in a Yale Cabaret show. A truly memorable production centered around an incredible performance from our leading man.” ● Rachel Myers ’07 has joined the NYU Tisch faculty as Associate Arts Professor of Design for Film. ● Yuri Cataldo ’08 graduated from MIT Sloan with an MBA emphasizing AI and sustainability in June 2023. Yuri is currently leading generative AI projects at Autodesk and launching Athenian Capital this fall, focused on the intersection of AI and creativity. ● L M Feldman ’08 was selected as a 2023-2025 Venturous Playwright Fellow by the Playwrights’ Center. ● Jenn Lindsay ’08 continues to run So Fare Films, a film production company and internship program based in Rome, Italy, where she is also a professor of sociology at John Cabot University. This year sees the release of her documentary feature film Simulating Religious Violence about the use of artificial intelligence to study radicalization, and some grant winnings for another documentary feature film, Minding Shadows, about an African Buddhist monk who survived the Rwandan genocide as a small boy. She’s also developing a feature film script with the Sundance Institute and, pending funding, may start casting in 2024. She will definitely dip into the DGSD network for top-notch actors for the film, so please feel free to be in touch via jenn@sofarefilms.com.
2010s
Valérie Thérèse Bart ’10 started teaching an Introduction to Costume Design class at Bard College this fall, where Miriam Felton-Dansky ’09, DFA ’13 is chair of the Theater & Performance depart-
ment. This marks the department’s first ever offering in a semester-long course in any design discipline. ● Walter Byongsok Chon ’10 is spending his sabbatical as a visiting professor at the School of Drama at the Korean National University of Arts. He is currently teaching three classes—Play Analysis, Modern American Drama, and Theory and Criticism, and is trying to connect further with the Korean theatre scene and looking for opportunities in production dramaturgy and publication. He is thrilled to be back in his home country, spending time with parents, relatives, and friends, and to be part of his home culture again, especially after many years of absence due to the pandemic. Walter has been awarded a Bogliasco Foundation Spring 2024 Fellowship, and will spend four weeks in Bogliasco, Italy. He will translate a collection of plays by Korean playwright Myung-Wha Kim from Korean into English. His wife, Anne, who was also awarded a Fellowship, will serve as his English language consultant. Walter writes that he was “very happy to have seen some of you last year at the Class of 2020 commencement. It was inspiring to be back at Yale and to remember and reflect on the learning and the passion we had there. They are still carrying me.” ● Christopher Mirto ’10 started a new job this year as Producing Director of Kentucky Opera in Louisville, workshopped a new opera with Rachel J. Peters and Royce Vavrek with the Voksenåsen Music Academies in Norway, and premiered his first fully commissioned opera at Opera Columbus. ● Belina Mizrahi ’10, YC ’02 attended the wedding of Suzanne Appel ’11, SOM ’11 and Ali Rezvani on September 23, 2023 in a gorgeous ceremony in Jersey City. The reception was held at the Newark Art Museum. Belina and other alumni in attendance danced the night away. ● Louisa Proske ’12 is entering her third season as Associate Artistic Director and Resident Director of Oper Halle. The company recently won a prestigious FAUST theater prize for their work, and she has directed four productions so far, including the audience hit Into the Woods and the opening of the 2023 International Handel Festival Xerxes, featuring a full-scale private jet on stage.
Alumni Notes
DAVID GEFFEN
ANNUAL MAGAZINE / 2023-24
Alumni Notes
75 (top row) Alyssa Anderson-Kuntz ’10; Michael Barker ’10, SOM ’10; Heidi Leigh Hanson ’09; and Sarah BishopStone ’10. (bottom row) Whitney Estrin ’10; Karen Fiorenza ’12; Suzanne Appel ’11, SOM ’11; Belina Mizrahi; Aurélia Fisher Cohen ’10; and Meghan Pressman ’10, SOM ’10.
76
Into the Woods, directed by Louisa Proske ’12 at Oper Halle. Photo by Anna Kolata.
77
Sarah Williams ’15. Photo by Mitch Tobias.
78 Alexander Woodward ’16 and Jessica Holt ’15 at the opening night party for Sense & Sensibility at The Cape Playhouse.
79 Christopher Mirto ’10 and his son Lysander at Kentucky Opera. Photo by Emma Pinkley.
80 (left to right) Molly Hennighausen ’15; Leora Morris ’16; Andrew Hotaling; Emika Abe ’16, SOM ’16; Sarah Williams ’15; and Flo Low ’17. Photo by Molly Hennighausen.
81
Margot Bordelon ’13, Liz Diamond (Faculty), and Ethan Heard ’13, YC ’07. Photo by Anne Hoskins.
82
Lauren E. Banks ’17 in the Paramount+ series Lawmen: Bass Reeves.
Louisa also directed Rinaldo at Glimmerglass Festival 2023, a production originally postponed due to Covid, featuring designs by Matt Saunders ’12 and Montana Levi Blanco ’15, and starring Korin ThomasSmith MUS ’23. Heartbeat Opera, the company Ethan Heard ’13, YC ’07 and Louisa co-founded, was recently celebrated in The New York Times as “an enterprise that, while small and still young, has already contributed more to opera’s vitality than most major American companies.” ● JT Timms ’12 graduated as a technical intern in sound. They received their MFA in sound design from Boston University in 2015 and their MSW from Boston College in 2021. They are now an LICSW and work full time in the counseling department at Berklee College of Music and as a per diem social worker at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. ● Ethan Heard ’13, YC ’07 and his husband, Stanley Bahorek (Yale Rep’s Assassins), celebrated their wedding this fall. Margot Bordelon ’13, Liz Diamond (Faculty), and several other beloved DGSD friends were in attendance. Heartbeat Opera, which Ethan co-founded with Louisa Proske ’12, kicked off its tenth anniversary season this month. Sonja Berggren ’13 serves faithfully on the board, and DGSD directors Dustin Wills ’14, Shadi Ghaheri ’18, Rory Pelsue ’18, and Beth Dinkova ’17 will direct upcoming Heartbeat productions. ● Carly Zien ’14 starred as Elodie in Joshua Harmon’s Prayer for the French Republic at the Huntington Theatre in Boston. Reviews called Carly’s performance of Elodie’s eleven-minute monologue an “impressive tour-de-force.” ● Shannon Dillon ’15, after six years away, is thrilled to be returning to the industry as the performing arts coordinator at Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, California. She is also expecting her first child at the end of May. ● Molly Hennighausen ’15 celebrated the one-year anniversary of their business, MM Strategic Advising—a financial consulting business geared towards artists and creative entrepreneurs. During the first year of business, they worked with over 90 artists and creatives and guest lectured at the Berklee School of Music. ● Jessica Holt ’15 loved reuniting with Al-
exander Woodward ’16 this past summer on Kate Hamill’s Sense & Sensibility at The Cape Playhouse. It was their sixth production together. Additional highlights from 2023 include directing Fun Home at River & Rail Theatre in Knoxville, TN, and meeting two members of the Tennessee Three while there, editing, adapting & directing Three Sisters at AADA, and meeting and making some incredible new collaborators and friends while doing all of it. ● Sarah Williams ’15 started as the Arts Program Officer at the Kenneth Rainin Foundation in Oakland, where she supports program delivery, grantmaking strategy and evaluation for the Foundation. ● Emika Abe ’16, SOM ’16 and Andrew Hotaling were married on June 10, 2023 in Gaithersburg, MD. They were joined in celebration by DGSD alumni Molly Hennighausen ’15 (who did double duty as wedding photographer!), Leora Morris ’16, Sarah Williams ’15, and Flo Low ’17. ● Lauren E. Banks ’17 can be seen in the Paramount+ series Lawmen: Bass Reeves. She stars alongside David Oyelowo, who plays the titular role. Additionally, Lauren has been cast in a new film version of The Dutchman, based on Amiri Baraka’s Obie Award-winning play, set to be released in Spring 2024.
2020s
Danilo Gambini ’20 and Neo Ávila were married on July 11, 2023. ● Emily Wilson ’20 is working for Interlochen Public Radio as the producer for their classical music podcast for kids, Classical Sprouts and their kid’s daily broadcast radio show, Kids Commute, as well as working as their digital content manager. She continues to freelance in theater, assisting DGSD alum Palmer Hefferan ’13 at McCarter as the associate sound designer on the continued productions of The 1491s’ Between Two Knees, and as summer faculty and guest sound designer at Interlochen Center for the Arts. ● Yaro Yarashevich ’20 and other 2020 TD&P alumni celebrated the Else-Vajk wedding at Hawkesdene Estate in Andrews, NC. ● Margaret Douglas ’20 and Laurie Ortega-Murphy ’20 write: “After four wonderful years together, including one
Alumni Notes
year trying to plan a wedding, we decided what we wanted, more than a wedding, was just to be married. With the blessing of our parents and the ability to Self-Unite in Pennsylvania, we intended to head to the woods to say our vows but then Laurie broke their toe. So our witnesses brought trees to our living room and we got married in our house, which we love. Thank you for being part of our community! We love you very much.” ● Andrew Riedemann ’23 writes: “Mia Haiman ’23 and Andrew Riedemann ’23 met in the Fall of 2019 during their first year in the TD&P program and quickly became inseparable. Mia helped Andrew navigate the fine art of email writing and surviving structures, while Andrew helped Mia with drafting and shop projects. After a performance of She Kills Monsters, which they worked on together, Andrew proposed to Mia on the front steps of the University Theater, where they often had lunch. They graduated in 2023 and now live in NYC. Mia is the Production Manager at New York Theatre Workshop and Andrew is at Daedalus Design & Production as a Technical Designer. Mia and Andrew tied the knot in New Haven this past November.”
83
(left to right)
Tatsuya Ito ’20, David Phelps ’20, Matthew Lewis ’20, Steeve Vajk, Samantha Vajk (Else) ’20, Yaro Yarashevich ’20, Rajiv Shah ’20. Photo by Jason Keefer. 84
Margaret Douglas ’20 and Laurie OrtegaMurphy ’20
85
Andrew Riedemann ’23 and Mia Haiman ’23
86
Danilo Gambini ’20 and husband, Neo Ávila. Photo by Noah Weeks.
Alumni Notes
David Geffen School of Drama at Yale Legacy Partners
We invite you to join fellow alumni and friends who have included DGSD in their estate plans or made other planned gifts to the School. Through David Geffen School of Drama at Yale Legacy Partners, you can directly influence the future of Yale.
You are eligible for membership if you have named DGSD as a beneficiary of your will, trust, life-income gifts, IRA or other retirement plan, life insurance policy, or other planned gift.
To learn more about making a planned gift to David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, please contact Deborah S. Berman, Director of Development and Alumni Affairs, at (203) 432-2890 or deborah.berman@yale.edu.
2023–24 DGSD Legacy Partners
Cynthia Kellogg Barrington*
Ezekial H. Berlin ’53*
Donald I. Cairns ’63
Raymond Carver ’61
Elizabeth S. Clark ’41*
Bill Conner ’79*
David M. Conte ’72
Converse Converse YC ’57
Sue Anne Converse ’55*
Nicholas Diggs*
Richard Diggs ’30, YC ’26*
Charles Dillingham ’69, YC ’65
Eldon J. Elder ’58*
Peter Entin ’71
Wesley Fata (Faculty Emeritus)
Joseph Gantman ’53*
James Gousseff ’56*
Albert R. Gurney ’58*
Robert L. Hurtgen*
James Earl Jewell ’57*
Joseph E. Kleno*
Frances E. Kumin ’77
Stephen R. Lawson ’76*
Richard G. Mason ’53*
H. Thomas Moore ’68
Tad Mosel ’50*
Arthur F. Nacht ’06
George E. Nichols III ’41, YC ’38*
G.C. Niemeyer ’42*
Dwight Richard Odle ’66*
Joan Pape ’68*
Mary B. Reynolds ’55*
Mark Richard ’57*
Barbara Richter ’60*
June Rosenblatt*
William Rothwell, Jr. ’53*
Forrest E. Sears ’58*
Eugene F. Shewmaker ’49*
Merrill L. Sindler ’57*
Kenneth J. Stein ’59
G. Erwin Steward ’60
Edward Trach ’58
Carol Waaser ’70
Elaine Wackerly ’03 and Patrick Wackerly
Donald R. Ware YC ’71
Phyllis C. Warfel ’55*
William B. Warfel ’57, YC ’55*
Wendy Wasserstein ’76*
Elmon Webb ’64 and Virginia Webb ’65
Zelma H. Weisfeld ’56*
Edwin Wilson ’57, DFA ’58
Albert J. Zuckerman ’61, DFA ’62
*Deceased
Donors
APRIL 1, 2023–MARCH 1, 2024
1940s
Joan Kron ’48
1950s
Ian Cadenhead ’58
Joy Carlin ’54
Sami Joan Casler ’59
John Cunningham ’59
Evelyn Huffman ’57
Amnon Kabatchnik ’57
David McNutt ’59
Kendric T. Packer ’52
Raymond Sader ’58
Kenneth Stein ’59
Edward Trach ’58
1960s
John Badham ’63, YC ’61
Steven Barbash ’63
Warren F. Bass ’67
Carol Murray-Negron ’64
James Burrows ’65
Mary-Jane Cassidy ’69
Patricia S. Cochrane ’62
David Copelin ’69, DFA ’72
Michael David ’68
F. Mitchell Dana ’67
Ramon L. Delgado ’67
John Duran’68
Robert H. Einenkel ’69
David Epstein ’68
Ann Farris ’63
Richard A. Feleppa ’60
Linda K. Fisher ’69
Hugh Fortmiller ’61
Keith Fowler ’69
David Freeman ’68
Richard Fuhrman ’64
Bernard Galm ’63
Ann Hanley ’61
Derek Hunt ’62
Laura Mae Jackson ’68
Abby Kenigsberg ’63
Ray Klausen ’67
Elizabeth W. Lewis ’61
Irene Lewis ’66
Fredric Lindauer ’66
Arthur L. Lueking ’66
Sandra Manley ’68
Donald Michaelis ’69
Janet Oetinger ’69
Richard Olson ’69
Michael Posnick ’69
Barbara Reid ’62
Donald Sanders ’69
Georg Schreiber ’64
Talia Shire Schwartzman ’69
Suzanne Sessions ’66
Richard Sherman ’66
James Steerman ’62, DFA ’69
John Wright Stevens ’66
Douglas Taylor ’66
Russell L. Treyz ’65
Joan Van Ark ’64
George C. White ’61, YC ’57
Peter White ’62
1970s
Sarah Albertson ’71, ART ’75
Donna Alexander ’74
Anne Averbuck ’70
Richard Beacham ’72, DFA ’73, YC ’68
John Lee Beatty ’73
Michael Cadden ’76, DFA ’79, YC ’71
Ian Calderon ’73
Joseph Capone ’76
H. Lloyd Carbaugh ’78
Bill Connor ’79
Joseph Costa ’74
Alama Cuervo ’76
Charles Andrew Davis ’76
Nancy Reeder El Bouhali ’70
Peter Entin ’71
Femi Euba ’73
Robert Gainer ’73
Donors
APRIL 1, 2023–MARCH 1, 2024
David Marshall Grant ’78
Stephen R. Grecco ’70
Michael E. Gross ’73
Julie Haber ’77
William B. Halbert ’70
Jane C. Head ’79
Jennifer Hershey ’77
Nicholas A. Hormann ’73
Alan Kibbe ’73
Fredrica A. Klemm ’76
Daniel L. Koetting ’74
Frances E. Kumin ’77
Mitchell L. Kurtz ’75
Rocco Landesman DFA ’76
Thomas Lanter ’75
Charles E. Letts ’76
Martha Lidji Lazar ’77
George N. Lindsay, Jr. ’74
Jennifer K. Lindstrom ’72
Robert Hamilton Long II ’76
Brian R. Mann ’79
Neil Mazzella ’78
John McAndrew ’72
Caroline A. McGee ’78
Jonathan Miller ’75
Lawrence S. Mirkin ’72, YC ’69
Richard Ostreicher ’79
Jeffrey Pavek ’71
William Purves ’71
Jeff Rank ’79
Pam Rank ’78
Ralph Redpath ’75
William J. Reynolds ’77
Steven Robman ’73
Howard J. Rogut ’71
Robin Pearson Rose ’73
Ben Sammler ’74
Robert Sandberg ’77
Suzanne Sato ’79
Joel Schechter ’72, DFA ’73
Michael Sheehan ’76
Benjamin Slotznick ’73, YC ’90
Jeremy T. Smith ’76
Edith Tarbescu ’76
Carol M. Waaser ’70
David Ward ’75
Carolyn Seely Weiner ’72
Henry Winkler ’70
Ryan Scott Yuille ’77
Steve Zuckerman ’74
1980s
Michael G. Albano ’82
Amy Aquino ’86
William Armstrong ’80
Clayton Austin ’86
Angela Bassett ’83, YC ’80,
DFAH ’18
James Bender ’85
Michael Bianco ’84
Katherine Borowitz ’81, YC ’76
Sharon Braunstein ’82
Bill Buck ’84
Kate Burton ’82
Richard W. Butler ’88
Jon Carlson ’88
Joan Channick ’89
Geoffrey Cohen ’83
Sasha Emerson ’84
Michael Fain ’82
Jon Farley ’83
Terry Fitzpatrick ’83
Tony Forman ’83
Walter M. Frankenberger III ’88
Judy Gailen ’89
J. Ellen Gainor ’83
Steven J. Gefroh ’85
Charles F. Grammer ’86
Rob Greenberg ’89
John Harnagel ’83
Babo Harrison ’89
Kathleen Houle ’88
Charles R. Hughes ’83
Chris P. Jaehnig ’85
Carol Kaplan ’89
Edward Kaye ’86
Patrick Kerr ’87
David K. Kriebs ’82
Kenneth Lewis ’86
Andi Lyons ’80
Cathy MacNeil-Hollinger ’86
David E. Moore, Jr. ’87
Patrick Murphy ’88
Tina Cantu Navarro ’86
Regina Neville ’88
Thomas Neville ’86
Arthur E. Oliner ’86
Erik Onate ’89
Carol Ostrow ’80
Deborah Reissman ’87
Laila V. Robins ’84
Lori Robishaw ’88
Constanza Romero ’88
Russ Rosensweig ’83
Kenneth Schlesinger ’84
Teresa Snider-Stein ’88
Marsha Beach Stewart ’85
Mark L. Sullivan ’83
Jane Savitt Tennen ’80
Sarah L. Tucker ’89
John Turturro ’83
Courtney B. Vance ’86
Adam Versényi ’86, DFA ’90, YC ’80
Jaylene Wallace ’86
Robert M. Wildman ’83
Alex Witchel ’82
Steven A. Wolff ’81
Dianah Wynter ’84
1990s
Narda E. Alcorn ’95
Tom Broecker ’92
James Bundy ’95
Sean P. Cullen ’94
Michael Diamond ’90*
Fran Egler ’95
Connie Evans ’93
David Gainey ’93
Stephen Godchaux ’93
Naomi S. Grabel ’91
Elizabeth Greer ’97
Regina Guggenheim ’93
Alexander Hammond ’96
Scott Hansen ’99
Jeffrey C. Herrmann ’99
John C. Huntington ’90
Clark L. Jackson ’99
Kim Jannarone ’96, DFA ’00
Kristin Johnsen-Neshati ’92, DFA ’02
David Koppel ’98
Sarah Long ’92, YC ’85
Chih-Lung Lui ’94
Suzanne Cryer Luke ’95, YC ’88
Tien-Tsung Ma ’92
Richard Mone ’91
Dw Phineas Perkins ’90
Marilyn Salinger’90
Peggy Sasso ’96
Jennifer Schwartz ’97
Paul Selfa ’92
Thomas W. Sellar ’97, DFA ’03
Jeremy Shapira ’97
Jane M. Shaw ’98
Vladimir Shpitalnik ’92
David Sword ’90
Patti Thorp ’91
Deborah L. Trout ’94
Erik Walstad ’95
Rich Whittington ’98
2000s
Chuck Adomanis ’04
Alexander Bagnall ’00
Pun Bandhu ’01
Michael Banta ’03
Ashley Bishop ’02
Frances Black ’09
Paul Black ’00
Mattie Brickman ’09
Sarah Bartlo Chaplin ’04
James Chen ’08
Shoshana Cooper ’09
Trip Cullman ’02, YC ’97
Derek DiGregorio ’07
Sarah Fornia ’04
Hannah Grannemann ’08, SOM ’08
John J. Hanlon ’04
Judith Hansen ’04
James Guerry Hood ’05
Donors
APRIL 1, 2023–MARCH 1, 2024
Melissa Huber ’01
Candace Jackson ’00
Rolin Jones ’04
Peter Kim ’04
Elena Maltese ’03
Tarell Alvin McCraney ’07
Beth Morrison ’05
David Muse ’03, YC ’96
Rachel Myers ’07
Grace O’Brien ’04
Adam O’Byrne ’04, YC ’01
Phillip Owen ’09
Michael Parrella ’00
Roberta Pereira ’08
Jonathan Reed ’07
Kevin Rich ’04
Sallie Sanders ’02
Christopher Carter Sanderson ’05
Kathleen McElfresh Scott ’06
Pablo Souki ’05
Randall Steffen ’01
William Thompson ’02
Kristan Wells ’05
Nathaniel Glen-Henry Wells ’06
Barbara Wohlsen ’00
Amanda Wallace Woods ’03
2010s
Emika Abe ’16
Shaminda Amarakoon ’12
Kaitlyn Anderson ’14
Trent Anderson ’19
David Joseph Berendes ’10
Em Bertelli ’15
Shawn Boyle ’15
Joseph Brennan ’15
Christopher Brown ’10
Caitlin Crombleholme ’19
Matt Davis ’18
Tanya Dean ’11
Laura J. Eckelman ’11
Whitney Estrin ’12
Adam Frank ’18
Christopher Geary ’15
Latiana “LT” Gourzong ’19
Shaina Graboyes ’12
Rachel Spencer Hewitt ’10
Sanghun Joung ’15
Galen Kane ’16
Scott Keith ’17
Bryanna Kim ’19
Eric Lin ’12
Peter Malbuisson ’10
Kellen McNally ’10
Leora Morris ’16
Jason Najjoum ’18, SOM ’18
Jennifer Harrison Newman ’11
Jonathan Pellow ’13
Carolyn Richer ’14
Nathan Roberts ’10
Steven Schmidt ’14
Jonathan Seiler ’16
Ying Song ’10
Katherine Touart ’18
Steph Waaser ’18
Sarah K. Williams ’15
2020s
Fanny Abib-RozenbergChasman ’25
Dani Barlow ’20
Cam Camden ’22
Anne Ciarlone ’25
Laura Copenhaver ’22
Samanta Cubias ’24, SOM ’24
Caitlin M. Dutkiewicz ’22
Samantha Else ’20
Jason Gray ’23, SOM ’23
Annabel Guevara ’24
Tatsuya Ito ’20
Jonathan Jolly ’20
Chloe Knight ’23
Jeremy Landes ’25
Matteo Lanzarotta ’25
Matthew Lewis ’20
A.J. Roy ’24, SOM ’24
Roman Sanchez ’25
Jacob Santos ’24
Sarah Scafidi ’23
Ashley M. Thomas ’23
Jaime Totti ’20, SOM ’20, YC ’09
Jon West ’20
Yaro Yarashevich ’20
friends of dgsd and yrt
(Gifts of $500 and above)
Nina Adams GRD ’69, NUR ’77 and Moreson Kaplan
Laura and Victor Altshul
Americana Arts Foundation
Anonymous
Debby Applegate GRD ’98 and Bruce Tulgan
Rudy Aragon LAW ’79
Paula Armbruster
Alice GRD ’72, Ph.D. ’74 and Richard Baxter GRD ’72
Ed Barlow YC ’56, LAW ’64, P ’80
John B. Beinecke YC ’69
Sonja Berggren and Patrick Seaver YC ’72
Eugene and Margaret M. Blackford
Memorial Fund for the Blind, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee
Santino Blumetti SOM ’99
Carmine Boccuzzi YC ’90, LAW ’94 and Bernard Lumpkin YC ’91
Lynne and Roger Bolton
John and Suzanne Bourdeaux
Cyndi Brown
Reginald J. Brown YC ’89 and Tiffeny F. Sanchez
Burry Fredrik Foundation
Anne and Guido Calabresi YC ’53, LAW ’58, LLDH ’62
Lois Chiles
Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development
Daniel Cooperman and Mariel Harris
Audrey Conrad
Bob and Priscilla Dannies MAH ’90
Wendy Davies
Elwood and Catherine Davis
Robert Dealy YC ’70
Estate of Nicholas Diggs*
Donors
APRIL 1, 2023–MARCH 1, 2024
Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation
ERJ Fund
Lily Fan YC ’01, LAW ’04
The Foundation for Enhancing Communities
Barbara Franke
Deborah Freedman YC ’82 and Ben Ledbetter
Anita Pamintuan Fusco YC ’90 and Dino Fusco YC ’88
David Geffen Foundation
Howard Gilman Foundation
Melanie Ginter
Eric M. Glover
Bill and Marcy Grambo
Mabel Burchard Fischer Grant Foundation
Lindy Lee Gold
Betty and Joshua Golberg
Paul Goldberg
Mark Haber
The Hastings and Barcone Trust
Cheryl L. Henson YC ’84
Dale and Stephen J. Hoffman YC ’64
Mark Hollinger LAW ’85
Sally Horchow YC ’92
Ellen Iseman YC ’76
Jana Foundation
David G. Johnson YC ’78
Pamela Jordan
Ann Judd and Bennett Pudlin LAW ’78
Dr. Harvey Kliman and Sandra Stein
The Ethel and Abe Lapides Foundation
Charles H. Long
Lucille Lortel Foundation
Cheryl MacLachlan and Fred Gorelick
Drew McCoy
David and Leni Moore Family Foundation
Leonard Molczadski in memory of Norman Walsh Taylor ’56
Chiyo Moriuchi
Janice Muirhead
Jim and Eileen Mydosh
National Endowment for the Arts
NewAlliance Foundation
Stephen Newman in honor of Ruth Hunt Newman
F. Richard Pappas YC ’76
Kathy and George Priest YC ’69, MAH ’82
Princess Grace Foundation
The Prospect Hill Foundation
Alec Purves YC ’58, ARC ’65
Faye and Asghar Rastegar MAH ’88
Sharon Reynolds
Virginia (Wendy) Riggs
Estate of June Rosenblatt
Daphne Rubin-Vega and Thomas Costanzo YC ’88
Robin M. Sauerteig
Barbara Siegler
Abigail Roth YC ’90, LAW ’94 and R. Lee Stump
Tracy Chutorian Semler YC ’86
The Sir Peter Shaffer Charitable Foundation
Traci D. Shed
The Shubert Foundation, Inc.
The Carol L. Sirot Foundation
Anna Deavere Smith DFAH ’14
Shepard and Marlene Stone
Woody Taft YC ’92
Stephen Timbers YC ’66
Andrew and Nesrin Tisdale
Julie Turaj YC ’94 and Robert S. Pohly YC ’94
Trust for Mutual Understanding
Esme Usdan YC ’77
Paul Walsh
Donald R. Ware YC ’71
Shana C. Waterman YC ’94, LAW ’99
Kim Williams
Walton Wilson
Vera F. Wells YC ’71
Honorary Degrees
DFAH
Doctor of Fine Arts
LHDH
Doctor of Humane Letters
LLDH
Doctor of Laws
MAH
Master of Arts in Humanities
Showcase
During their course of study, set designers create many practical and theoretical designs for class projects and academic and professional productions. Here are a few examples from the portfolios of the graduating class.
01
Kim Zhou ’24, Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekov, for DRAM 142: Advanced Professional Set Design.
02
B Entsminger ’24, Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights by Gertrude Stein, for DRAM 232: Second Year Collaboration Class.
03
Charles Meier ’24, Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare, for DRAM 142: Advanced Professional Set Design.
Showcase Showcase
04
Omid Akbari ’24, The Tales of Hoffman by Jacques Offenbach, for DRAM 412: Set Design Thesis Class.
05
Suzu Sakai ’24, The Rake’s Progress by Igor Stravinsky, for Yale Opera Spring 2024.
06
Lia Tubiana ’24, The Balcony by Jean Genet, for DRAM 232: Second Year Collaboration Class.
