Alumni Notes After a career spanning more than 30 years in corporate financial management, Arthur
pace of being a student, and with
Nacht ’06 decided it was time for a major change. With an MBA from Harvard Business
someone he loves. Work on his disserta-
School, Arthur enjoyed a successful professional life in financial management before he
tion continues apace. This year Jason will
True to His School Arthur Nacht ’06
attended Yale School of Drama. “I had always seen
be finishing his PhD in theatre at Columbia
myself as an executive in a large corporation,” he says,
University while teaching Columbia’s
“but I also had this personal interest that developed
Contemporary Civilization core course,
keenly over time and turned out to be much more
which involves feeding Plato to overeager
important to me.” He vividly recalls the day the
undergraduate sophomores. Mike
mailman delivered the acceptance letter to the Theater Management program that changed his life forever. “The theatre is
for his work on The Legend of Georgia
so important,” he says with emotion,
McBride at MCC Theater. The Joe A.
“and there is no better place to study theatre than YSD.” In his third year at YSD, as part of his
Arthur Nacht ’06
Donahue ’08 has received a Joe A. Callaway Award for Outstanding Direction
Callaway Awards, which are presented by the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, recognize excellence in
MFA thesis preparation, Arthur was
directing and choreography in New York
encouraged to do as much reading as he
City. Winners are chosen by peer directors
could about corporate strategy to see
and choreographers for their work on a
how it applied to nonprofit theatre. Arthur
single production. Among the finalists for
knew that most successful for-profit
the award in direction were Rebecca
companies possess a competitive
Taichman ’00 (The Oldest Boy, Lincoln
advantage that drives their business; he
Center Theatre) and Trip Cullman ’02
realized that nonprofit theatres must do
(Significant Other, Roundabout Theatre). ●
the same to attract audiences and
Drew Lichtenberg ’08, DFA ’11 had a
donors. “I’ve met a lot of consultants who
busy 2014-2015, including a full slate as
think theater management is purely a
dramaturg at the Shakespeare Theatre
business proposition,” Arthur says, “but,
Company in Washington, DC. Last fall, he
the truth is, to be a theater manager you’ve got to know more than balance sheets and
worked on new productions of As You Like
income statements; you have to combine management with artistic understanding.”
It, directed by Michael Attenborough, and
Today, Arthur’s company, Nacht Theatre Consulting, offers services to nonprofit
The Tempest directed by Ethan McSweeny,
theatre to improve the quality of financial management reporting and develop robust
and featuring Sofia Jean Gomez ’06 as
strategic planning and implementation. His mission is to help make nonprofit theatres
Ariel. Last winter/spring Drew dramaturged
more prosperous. “I get a lot of satisfaction helping and having a positive impact on
productions of Man of La Mancha and the
theatres whose work I admire,” he says. Arthur and his wife, Merle, an illustrator whose drawings have appeared on several covers of The New Yorker, are both dedicated members of YSD and the larger Yale
world premiere of a new translation of Alexis Piron’s The Metromaniacs, the third rhymed-verse translation for the company
community. Arthur serves on the Board of Advisors of Yale School of Drama and the Yale
by David Ives ’84. In the fall, he taught a
Summer Cabaret Board, and he and Merle are both Yale Sterling Fellows and associate
course originated by Gitta Honegger
fellows at Saybrook College. Living in New Haven provides them the opportunity to audit
(Former Faculty) in dramatic structures
classes at Yale each semester. They remain loyal patrons of the theatre and have been
at The Catholic University of America. Last
subscribers to Yale Rep for nearly 40 years. “We see everything we can,” Arthur says, “We
spring, he joined the Eugene Lang College
attend the Rep shows, all the YSD shows that are open to the public, many Cabaret
at the New School as a part-time faculty
shows and also productions at Yale College. We are fortunate to have the time, ability,
member, lecturing in German Theatre
and interest to enjoy the rich art and cultural life of the University.”
Traditions. Over the past year, he has also
As he reflects on the journey that led him to a career in the arts, Arthur says, “I like the saying ‘life is short but art is long.’ My career in business was satisfying and
taught guest lectures at The George Washington University (twice), the
productive but as I get older the idea of contributing in a small way to an art form that
Lutheran College Washington Seminar,
has the potential to last forever means more and more to me.” — by Flo Low ’17
Ohio University (with Matthew Cor-
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