Yale School of Drama 2015 Annual Alumni Magazine

YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA ANNUAL MAGAZINE 2015

YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA ANNUAL MAGAZINE 2015

Discovering a New Instrument Christopher Noth... on a role Enter Flying

2014–2015

A Year in the Life of YSD from the perspective of designer and photographer Joey Moro ’15.

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YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA ANNUAL MAGAZINE 2015

Dean’s Letter Dear Friends, When I have a choice of, say, sitting at home to read something I totally love or to binge on some favorite cable series, or of going to see an unknown play or musical that has even slightly piqued my interest, I will almost always choose the latter. The whole-body experience of the theatre is one terrific reason to go, and its evanescence is another. I have been to enough great performances to have developed FOMO, or, Fear Of Missing Out. In truth, it is hardly ever a close call, because the book and the streaming series will be there on the bedside table or computer next week and, if need be, for years to come. Indefinite postponement of those narratives fixed in their media, in favor of the live experience that will never be the same again, seems to me an easy kind of cultural navigation. My geographical advantage in New Haven also comes into play, with more than 40 productions a year here at the School, Yale Rep, and Yale Cabaret, and hundreds of others at theatres just an hour or two away.

Still, to alleviate my FOMO, I must depend on this annual to capture some—and represent all—of the most visceral experiences of the nearly 4000 alumni leading lives of extraordinary creativity around the world. The magazine is an imperfect but indispensable tool for visiting not only the artistic endeavors of hundreds of alumni, but also the weddings, births, and deaths that linger, like great performances, in our memory.

Unlike a great novel, however, I am unlikely to let this rest on the bedside table: I typically read it in one long sitting, in which the extraordinary range of your interests, aspirations, and achievements washes over me. I marvel, every year, at the intensity of feeling, at the astonishing breadth of life experience represented, and particularly at the camaraderie that spills off the pages. This magazine calls to mind the School I attended more than 20 years ago, and also the one I work at today, and it heralds, in powerful ways, the School that will be here in the future, sustained and transformed by its alumni’s generosity over the generations.

No other document we publish conveys so meaningfully the multi-generational commitment to advancing theater art and artists or brims so fully with the charisma and idealism of our alumni. I hope you drink deeply of the inspiration captured here.

Sincerely,

James Bundy ’95

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James Bundy ’95 Dean/Artistic Director Victoria Nolan Deputy Dean/Managing Director yale school of drama board of advisors John Beinecke YC ’69 Chair Jeremy Smith ’76 Vice Chair Amy Aquino ’86 John Badham ’63, YC ’61

Catherine MacNeil Hollinger ’86

Sonja Berggren ’13 (Special Research Fellow)

David Henry Hwang ’83 Ellen Iseman YC ’76

Carmine Boccuzzi YC ’90, LAW ’94

David Johnson YC ’78

Lynne Bolton

Sarah Long ’92, YC ’85

Clare Brinkley Sterling B. Brinkley, Jr. YC ’74 Kate Burton ’82 Lois Chiles Patricia Clarkson ’85 Edgar (Trip) M. Cullman III ’02, YC ’97 Scott M. Delman YC ’82 Michael Diamond ’90 Polly Draper ’80, YC ’77 Charles S. “Roc” Dutton ’83 Sasha Emerson ’84 Heidi Ettinger ’76 Lily Fan YC ’01, LAW ’04 Terry Fitzpatrick ’83 Marc Flanagan ’70 Marcus Dean Fuller ’04 Anita Pamintuan Fusco YC ’90 Donald P. Granger, Jr. YC ’85

Asaad Kelada ’64 Donald Lowy ’76 Elizabeth Margid ’91, YC ’82 Drew McCoy Tarell Alvin McCraney ’07 David Milch YC ’66 Tom Moore ’68 Arthur Nacht ’06 Lupita Nyong’o ’12 Carol Ostrow ’80 Amy Povich ’92 Liev Schreiber ’92 Tracy Chutorian Semler YC ’86 Tony Shalhoub ’80 Michael Sheehan ’76 Anna Deavere Smith Andrew Tisdale Ed Trach ’58 Esme Usdan YC ’77 Courtney B. Vance ’86

David Marshall Grant ’78

Henry Winkler ’70

Ethan Heard ’13, YC ’07

Amanda Wallace Woods ’03

Ruth Hendel

Contents

Features 16 Enter Flying

By Barry Jay Kaplan

22 Rebel, Rebel: Theatre

and Social Justice

By Elizabeth Bennett ’97

28 Christopher Noth...on a role 16

By Barry Jay Kaplan

34 Discovering a

New Instrument

By Flo Low ’17

44 Leading the Charge to

Spark Diversity

By Jason Najjoum ’17

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Editor’s Letter Dear Friends, As I look over the stories assembled for this issue of the YSD Annual Magazine, I can’t help but think about movement. The movement of our former students through time and place. Their flights of inspiration and innovation. And their journeys of exasperation, dedication, and yes, exaltation. They have spread their wings and left us for Broadway and beyond, campuses across the country, new urban centers of arts and culture, and countries around the world.

As we have exhorted them to, they send back word of their comings and goings to the nest. We very proudly share their accomplishments with you. I hope you will be moved.

After successful turns as a director in every medium, Tom Moore ’68 found new vitality and inspiration as he dared himself to fantastic feats of flying on the trapeze. So energized by this finally realized boyhood dream, Tom expanded it into yet another directorial medium, as a documentarian, producing a filmed portrait of one of the great trapeze families.

Four recent alumni, Nelson Eusebio ’07, Snehal Desai ’08, Jacob Padrón ’08, and Karena Fiorenza Ingersoll ’12, were selected for a new professional development program that thrust them into the center of the national conversation about diversity and inclusion.

They jumped at the chance to make their voices heard, eager for the opportunity to move themselves ahead and make a difference.

Stephen Haff ’92 and Reg Flowers ’93 planted their feet so they could push the needle in underserved neighborhoods, reaching out to neglected populations where the talents of young people can often go sadly unnoticed. Stephen and Reg don’t talk about theories of how to help but create programs and environments that realize the artistic potential of a new generation.

Creating one memorable character after another in three classic television series would seem to supply sufficient laurels on which to rest. Not for Chris Noth ’85. Always up for a challenge, this year he took advantage of down time from The Good Wife, to assay one of the most difficult roles in the theatrical canon, Doctor Faustus in Christopher Marlowe’s play.

Why? Chris says it’s because he wanted to climb the mountain.

Maybe climbing the mountain is what all of our alumni are doing. As you scale new mountains, keep us posted. We love sharing your stories.

editorial staff Deborah S. Berman editor Barry Jay Kaplan associate editor Alice Kenney associate editor Belene Day managing editor Leonard Sorcher copy editor David Bruin contributing editor Katherine Ingram contributing editor Susan Clark editorial coordinator contributors Elizabeth Bennett Baize Buzon Eli Epstein-Deutsch Liz Diamond Flo Low Maria Marques Davina Moss Jason Najjoum Lynda Paul Catherine Sheehy Sally Shen Matthew Suttor Ron Van Lieu Special thanks to Jon Roberts design SML Design www.s-ml.org

Warmly,

Deborah S. Berman Editor Director of Development and Alumni Affairs

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YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA ANNUAL MAGAZINE Fall 2015, Vol. LVV

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Contents

Departments

6 On & Off York Street

48 Alumni Events 52 Awards & Honors 56 Graduation 6

61 Bookshelf 62 Art of Giving 66 In Memoriam 76 Alumni Notes 112 Donors

48 on the cover Chasten Harmon ’15 in The Seagull, Yale School of Drama, 2014. Photo by T. Charles Erickson

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Opera Fresca Heartbeat Opera, Ethan Heard ’13, YC ’07 and Louisa Proske’s ’12 new company, is dedicated to making opera accessible to anyone.

With a focus on productions that are stripped of the usual grandeur associated with the genre, audience members are treated to dramatic performances matched with musical mastery. Using modest resources, Heartbeat Opera creates an intimate experience, and their unique vision for the future of opera celebrates young artists and engages new audiences.

When they were classmates in the Directing program at Yale School of Drama, Ethan and Louisa worked together on projects with students from Yale School of Music in an opera practicum, in which they brought their own approach to directing singers in scenes from classical operas. The project was “a great low-stakes playground to get down and dirty,” Ethan says. He and Louisa approached the assignment from a theatrical point of view. “We directed the singers with the same specificity as we would actors playing Shakespearean characters,” Louisa says. “And the singers really responded.”

Hoping to capture the spirit of the practicum, Ethan and Louisa realized that by promoting close working relationships with musicians they could bring something extra. “We wanted to get the instrumentalists out of the orchestra pit and put them on stage as performers,” Ethan says. “Opera as you normally see it is very hierarchical and compartmentalized; the orchestra rehearses over here and the singers rehearse over there, and then the star soprano is flown in at the 6

01 last minute. We wanted to question this process in rehearsal and change it.”

Heartbeat began by stripping production elements to the core.

Intimate settings and reduced orchestrations were utilized to place the singers at the center of the work. Ethan and Louisa wanted audiences to experience opera classics with the singer virtually in their 01 midst, the visceral thrill of the operatic voice so close to them that the vibrations of a great aria might pulse on the skin. They sought to focus on the fundamental elements of the genre. This was accomplished by staging shorter, rarely performed classics with performers and audience members in close proximity, allowing the artistry and collaboration of the company to shine.

When Heartbeat Opera was formed, Ethan and Louisa invited violinist Jacob Asworth MUS ’13, MMA ’14, artistic director of the vocal and instrumental ensemble Cantata Profana (where Ethan is

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the resident director), and Daniel Schlosberg YC ’10, MUS ’15 to become the co-music directors. Ashworth accepted the offer, and Cantata Profana became the resident orchestra for Heartbeat, participating in every stage of the rehearsal process, which is a rarity for an opera orchestra.

“The whole rehearsal process was about disassembling the typically rigid boundaries of operamaking and to work together as co-authors,” Ethan says. “Usually, the music preparation remains separate from the staging: the vocal coaches work with the singers, the orchestra works separately from everyone else, and, finally, all of these different elements are thrown together. In our case, we all worked together from the beginning.” In preparation for Heartbeat’s March production of KafkaFragments, a piece by Hungarian composer György Kurtág for violin and soprano, Ashworth, mezzosoprano Annie Rosen YC ’08, MUS ’12, Ethan, and projection designer

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01 Jacob Ashworth MUS ’13, MMA ’14 and Annie Rosen MUS ’12 in Kafka Fragments, a Heartbeat Opera production, Sheen Center, New York, March 2015. Photo by Christopher Ash ’14.

02 Gary Ramsey in Heartbeat Opera’s Daphnis & Chloé, Sheen Center, New York, March 2015.

Photo by Christopher Ash ’14.

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02 Nicholas Hussong ’14 all spent a week at the Banff Centre in Canada experimenting with the music, 02 staging, and design. They developed a very fluid way of collaborating. “We were able to marry musical elements with staging and design,” Ethan says.

In early 2015, as Heartbeat prepared to make its debut with a double bill that included Kafka-Fragments and Jacques Offenbach’s Daphnis & Chloé (in a new translation by Michaël Attias in collaboration with Louisa and Ashworth), the design and production team provided input throughout the creation of the operas. Their work was integral to the concept and success of the productions, which included sets by Reid Thompson ’14, lighting by Oliver Wason ’14, projec-

Gary Ramsey back, Karin Mushegain, and Nicole Haslett in Heartbeat Opera’s Daphnis & Chloé, Sheen Center, New York, March 2015. Photo by Christopher Ash ’14.

03 tions by Nick Hussong ’14, costumes by Beth Goldenberg, and stage management by Sonja Thorson ’14. Louis Lohraseb MUS ’16 conducted Daphnis & Chloé, which featured a new orchestration for five players by Schlosberg.

The productions opened in March, and audiences responded enthusiastically to both. “We were sold out for all eight performances,” says Ethan. The group also got terrific reviews; The Wall Street Journal called the evening “a delightfully creative double bill.” The review added that “the totally committed performers [in Kafka] made it savage, moving, and—when appropriate—funny” and went on to call Daphnis & Chloé “light and just naughty enough.” Opera News called Kafka a “flat-out triumph”

and Daphnis a “gleeful bacchanal.”

Louisa and Ethan are now contemplating the future programming for Heartbeat. As they begin the process of narrowing down the list of possibilities for their next production, they relish the feeling of freedom that comes from being able to choose exactly what they want to do next while collaborating with artists whom they feel are creatively productive. “All we have to ask ourselves is,” says Ethan, “what will be artistically compelling to put on stage in 2016?”— by eli epsteindeutsch

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A Week with the Krymov Lab Liz Diamond (Faculty) first saw the work of Dimitry Krymov and his company of student designerperformers while on a trip to Moscow in 2006. The show, a dreamlike distillation of the Don Quixote story, Donkyhot, was produced in a ballroom the size of the YSD studio theatre at 205 Park Street. Using sawdust, bedsheets, clip lights, hand tools, and an array of old overcoats and hats, the young artists of the Krymov Lab conjured a con-

I love YSD,” Sonja says. “My year there was an extraordinary experience, and we wanted to give back.”

Their gift was intended to further the work of the directing program, and the Krymov Lab was the first initiative.

Weeks before the Lab itself began—or perhaps it was the beginning—20 YSD students from the Design, Directing, and Acting departments were told to read each of three plays written by Anton

01 stantly transforming stagescape, dominated by a 12-foot tall Quixote, played by one actor standing on another’s shoulders. Fascinated by Krymov’s ideas about design and his approach to theatre and theatrical storytelling, Liz was certain that bringing the Krymov Lab to Yale would be an extraordinary experience for YSD students.

That vision became a reality thanks to a generous gift from Sonja Berggren (Special Research Fellow ’13) and her husband Patrick Seaver YC ’72. “Patrick and 8

Chekhov (Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya, and The Cherry Orchard) three times before arriving at the Iseman Theatre for the first day of the Lab. A website with videos of Krymov’s major productions, and articles on Krymov’s work, was assembled for everyone to explore. David Chambers ’71 (Faculty) led a series of directing practica in December to place Krymov’s work in the context of the history of Russian directing, which included a talk on stage management by Mary Hunter (Faculty), who shared memories of

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working with the director Anatoly Efros (Krymov’s celebrated father) at the Guthrie Theater. Students were given their assignment: to strip the plays down and create a physical representation of the “through line” of the three different worlds Chekhov created. They were told not to rely on the text but to create theatre over the words.

Krymov’s creative process, which he has been developing during his more than 20 years as a designer, director, and educator, asks the question: What is the theatre’s unique language? His art starts with the idea that theatre is a collective enterprise, inherently interdisciplinary and collaborative; from there, Krymov proposes that theatre stories can be made from scratch and in real time onstage. In a Krymov show, the actor arrives on an empty stage and wrestles with the simplest materials (paper, paint, wood, string, everyday objects of all kinds) in front of the audience to make places, characters, and to represent dramatic situations, creating, in the struggle with these materials, a powerfully theatrical poetic language. The performers may have trained originally as actors, musicians, designers, or directors, but all of them function onstage as “designers-in-action,” and exhibit a great deal of expressive flexibility in performance.

Underlying this live and inthe-moment process is a poetic, ethical, and philosophical view of the human being as a constantly creative problem solver: mortal, struggling with the material world, aspiring to make meaning. This is not language-driven theatre but one that celebrates the kinesthetic

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02 imagination. In a Krymov show, the performer is truly what provocative Russian director Vsevolod Meyerhold referred to as “an athlete of the imagination.”

The 18 Krymov Lab (KLab) student participants worked with Krymov to create a new theatre piece: a play on memory, love, and exile with material drawn from Chekhov.

The group built towns of cardboard and birch forests from rolls of toilet paper, made music with water-filled wine glasses, and created railroad tracks with an assortment of shop brooms. Every afternoon the group would gather and—guided by Krymov and two collaborators from his Moscow company, designer Valentina Ostankovitch and actor Maria Smolnikova—discuss the work of the morning, exploring characters, scenes, backstory, and context through etudes (in-depth, on-the-feet studies). Equally important was Krymov’s dedication to more fundamental philosophical conversations about how to estab-

lish criteria for evaluating one’s work, what it is the artist is looking for his/her work to reveal, and why one has chosen to be a theatre artist. These sessions left a distinct mark on everyone present. “It transformed my understanding of who I am as an artist,” said Leora Morris ’16. “Krymov got me to see my work honestly,” said Luke Harlan ’16. “This is why I’m here, why I want to be an actor!” said Zenzi Williams ’15.

One of the exercises was a demonstration of Chekhov’s representation of love. Using various combinations of the love pairings from Three Sisters and The Seagull, Krymov sat the four lovers around a table, across from their loved one, with a string running between each pair. Each string was tied to something on the table—a dish, a glass, a candlestick—and “moved” toward the lover as if the lover had the power to send it there. The movement of the item showed that sometimes love was enough, some

01 YSD directing student Luke Harlan ’16 performing an “image piece” he created during master class with Krymov. Photo by Andrew Freeburg YC ’14.

02 standing Dimitry Krymov, with Tatiana Khaikin translating, directing Krymov Lab participants in a new work to be loosely based on Chekhov’s Three Sisters. YSD students playing lovers from several of Chekhov’s plays are sitting opposite one another and Krymov is explaining that whenever they attempt to declare their love, objects on the table will move, as if by magic (but actually being moved with string by other participants). Photo by Andrew Freeburg YC ’14.

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times it was not; sometimes it was hesitant and wavered, sometimes it raced directly ahead. There were many variations and many manifestations of the relationships.

“The Krymov project was perfection in our eyes, and we are so pleased that our gift made this wonderful experience possible,” says Sonja. “It affirmed how wonderful YSD is, and how inspiring, engaging, and thrilling it is to discover new and different ways of making theatre.”

01 The Krymov Lab Team. Photo by Andrew Freeburg YC ’14.

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Theater Management Knowledge Base Yale University is famous for its extraordinary libraries.

Students spend many hours in Sterling Memorial Library, the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, and the Haas Arts Library, which now houses the Drama Collection. But there is another library resource at Yale: The Theater Management Knowledge Base is an online library of essential information for those in the theatre profession.

Managed by the Theater Management Department since its launch in 2009, the growing library currently contains over 129 pieces of content, including 46 case studies, 19 topical papers and presentations, and 16 interviews with leaders in the field. In addition, it offers useful tools, such as contract templates, letter templates, and important checklists. All of these resources are designed to address the challenging managerial and leadership questions faced by theatre professionals and organizations.

“The library doesn’t contain theoretical or conceptual research,” says Theater Management Chair Edward Martenson (Faculty). “Only applied research that would be useful to people who are in the field. We study and learn from real-world situations, from real experi10

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ences, real organizations, with real outcomes.”

Most of the material in the library is generated by YSD Theater Management students, with a focus on the concepts of professionalism and artistic deficit (when the capacity to make art is cut in order to prevent a financial deficit). “This has never been studied before, so the research will have a tremendous impact on what we know about the state of art,” says Martenson.

The Knowledge Base has more than 630 members, including 200 executives and senior managers working in League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Theatre Communications Group (TCG) member theatres.

“There is no other resource that equals it, and it will continue to grow year after year,” says Martenson.

You are encouraged to visit the library at yaletmknowledgebase.org. — by sally shen ’15, som ’15

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The Collaborator Party It should be no surprise that when you put a lot of sound designers together in one room they make a lot of noise. David Budries (Faculty), chair of the Sound Design Department, and I attended a family reunion of sorts, albeit a big rowdy gathering of colleagues, including many former Yale School of Drama students, that is the theatrical sound design community. The Collaborator Party, which took place on June 7, 2015 at Houston Hall in New York City, was thrown in response to the decision to eliminate the Tony Awards for best sound design of a play and best sound design of a musical. Taking the high road, the sound design community, thanks to the leadership of Lindsay Jones and John Gromada, chose to celebrate itself. And we did, with bells on, and a rather good selection of craft beer, on the evening of the Tonys.

But rather than rake over the Tony Awards decision here, lamentable as it was, we would all be better served by taking the opportunity to talk about our philosophy in the Sound Design program at YSD. In doing so, I hope that I can illuminate why the Tony Awards decision is so frustratingly myopic, or, should I say, cloth-eared.

In the Sound Design program our students have, in the words of David Budries, a love of listening to our world in its entirety. And at the core of this love is music. Music is the heart of everything we do in sound for theatre: from a large-scale reinforcement sound system for a new musical through which the performance breathes; to interstitial music between scenes and acts that brings a symphonic architecture to Shakespeare; to underscoring that maps the unfolding psychology in a scene of a new play.

To our ears, it’s all music.

It is true that each year we select three student designers for their complementary skills: an engineer, a composer, and a generalist. This is an ideal balance of skills (an interesting aside: the rarest of the three sound species is the true engineer). But no matter their individual strengths, the foundation of

our teaching for all students is conceptual sound design. Which is to say, we believe theatrical sound design to be innately compositional. We do not see the difference in creative value between the engineer who can tune a huge sound system, a composer who can produce an astounding score, or a generalist who can bring a play to life through sound. From the 02 perspective of the Sound Design program at YSD, sound design is an intrinsically creative act. And creativity can be judged.

While the rationale behind the Tony Awards’ decision to drop sound design as a category has not been stated definitively, it has been suggested that the nominators did not have the ability to judge what made good sound design or they felt that sound design was a technical, not artistic, endeavor. That is fair enough, but if so, then that is an issue of education rather than the worthiness of sound design as an award category. But there is more to this uncomfortable situation, of course. The larger issue, I believe, is one of perceived skills.

The exasperating thing for us is that while we at YSD may not see the difference in creative value between the engineer, composer, and sound designer, the wider theatre world places strict walls between these perceived skill sets. Sound designers encounter this attitude constantly. But if we put aside these differences of perception, our task in sound design is undeniably creative and collaborative. And sound is indeed a foundational voice in the collaborative chorus that is theatre. Let’s reinstate the awards for sound design. — by matthew

02 David Budries (Faculty) and Matthew Suttor (Faculty)

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Milestones Two longtime, revered, and beloved members of Yale School of Drama retired at the end of this past school year: Professor (Adjunct) of Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism Elinor Fuchs (Faculty) and Registrar/Admissions Administrator Maria Leveton. Both have had a wide-reaching impact on the School, and will be greatly missed. Although no “goodbye” can truly capture the essence of each of their contributions, we asked Chair of Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism Catherine Sheehy ’92, DFA ’99 (Faculty) and Lloyd Richards Professor of Acting Ron Van Lieu (Faculty) to share their thoughts about these extraordinary individuals and their remarkable careers.

elinor fuchs (faculty)

When Elinor Fuchs joined the Dramaturgy department’s full-time faculty in 1997, she brought with her a rigor and reach that transformed the focus of the department and broadened the ambitions of its students. An exemplary mentor, Elinor shepherded students’ innumerable comprehensive exams and dissertations and taught popular courses in Ibsen and Strindberg and Theatricalism. Her year-long seminar in theory—Models of Dramatic Structure and Issues in 20th Century Performance—and her first-year

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Criticism Workshop, built around her extraordinary essay, “EF’s Visit to a Small Planet,” were taken by every student to come through the Dramaturgy program, becoming legendarily foundational experiences for all.

Her most recent contribution was as founder and convener of the Hot Topics lecture series, an ongoing initiative that brings exciting scholars of theater and performance studies to Yale to open new avenues of intellectual investigation for both students and faculty.

Elinor’s constant vision for expanding the boundaries of our discipline is and will remain a vital linchpin between the academic and conservatory training that is the definitive strength of the MFA and DFA dramaturgy programs.

It is impossible to overvalue the contribution Elinor has made. She has not only had an indelible effect upon the curriculum, practices, and standards of our department; she has touched and enriched the lives of all the people in it. We are delighted that she will be awarded emeritus status upon her retirement, ensuring that the Drama School will always be her institutional home, because it is almost more than we can bear to say, “We will miss you, Elinor.” — catherine sheehy

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maria leveton

I met my friend and former office mate, Maria Leveton in 2004 when I arrived at Yale to serve as chair of the acting program. Our relationship began somewhat awkwardly since Maria was moved from her bright and comfortable office facing York Street into a storage room across the way so that I could have that space for my office. With characteristic calm, generosity, humor, and

phones, printed the letters (which she often schlepped in huge bags to the post office), kept all the records, and even recruited her own children to help open and organize more than 1,000 applications when there was so much to do that she had to take the work home. Maria told me, “I had my kids working. I told them they couldn’t be sick January to March, because mom has to get the work done.” The arrival of technology has not been a total blessing to her. “Before the internet, I knew all the students by their first names. That, sadly, has been lost with technology,” she said.

That emphasis on the personal is one of Maria’s trademarks. One reason we all love and respect her is how personally she regards each of us—student, staff, and faculty. She has those warm eyes that really see you when you are speaking with her. And she has felt rewarded by her time at YSD. “Being here has enriched my personal life. I’ve loved getting insights into what the theatre is. And the students are so creative and passionate.” Maria began her career as a kindergarten teacher. On her desk was a simple quote of three words: “Patience and Understanding.” Her professional life has been guided by those words, and we have all benefitted enormously from her adherence to them. In the stressful, ambitious, sleep-deprived, unsettling world of a student’s life at the School, there was always an open door, a calm voice, and a warm gaze to make it better. Maria is also funny. And she loves a bit of gossip. And I will miss her a lot. — ron van lieu

02 can-do spirit, Maria accepted the move, added an interior window, and we became colleagues and friends. She is a remarkable woman who never toots her own horn, so I’ll toot it a bit for her.

With no background in theatre, Maria arrived at the School on August 28, 1986, to assume the duties of admissions/registrar administrator. During her three decades at YSD, she has worked with three deans—Lloyd Richards (Former Dean), Stan Wodjewoski (Former Dean), and James Bundy ’95 (Dean)—processed over 28,000 applications, raised two children as a single mother, and brought the Registrar’s office from a paper, mail, and answering machine world into 21st century technology. She did all this with grace and grit. In preinternet times Maria single-handedly worked the

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middle with wreath Elinor Fuchs (Faculty) and invited guests enjoy a walk down Chapel Street in New Haven towards the Yale Cabaret. The special procession featured street performances which commemorated Elinor’s curriculum at YSD.

Maria Leveton at her retirement party, with New Haven artist Vladimir Shpitalnik, who created a one-of-a-kind paper sculpture of the University Theatre façade, which was presented to Maria for her 38 years of service to Yale.

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Carmen Remembers It All At a certain point in her solo show, As I Remember It, Carmen de Lavallade (Former Faculty), turned upstage to watch projections of herself dancing in old films. And then she danced as she always has, with a supreme level of grace and intelligence, possessing arresting physical beauty, innate elegance, and technical polish.

Ageless at 84, Carmen meets head-on the challenges that come to an artist in a career that has spanned six decades. Dancer, actress, teacher, choreographer, and civil rights activist, she returned to New Haven

Rep and as a faculty member at Yale School of Drama from 1970 to 1979.

Joining Carmen on the Rep stage for a panel discussion after her performance on June 27 were Robert Brustein ’51, HON ’66 (Former Dean), Alvin Epstein (Former Faculty), and moderator Lileana BlainCruz ’12. They engaged in conversation ranging from Carmen’s 59-year marriage to actor/choreographer Geoffrey Holder to her work at Yale Rep. They reminisced about the now legendary 1974 Yale Rep production of The Frogs, which took place in the

01 in June to perform at Yale Repertory Theatre as part of the International Festival of Arts and Ideas.

Created by Carmen in collaboration with Joe Grifasi ’75 (her former student) and co-writer/dramaturg Talvin Wilks, As I Remember It is a production highlighting Carmen’s life told through dance, film, and her personal writings. It features stories of her years in California dancing with Lester Horton, in New York with Alvin Ailey, and her time spent as a company member of Yale 14

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Payne Whitney Gymnasium’s swimming pool. Frank Rizzo, the Hartford Courant theatre critic, wrote that “Carmen de Lavallade created a grand water ballet, a kind of Esther Williams on acid.”

The panel also shared their memories of the two 1975 Rep productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, both of which Alvin directed, and in which Carmen played Titania, with a cast that included Joe Grifasi, Kate McGregor-Stewart ’74 and Meryl Streep ’75, DFAH ’83. Theatre critic Michael Fein-

On & Off York Street N E WS FROM YALE SC HO OL O F DR AMA

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gold ’72, writing 44 years later in Theatre Mania, recalled Carmen’s performance: “…the extraordinary Carmen de Lavallade, still incandescent in my memory as the most magical of all Titanias.”

Carmen recalled how Robert Brustein convinced her to come to work at Yale Rep. “I was a dancer,” she said. “I never thought I was an actress.” But, having seen her dance, Brustein was convinced that indeed she was

“You have left a mark on all of us, and it is in the shape of a kiss.”

— mery l str e e p ’75, d fa h ’83

an actress. With her husband’s approval— “he allowed me to be myself, he was my champion, he was my biggest fan”— Carmen took the chance and came to New Haven.

She says her experience acting at the Rep, and as a movement teacher at the School of Drama, contributed enormously to her growth as an artist.

“Carmen embodies something that’s simple yet universal. A truthfulness that informs and fills all her marvelous incarna

tions and a purity which unselfishly heals and nurtures all who are fortunate enough to be with her,” says Grifasi, who directed As I Remember It. Prior to the opening of her show in New Haven, Carmen was honored by the Connecticut Critics Circle with the Tom Killen Award at the group’s annual awards event on June 22 at Yale Repertory Theatre.

James Bundy ’95 (Dean) presented the award, which is given to “those who have made extraordinary contributions to Connecticut’s Equity professional theatre.” As part of his remarks, Dean Bundy read from a tribute written by Meryl Streep: “Carmen [you are] a compassionate yet disciplined teacher of uncommon wisdom. Your grace as an actress and strength and beauty as a dancer stood as inspiration to us all, but more than that, the tensile resilience of your smile was what we relied on, especially in February, in New Haven. That expanse of joy, more than any lesson, more than any method, gave us an understanding of what it takes to sustain happiness in an uncertain profession, in an uncertain world. Thank you for being, and for bringing, a lifelong love of performing and giving to your life’s work. You have left a mark on all of us, and it is in the shape of a kiss.” — by barry jay kaplan

01 Carmen de Lavallade (Former Faculty) performing in her solo show, As I Remember It. Photo by Christopher Duggan.

02 Jeremy Smith ’76, Alvin Epstein (Former Faculty), Carmen de Lavallade (Former Faculty), and Robert Brustein ’51, HON ’66 (Former Dean) prior to the opening of As I Remember It in New Haven. Photo by Lucy Gram.

03 from left Alvin Epstein (Former Faculty), Carmen de Lavallade (Former Faculty), Robert Brustein ’51, HON ’66 (Former Dean), and moderator Lileana Blain-Cruz ’12 during the post-show panel discussion.

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Enter

by b a r r y jay k a p l a n

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Flying T

his is a story about inspiration, renewal, and doing what you always dreamed as a kid you would one day do.

Tom Moore ’68 is a director with a lengthy list of credits and awards. He was the director of the Pulitzer Prize-winning ’night Mother and of the original production of Grease. On television, he has directed the era-defining shows ER, Mad About You, L.A. Law, and countless other television series from the 80s to the 2010s, from Gilmore Girls to Ally McBeal to Dharma and Greg, The Wonder Years, Cheers, and Picket Fences. On the west coast, Tom has directed at the Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson Theatre, the American Conservatory Theater, the Old Globe

Theatre, and the La Jolla Playhouse, as well as the Guthrie Theater, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and the Humana Festival, working with such actors as Anne Bancroft, Kathy Bates, Kirk Douglas, Richard Gere, Burt Lancaster, Lynn Redgrave, and John Travolta. He served for 12 years on the Executive Board of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and is currently a member of the Yale School of Drama Board of Advisors.

It’s the resume of a man who could use a little R and R. Tom and I meet for lunch on a humid Sunday in New York. Blond, trim, dressed all in white, and with an enviable tan, Tom is every inch the Los Angeleno, which he’s been for most of his adult life. He is in the

city this week to see friends, and, today, An American in Paris. I asked him why he became interested in trapeze and made a documentary about one of the art form’s most famous families.

“I was burning out,” Tom says. “I needed something new, some inspiration.”

With only relaxation in mind, he took a Club Med vacation in Mexico, where one of the recreational features was instruction on the trapeze. And there, in a moment of serendipity, Tom say: “I finally learned to fly.”

Finally? A little background will explain.

“When I was a boy and the circus came to town,” Tom recalls, “my cousin Frank and I would score free

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tickets by helping with the tents and even carrying water for the elephants. At that time the circus was still under the big top, and it was just what it advertised—the greatest show on earth. What I was waiting for was that magical moment at the end of the show when the trapeze troupe spun into the center ring, climbed to the top of the tent—and flew! I was dazzled.

Amazed. If only I could do that. It was…a fantastic flight! I never got over wanting to fly.”

He continues, trying to define the excitement, the thrill, of being in the air. “It depends less on strength than on timing. The moment at which the flyer—that’s me—is caught by the catcher is the point at which the flyer is at the peak of the arc of the flight and lets go of the trapeze! For those few seconds you are actually flying upward until you connect with the hands of the catcher. And I’m the flyer!” Tom also has the athletic skills for the trapeze. In part, this can be attributed to his background in gymnastics, which he did 18

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not pursue as an adult, he says, because it is very tough on the joints. “You’re always landing on a hard surface. This is not so in flying.” By the time his Club Med vacation was over and he was back home in Los Angeles, Tom was hooked.

Along with his boyhood fascination with trapeze—how did he account for his ongoing immersion in this rekindled interest? The thrill of flight? The risk? The danger?

Tom nods his understanding because he’s used to the questions, and shakes his head because they always miss the point. “It’s not the thrill that makes me do it,” he says.

“When people hear that I’m doing the trapeze, they always say to me: the next step is bungee jumping, right?—which I actually have done—but that’s not it. It’s about perfecting the art. How to make

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something better. It brings back a joy that I haven’t experienced in a long time. And I’m fulfilling the fantasy I had as boy of being on the trapeze.”

What would Sigmund Freud say about the psychological meaning of the desire to fly?

Tom laughs. “Freud says flying is sexual and I agree. But I think everything in show business is sexual.” Another laugh. “Flying is a very sexy sport. It seems daredevil, but not if you’re doing it properly. For example, everyone must land on their back in the net.”

Another aspect of his fascination with flying had long been simmering inside him. “A lot of directors were once performers, which I was, but I knew early on that I didn’t have what it takes to be an actor.

Trapeze let me get back to performing. In a larger way, I think this is typical of people in the arts. They become so involved in the arts that they leave out other parts of themselves.” Tom’s interest had more to do with an unconscious response to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s dictum that there are no second acts in American lives. Flying is Tom’s second act, something deeply and essentially different from what he was used to doing.

“On the trapeze, I am not controlling things the way I was as a director,” he says. “I am putting myself in someone else’s hands, literally.”

There was also the notion of not

01 The Flight Fantastic Executive Producer Masha Nordbye and Tom Moore ’68 during a trapeze performance.

02 Tom Moore ’68, director of The Flight Fantastic.

03 Tom Moore ’68 left, along with fellow trapeze artists John Carr, Mary Kelly Rayal, Gary Estrella, and Peter Gold.

04 Masha Nordbye, associate producer, and Tom Moore ’68, director of The Flight Fantastic, are flanked by circus fans Willie Edleston of The Flying Edelstons; and Norma Fox (La Norma), a legendary star of the swinging trapeze, during the U.S. premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival.

05 The Flight Fantastic movie poster featuring the Flying Gaonas.

Background photos of the Flying Gaonas courtesy of theflightfantasticfilm.com

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stagnating, of seeking the next big thing, of not falling into the trap of coming to the end of a stage in life and simply giving up. “I see so many people in the arts who feel left behind as they age,” Tom says.

“They’re bitter and disenchanted. I hate to see people who’ve had extraordinary careers pass unknown from the scene. At a certain

point, you need to reinvent yourself, get excited about something new. I was looking for my second act.”

And a third act was yet to come.

Even more remarkable than a spiritual reawakening and living out a childhood fantasy in his rediscovering the trapeze, were the circus and trapeze legends Tom met along the way, none more amazing than

The Flying Gaonas, the legendary Mexican circus family from the golden age of trapeze. The troupe made its debut in the 1960s with the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus and went on to appear in Berlin, Sweden, Munich, and at the Olympia in London, performing for Queen Elizabeth II, before signing with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

It was the Gaonas who welcomed Tom into the rarefied world of the trapeze. “The whole family became close friends of mine, starting with Richie [who officially joined the troupe in 1980], who is the one who taught me to fly, and then extending to each new member. I have a wonderful family of my own and we’re quite close, but there was something about this family that was extraordinarily welcoming and warm.” Tom was also impressed that they put the same energy and devotion into their coaching and teaching as they had into the work when they were famous and in the

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center ring.

But as energized and inspired as he was by the experience of flying and the world and dedication of the Goanas, Tom’s journey was far from over. “I’m not sure that’s what motivated me to make a film about them,” he says. “I thought a documentary was the perfect way 2 0

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to combine my love of film with my love of the trapeze. This idea came at a point when I again was looking for something new. But first and foremost the trapeze was self-serving. It was all about me. It was only after I’d been doing it for a while that I started thinking about it as a film.”

There is nothing like circus people celebrating their own! — tom moore ’68

The documentary wasn’t to be just about the Gaonas when Tom began, but a tribute to the world of the flying trapeze and an attempt on his part to capture both the joy he found in discovering it as a child, and then again as an adult when he began to fly. “I just felt it had to be done,” he says, “that these artists and teachers needed to be remembered, recognized, and honored, and that I was in a particular place with particular skills and means to make that happen. So I did!”

This is where Act Three begins.

For the last five years, the making

of the documentary film The Flight Fantastic has been a labor of love for Tom, labor being a key word.

“When I shot a Hollywood movie, there would be a crew of 100 people.

It was so much easier with a team like that. On this film there was the director of photography and sometimes not even that. We have no marketing campaign. We’re relying on Facebook and other social media to get the film known.

We’ll do the best we can. There were times during the filming when I wanted to stop but I couldn’t because of all the favors people had done to make this happen. It’s been difficult, but also exhilarating.”

The Flight Fantastic had an Australian premiere at the Byron Bay International Film Festival in March, and in April had its Ameri

can premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival in Sarasota, FL, once the winter home of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and where many residents still work for the circus. “It was a thrilling time,” Tom says. “Two sold-out screenings, standing ovations, and all kinds of carrying on. There is nothing like circus people celebrating their own!”

Checking the time, Tom gulps down his water and gets up. Lunch is over. The curtain for An American in Paris goes up in an hour and Tom has to race across town. Just before he leaves our lunch, he turns to me and says: “Ladies and gentlemen! And children of all ages!

Coming soon to a theatre near you: The Flight Fantastic!”

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Rebel, Rebel:

Theatre and Social Justice by e l iz a b e t h b e n n e t t ’97

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he neighborhood of Red Hook was relatively unknown to many outside of Brooklyn until Hurricane Sandy flooded its streets. For months, volunteers came to its industrial waterfront—home to New York City’s largest public housing complex—to help clean up. Eventually, the visitors returned to their own neighborhoods. But bringing the community together was an ongoing commitment for actor/director Reg Flowers ’93, a longtime Red Hook resident and activist who facilitated community meetings between residents, city officials, and service organizations. His dedication to the Red Hook community earned him the 2013 Community Achievement Award from the Brooklyn Community Pride Center.

In 1997, Flowers and his husband, Christopher Hammett, founded a theatre company in Red Hook called Falconworks Artists Group. Their goal was to make plays that would resonate with the Red Hook community and inspire conversations about the issues and culture of the diverse south Brooklyn neighborhood. In the company’s main stage productions, texts such as Enemy of the People and Romeo and Juliet were explored and performed by a cast of community residents and professionals. Plays were also created by residents from the neighborhood—many written by 24

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02 children under 14 years old. The shows were designed to represent the world realistically, and present the audience with stories that felt familiar to the stories in their own lives.

As an African American boy growing up in Philadelphia, Reg found it difficult to find his place in the

overleaf Adam Raickovich and Ciarán MacArtain, with Suzannah Herschkowitz background in Falconworks Theater Company’s production of Romeo and Juliet, 2014.

Photo by Leigh Loranger.

01 Reg Flowers ’93 back row, first on left with staff and the cast of Falconworks Theater Company’s production Enemy of the People, 2013. Photo by Sarah Crofts.

02 Stephanie Batchelder, Dontae McCoy, and Chance Warren-Dixon in Falconworks Theater Company’s production of Enemy of the People, 2013. Photo by Sarah Crofts.

03 Reg Flowers ’93 in the space Falconworks used to perform Romeo and Juliet.

03 theatre. “I was constantly running into walls with people saying ‘no’,” he recalls. “I was told ‘you would be great in this role, but this community isn’t ready for a black Prince Charming and a white Sleeping Beauty.’

Being told that you belong on the margins was quite a struggle for a young person trying to come up in the arts. I had to be creative to find a way in to theatre.”

His creativity never failed him and is a part of his ongoing practice. As a volunteer and then as associate artistic director of the 52nd Street Project, Flowers learned Playmaking, Daniel Judah Sklar’s technique that teaches children to write and perform their own plays (this is also the basis for Yale School of Drama’s Dwight/Edgewood Project). While leading 52nd Street’s Teen Project, Flowers immersed himself in the Theatre of the Oppressed, which he had dismissed in college as “regular people trying to do theatre.” After he observed that its strategies gave teen writers and actors an opportunity to take ownership of the process, Playmaking and Theatre of the Oppressed became the foundations of Flowers’s community-based work.

These experiences inspired Flowers to develop works for the stage that would bring current social issues into focus. The residents of Red Hook were politically engaged and welcomed his approach. “The vision was to work closely with the community and 03 out ways that theatre could serve social transforfigure

mations that were already happening,” Flowers explains.

“We didn’t want to come in and say ‘hey, we have this great idea for how we’re going to help the community get better.’ Instead, we had deep conversations about the idea of community-building, and people were encouraged to work with us, with Falconworks, and to work together.”

For the Red Hook community, Playmaking evolved into “Off the Hook,” a multi-phase exploration process through which young artists create their own plays.

Flowers knew he needed to focus on understanding the community’s needs, so he spent a lot of time with his students and their families. Becoming a part of the lives of the young people who participated in the program allowed him to form close personal connections and build trust.

Flowers and the Falconworks staff can see the impact that they are making on stage, in the audience, and in how community members speak to others. The work is an artistic expression but it also gives people the tools to articulate who they are. “It’s a richer way to approach life,” Flowers notes. “There’s an understanding that there are more options in life, whether or not you can necessarily change it. Sometimes just the act of presenting the issue can be the first step in a huge transformation. I hope that’s just the beginning of what everyone walks away with—the power to speak it, to YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 015

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understand it and speak it.”

Falconworks’s ability to bring people together has been helpful during difficult times. And, the plays have, coincidentally, mirrored the real-life events affecting the community. In June of 2015, Flowers was preparing for a production of The Cherry Orchard when news hit that a maraschino cherry factory employing hundreds of Red Hook residents would shut down. He had chosen the play to address the increasing gentrification of the neighborhood. “Ultimately, it’s about a family getting kicked out of their house. What was hanging over the heads of the characters in The Cherry Orchard resonated deeply for a lot of people in the neighborhood,” he says. In 2014, Falconworks mounted a production of Romeo and Juliet that explored how the police deal with youth just as a community policing issue arose in Red Hook, and their production of Enemy of the People coincided with an outcry over pollution in the Gowanus Canal. “There’s a part of me that is a little superstitious and tells me not to do plays like this anymore,” Flowers jokes. “We should just do Annie next year.”

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even miles from Red Hook, in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, is a peaceful sanctuary for children that encourages imagination and careful listening, created by Stephen Haff ’92. The name of Haff ’s educational utopia reflects the environment within: Still Waters in a Storm. Inside the wide glass windows of the one-room schoolhouse, this model is providing a new way for residents to learn, listen, and relate to each other.

Founded by Haff in 2008, Still Waters is a writing group that meets the educational and social needs of children as young as five years old to those in their late teens. Participants are encouraged to write in any style or genre and then read their work out loud to each other.

The audience of fellow students must listen and respond without judgment, as well as ask questions and share what was felt while listening to another student’s writing. The program is open five days a week, and offers a classroom overflowing with a diverse collection of books. Everything—from the daily homework help to the pizza lunch served on Saturdays—is free to the 30-40 participating families.

The group writing workshops are modeled on what Haff learned from legendary critic Richard Gilman (Former Faculty), who taught at Yale School of Drama for 31 years. In Gilman’s criticism workshops, Haff experienced a supportive environment that opened up his thinking. “Richard Gilman wasn’t interested in my ability to quote but rather in my ability to think and to articulate my thoughts,” he recalls. “He was interested 26

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04 in what I had to say and in helping me find the words to say it. That’s also what I encourage the kids at Still Waters to do.”

Haff ’s background as a theatre director influences his teaching. “A certain amount of teaching is performance, keeping your audience involved,” he describes.

“A huge part is listening and encouraging students, in much the same way as I listened to and encouraged actors. When the children read their writing aloud, that’s a theatrical act.”

Before founding Still Waters, Haff was a high school teacher at Bushwick High School, which has historically struggled to raise graduation rates and reduce inschool crime. Faced with a classroom full of uninterested students, and wanting to find a way to encourage his students to read, perform, and master language, Haff founded Real People Theater (RPT) in 1999. “I was teaching Romeo and Juliet to tenth graders and they were obviously bored,” Haff explains. “So, with RPT I assigned them scenes and asked them to rewrite the dialogue in Spanish and street slang. They had a great time with this and were very happy, making each other laugh.”

RPT went on to perform the resulting play, Romeo y Julieta, at the Flea Theatre, the Performing Garage, and

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06 also at Bennington College. The makeshift theatre company became known for its signature adaptation process of combining original verse with Spanish and their own colloquialisms. RPT created versions of Hamlet, King Lear, and Paradise Lost and toured Los Angeles, Chicago, Eastern Canada, Germany, and colleges, theatres, and classrooms all over New York City.

The success of RPT had its price. Haff found himself believing he could rescue every one of his students. “When I found out that wasn’t the case,” he recalls, “I was heartbroken.”

Accepting that reality led to the creation of Still Waters, where the young participants are asked to follow only a few simple rules: love each other, listen to each other, and make room for everyone to be who they are. “It’s really important to have beauty in our lives, regardless of our ability to pay for beauty,” Haff notes.

“The arts are often the first studies to be cut from school budgets, but the arts develop children’s imaginations. Without a healthy imagination, I don’t think anyone can have a healthy, happy life.”

04 Stephen Haff ’92 with his writing students in Still Waters in a Storm’s one-room classroom.

05 A chalkboard sentiment written by a Still Waters in a Storm participant.

06 Stephen Haff ’92 giving individual attention to a student.

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Christopher Noth...

I

met with Christopher Noth ’85 in his Greenwich Village apartment, which serves as his East Coast base when he has to be away from the home he shares with his wife and son in Los Angeles. He is as tall and handsome as anyone who’s seen him on television would expect, friendly and gregarious, and his conversation is thoughtful and animated.

Chris spent his undergraduate years at Marlboro College, a small liberal arts college in Vermont, where he discovered acting. “There was no theatre department and no actor training,” he says “but a group of interested actors were able to put on plays throughout the year.

I was in a production of The Zoo Story and for the first time felt I really wanted to be an actor.” The next logical step after graduation, as he saw it, was to head to New York City, where he was sure he’d quickly land a role.

When he arrived, he had a rude awakening. “The 70s and 80s were a great time to be in New York, but there

on a role by b a r r y jay k a p l a n

01 Christopher Noth ’85 in Lower Depths, Yale School of Drama first-year acting project, 1982–1983.

Photo by George G. Slade.

was not much work, and I felt unprepared to audition. I wanted to study acting. New York was in the midst of the war of the acting teachers,” he recalls. “Sandy Meisner vs. Stella Adler vs. Herbert Berghof.” Chris was fascinated by the legend of the Group Theatre and was accepted into the Neighborhood Playhouse to study with Sanford Meisner. The rules were strict. You were in classes all day and were not allowed to work in the theatre. But somehow, he got a part in a play called Just a Little Bit Less Than Normal at the Manhattan Theatre Club’s original home on the Upper East Side. Acting school filled his days; rehearsals for the play were in the evening. But when a review of the play appeared in The New York Times and featured a picture of Chris, he was expelled from the Neighborhood Playhouse.

“I supported myself like a lot of actors did: by cater-waitering,” he says. “But I thought ‘I have to get out. I’m going in circles.’ You had to be someone to get somewhere. I auditioned badly. Or maybe I just wasn’t good enough. I had to find a way in.” Chris decided that continuing his training was the answer. He believed it would give him an environment where he could flourish,

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01 01 front Earle R. Gister (Former Dean) and Christopher Noth ’85, with back Evan Yionoulis ’85, YC 82 (Faculty), Thomas Costello ’85, and Tessie Hogan ’85 in rehearsal for Lower Depths, Yale School of Drama first-year acting project, 1982–1983.

Photo by George G. Slade.

02 Christopher Noth ’85 as Peter Florrick with Juliana Margulies as Alicia Florrick in a scene from The Good Wife on CBS. Photo by Jeff Neumann © 2015 CBS Broadcasting.

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04 03 left to right George Dzundza as Detective Maxwell ‘Max’ Greevey, Christopher Noth ’85 as Detective Mike Logan, Richard Brooks as A.D.A. Paul Robinette, and Michael Moriarty as Executive A.D.A. Ben Stone in the first season of Law and Order.

Photo by NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images.

04 Christopher Noth ’85 as Mr. Big and Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw in the hit HBO series, Sex and the City. Photo

by Craig Blankenhorn/HBO.

as he had done at Marlboro, and he was hopeful that it would provide the opportunity to learn the techniques of acting.

He auditioned for both Yale and Juilliard and was accepted by Juilliard. “I turned them down,” he says.

“They wanted me to be there for four years, and I couldn’t see myself doing that. Then the letter from Yale arrived. The envelope was very thin. My immediate thought was that I’d been turned down, because if I’d been accepted I thought somehow the envelope would have been thicker. But I was accepted! I went, knowing, really knowing, how lucky I was. I’d be acting all the time.

After four years in New York City, I realized what a gift going to Yale School of Drama would be. It was a turning point in my life. I didn’t take those three years for granted. I squeezed every last drop of juice out of them.”

By his third year, Chris had signed with an agent who saw him in a YSD production of The Hostage. At last, he could see the path that would lead to the stage career he wanted. He played Hamlet at Stratford, directed by Zoe Caldwell. “Shakespeare gives it all to the actor,” he says. “There’s no hidden subtext. You have to have the language but let it just drop in. As with any great text, you ride with the content. But you have to know it in your bones.” He still, however, harbored doubts about himself as an actor at auditions. “I think there is a science to it,” he says. “You can’t just go in and be impulsive. I mean, you have to be impulsive, but only after working on it.”

He was on his way, audition to audition, and, in spite of the financial strain, he was determined to avoid the pull to work in television. “At that time, it had a bad reputation as something a serious actor wouldn’t do,” he says. “I thought I’d just perform in plays and get seen and maybe get a movie.” As time wore on, and the roles were slow to come, he was forced to shift his way of thinking about his career. He decided he could do television to survive—a decision that altered his career path and changed his life.

His breakthrough role was as Detective Mike Logan on Law & Order (1990-1995) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2005-2008). “I like being part of an ensemble,” he says. “But on network shows, commercials rule. There are restrictions on the material. And on procedurals like Law & Order, there are no characters. When I was Mike Logan, I tried to instill some kind of personality into the scripts, because, as it was written, it just wasn’t there. I wore an American flag pin on my lapel. I wore a plaid tie.

I played the character as angry a lot of the time. I was desperate to create something, because there was nothing in the script.”

The television roles kept coming. Mr. Big in HBO’s Sex and the City (1998-2004) established Chris as a romantic comedian; in The Good Wife (2009-present) he YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 015

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“Acting on a stage is like walking a tightrope. It’s like a spiritual journey for me.”

— christopher noth ’85

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05 Christopher Noth ’85 as Doctor Faustus, with Geoffrey Owens, in Classic Stage Company’s Doctor Faustus, directed

by Andrei Belgrader. Photo by Joan Marcus.

stars as Peter Florrick, the disgraced and resurrected politician husband of the title character. All three shows were major hit series, and he has been nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award (Law & Order and The Good Wife) and the Golden Globe Award (Sex and the City and The Good Wife). But he admits, a bit ruefully, that there are limitations to this kind of work. “Every character you play is you,” he says. “I’m always myself in my roles. There is transformative acting, of course, but it’s still you. We have many people living inside us. All my characters are different parts of me.”

He decries what he calls ‘on the nose casting.’ For example, when Chris auditioned for Sex and the City, the creator, Darren Star, had never seen him in in Law & Order. “After I had already landed the role of Mr. Big and Darren did see my Law & Order clips, he said he would never have cast me if he had seen me as Mike Logan.”

Chris mimes the ‘what are you gonna do?’ shrug. “I had some influence on the Mr. Big character,” he says, “because he started out just as an idea of the unattainable mystery man. I was able to inject some humor into the character and contributed a couple of story ideas based on things that had happened to me.”

In spite of all the notoriety that’s come with these shows, Chris is still an actor who has to audition. “I go up for supporting roles and sometimes I get them and sometimes I don’t,” he says without a trace of bitterness.

“There are more opportunities for me in indie films.”

His success on television prevented Chris from acting on the stage as much as he would have liked. But he still managed to do a production of Best Man on Broadway in 2000, an Off-Broadway production of Farragut North in 2008, and a revival of That Championship Season in 2011. But he still worries when he’s called a television actor. “The thing about television is that you get accustomed to all the technical support that’s behind your acting,” he says. “Acting on a stage is like walking a tightrope. It’s like a spiritual journey for me.

I’m humbled by people in the street complimenting me on my television roles, but have I reached my potential as an actor? No. Do I challenge myself enough? No. Success is tricky. In the last few years, with a young son and my mother who requires 24/7 care, I’ve had to concentrate on making a steady living.”

But he can’t get the stage out of his blood. Taking on one of dramatic literature’s most daunting roles, Chris appeared in June in the title role of Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus at Classic Stage Company in New York. “Faust is a big leap for me,” he says. “I trust the director, Andrei Belgrader (Former Faculty). I want to climb that mountain, I want to stand at the top and see all those dead bodies of people who’ve tried it before me.

I want to be on that peak. I’m scared to death, of course.

But the real danger for me is not to go back on the stage.”

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Discovering a New Instrument by f lo low ’17

p h oto g r a p h y by b o b h a n d e l m a n

“What am I but a body with a voice?” cries Bette Davis as stage star Margo Channing in All About Eve. What indeed? Whenever actors step on a stage, it is through body and voice that they define their characters and tell the story of the play. Without a firm grasp of the techniques of vocal and physical relaxation to free the body to be its most expressive, there is no communication with the other actors or the audience; nothing will be articulated.

For the three years of their study at YSD, the actors’ physical training is aimed at speaking and moving in the language of the stage. “The actors in the program learn to use themselves in ways that are theatrically eloquent, in how they move, how they live inside themselves in character, and how they express themselves through behavior as well as through words and speech,” says Walton Wilson (Faculty), chair of the acting department and head of voice and speech. “We want the actor to be adept and fluid in his or her body so that he or she can assume as many different kinds of roles, as many characters as their imagination can take on.”

Each year, actors take an array of courses that concentrate on all aspects of movement from breathing to combat. While each course is unique, all of them foster a visceral understanding of the connections between body, mind, and spirit. Following, we highlight the classes that train actors to develop a keen body awareness and a physically expressive ‘voice,’ a physical instrument that is capable of transformation and transcendence.

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The Body as Source and The Body in Space In the body as source, first-year students strive to release themselves from their everyday “social bodies” and to gain a deeper sense of the connections, both physical and mental, between the body and emotions.

Erica Fae’s (Faculty) work is based on that of Polish director and theorist Jerzy Grotowski, modified through Erica’s own point of view. the body as source is structured to help the actors understand and experience the connection of body, emotion, and brain, and to integrate those connection to the thought process. “The class is about listening to your body,” explains Melanie Field ’16. “For example, while holding my hands behind my back, the body as source allows me to see what internal reactions I have to being in that position, what it brings out in me, and what it makes me feel on the inside. It allows me to find the 3 6

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character’s physical truth by listening to the reactions in my own body.” the body in space is much more conceptual, asking the actor to think about space, time, shape, and movement. How does the actor function in space? How does he exist on the stage? How may she become conscious of the larger picture of theatre-making?

Actors are trained to work from the outside in, concentrating on the interaction of human beings with other human beings and other objects in space. They become acutely aware of the shapes their bodies are making. They ask what the body reveals and what story it conveys to the audience, rather than what it means to the actor.

the body as source 01 Jonathan Higginbotham ’17 02 Students in a warm-up exercise 03 Jonathan Higginbotham ’17 and Leland Fowler ’17 overleaf YSD acting students warm up for CLOWN class. foreground Melanie Field ’16, Shaunette Wilson ’16, Chalia Ayers LaTour ’16, and Andrew Burnap ’16. background Jonathan Majors ’16, Bryan (Aubie) Merrylees ’16, Julian Elijah Martinez ’16, Christopher Ghaffari ’16, and Galen Kane’16.

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the alexander technique this page Jessica Wolf (Faculty) instructs Anna Crivelli ’17 left and Ricardo Dávila ’17 opposite page Jessica Wolf (Faculty) instructs Dylan Frederick ’17 back and Sebastian Arboleda ’17 3 8

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Yoga and Alexander Technique yoga, which also includes Qigong (a type of spiritual practice intended to align body and breath), is the entry point for first- and third-year actors into a vigorous, physical practice designed to deepen actors’ connection to their breath and encourage release into the shifting energies in their bodies and minds. As taught by Annie Piper (Faculty), the techniques are great examples of how individual physical awareness can contribute to group physical awareness. “They are a test of your physical endurance but at the same time your mental and spiritual endurance,” says Ato BlanksonWood ’15. “Your body is working but it also affects things like your work ethic. If I breathe and hold a pose and stick to it, I get to the other side of that position, and something cool might be there. And that translates to the rehearsal room.” James Cusati-Moyer ’15

echoes Ato’s sentiments. “When actors are stuck or are going through a difficult time in class or rehearsal, we’re reminded that all you have to do is return to your breath or your body. Annie Piper has a wonderful humanistic approach to what she does. She’ll make the practice applicable to your own life, as a grad-school actor, as a young adult in 2015.”

Jessica Wolf (Faculty) provides class instruction and private tutorials for actors in all three years in alexander technique, which develops the actor’s kinesthetic awareness, fosters balance and alignment, and, through breath work, promotes the connection between voice and body.

This reinforces the psychophysical well-being of actors, enabling them to be present in their work and achieve transformation. “Actors learn to identify habits that cause physical tension and vocal strain,”

says Jessica, “which interfere with their ability to coordinate breath, body, and sound. When they experience the wholeness of their instruments, they are free to explore impulse, thereby deepening their connections to their characters.” “alexander technique changed my life,” says James Cusati-Moyer, “It taught me how to breathe again. I learned proper use of my body so that I can get the most out of it without physical strain, excess energy or misuse.

And I’ve applied it to many characters by paying attention to what Jessica calls ‘The Breathing Costume,’ or the study and the attention to breath that differs between each and every person within theatrical literature.”

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Dance for Actors, Hip-Hop Dance in Context, and Stage Combat In dance for actors, Lori Leshner (Faculty) guides second-year actors in an exploration of some anatomical fundamentals of movement through a rigorous daily warm-up. Movement phrases are embodied, investigating weight, intention, direction, and freedom. Original movement creations, musical theatre styles, contact improvisation, and some vernacular dance forms are also done in class, culminating in combinations of text and movement where creative freedom in the physical realm is emphasized.

“The dance classes are great, because they are about storytelling without text,” says Melanie Field. “There is a lot of freedom that comes in the expression of your body to music. It also eliminates the portion of my brain that is thinking and analyzing what I do, because it is just me and music.” It is also a great deal of fun, as James Cusati-Moyer found out: “We were doing a particular combination across the floor and I felt so free, I was having such a good time, and I had so much pleasure in it that I messed up some of the choreography. Lori corrected me and I said, ‘Lori, I’m just living my life,’ and 4 0

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she said, ‘Then live it!’”

In hip-hop dance in context second yearactors explore the rhythms, moods, dynamics, and creative expressions of the history of American social dance from minstrelsy to Hip-Hop. The course, which was taught by Moncell Durden in the 2014–2015 academic year, fully integrates theory from historical and philosophical perspectives into immersive, active studio practices. In the dance studio, actors are not thinking and analyzing what they do, because it is just actor and music. It frees the body to express itself and to discover deeper ways of story-telling without language.

Rather than focusing on freeing the body, stage combat is about staying in control. First- and secondyear students learn partner-awareness, concentration skills, and the effects of impulse and response. These skills are the foundation for executing stage violence effectively and safely. Rick Sordelet (Faculty) and Michael Rossmy (Faculty) train the actors in unarmed and armed combat techniques to make violence look convincing, and prepare them to work with a professional fight choreographer.

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hip hop dance in context 01 Andrew Burnap ’16 center, with back Sean Higgins ’17 and Julian Elijah Martinez ’17

combat

02 Bryan (Aubie) Merrylees ’16 and Moncell Durden

03 Melanie Field ’16 and Galen Kane ’16 front and other students

04 Rick Sordelet (Faculty) with Sydney Lemmon ’17, George Hampe ’17, and Elizabeth Stahlmann ’17

05 Baize Buzan ’17 and Michael Rossmy (Faculty)

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Clown and Commedia When actors reach their second year at YSD, they participate in clown, a course that counterbalances the serious actor/audience relationship and inspires students to discover their playful selves through exercises in rhythm, balance, generosity, and playfulness. Teacher Christopher Bayes (Faculty), head of the Physical Acting Program, explains, “The world of the clown encourages innocence, openness, and curiosity.”

James Cusati-Moyer agrees, 4 2

“Chris taps into a physical vocabulary with the actor that returns us to a place of innocence and abandon, to our younger days, before we knew the word ‘no.’ He takes us back to a place of physical expression without tension, injury, scars–emotional or physical– and into a mindset of play and vulnerability.”

“Some people find clown class to be both exhilarating and terrifying,” notes Walton Wilson. “The two phrases students use to describe it are sheer terror and

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ecstatic bliss.”

The physical acting curriculum culminates in the third year in commedia (also taught by Christopher Bayes). The course explores the classical archetypes of commedia dell’arte and how these tap into the more grotesque, abrasive side of the human spirit, involving sex, desire, anger, and selfishness. Chris says, “commedia demands appetite, great boldness, and physical and vocal transformation.” commedia makes use of mask,

02 01 Paul Cooper ’16 02 foreground Victoria Whooper ’17, Christopher Ghaffari ’16, Julian Elijah Martinez ’16. background Annelise Lawson ’16 and Chalia Ayers LaTour ’16.

03 Annelise Lawson ’16 with back Melanie Field ’16

03 physical articulation, sound, and rhythm to develop the actors’ transformational powers. The actors take turns wearing the mask, which is meant to free them from their personal boundaries.

Once Chris has given basic instructions about the physical vocabulary and commonly used phrases that relate to each archetypal character they are asked to conjure, it is up to the actors to find themselves within the mask.

“The study of both of these

comic forms allows the actor to enter the comic world with less fear and a heightened ability to listen and respond completely in the moment,” explains Chris. “My hope is that these classes help the actor to live with more pleasure on the stage and play with a kind of gleeful abandon.”

The physical acting curriculum at YSD guides students through these courses of active interpretation and self-reflection, offering them a deeper understanding of how to use their bodies to enhance

the verbal language they may speak on stage. “I thought I knew my body before, but every day was like meeting a new friend, a new instrument that I could polish and perfect, and constantly adapt to make me a better actor,” says James Cusati-Moyer. “I know my body more now than ever before.

And with that knowledge, a complete sense of the unknown, too; in this field, we are constantly learning, constantly tuning our instrument and finding all the different sounds and colors within.”

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Leading the Charge to Spark Diversity by jaso n n a j jo u m ’17 4 4

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A group of young theatre professionals recently joined the national conversation about diversity and inclusion in the field of theatre by being selected to participate in the Theatre Communications Group’s (TCG) SPARK Leadership Program to help create a more diverse theatre landscape. Of the 10 SPARK participants chosen for the inaugural class, four were graduates of Yale School of Drama: Nelson Eusebio ’07 (directing), Snehal Desai ’08 (directing), Jacob Padrón ’08 (theater management), and Karena Fiorenza Ingersoll ’12

(theater management).

SPARK supports the professional development of exceptional rising leaders of color who aspire to take on executive leadership positions at U.S. non-profit theatres. Over the course of the year, the participants immersed themselves in a curriculum with three focus areas: knowledge and skills building, networking and professional connections, and self-awareness and inclusion.

“TCG wanted to change the perception that there aren’t qualified candidates of color for these positions in U.S. not-for-

left to right Nelson Eusebio ’07, Karen Fiorenza Ingersoll ’12, Snehal Desai ’08, and Jacob Padrón ’08 at the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) conference.

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profit theatres,” explains Jacob.

“If a search firm were to say, ‘we wish there were more highlyqualified candidates of color that we could throw into the mix.’

SPARK is saying, ‘We have candidates with considerable experience right here.’”

Jacob wasn’t surprised to see so many YSD graduates in the group. “YSD seeks students who want to make a change, who want to bring value to the communities we are serving. I see that in the four of us. That’s something that, I believe, unites all YSD alumni.”

working as an associate producer at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and as a producer for Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Jacob is now a line producer at The Public Theater. “Both El Teatro Campesino and The Public were founded because of an activism impulse, a democratic impulse,” he says. “So it feels like I’ve come full circle in many ways.”

Growing up, Snehal was a member of one of a handful of Indian families in the rural town of Quakertown, PA. “So much of my life has involved the struggle between assimilation and stand-

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Jacob’s own career path was influenced by his childhood experience watching his mother perform with the seminal Latino American company El Teatro Campesino, founded in 1965 by Luis Valdez. “Seeing other Latino artists on stage was really meaningful,” he says. He credits YSD’s Theater Management Department Chair Ed Martenson’s (Faculty) leadership classes with instilling in him “the confidence and the tools to be influential, to think strategically, and to bring value to organizations in a measurable way.” After

ing out—wanting to be a distinct individual, but also wanting to fit in,” he says. “For a long time, I denied my cultural and ethnic heritage a place in my work.

Fortunately, my time at YSD allowed me to focus on finding and developing my individual voice.”

Today, as the Artistic Associate/ Literary Manager at East West Players, the nation’s leading Asian American theatre, Snehal has a voice in determining how Asian Americans are represented on stage. “The question is how can we go beyond typecasting and telling only the stories of the first

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generation immigrant family drama. At many theatres, all of the Asian subcultures tend to get lumped together. Rarely is there a distinction made between the various cultures and communities. What I love about ethnically-specific theatre companies is that they can go deeper into the conversation about our unique cultures and the struggles we face.”

Nelson Eusebio, a former U.S. Marine, has dedicated much of his professional life, since graduating from YSD, to reclaiming the Western classics for

Asian American artists and audiences. “When people want to do Shakespeare, they don’t normally call upon artists of color,” he says, “which, for YSD grads, is ironic because we spent a year and a half learning to act and direct Shakespeare.” In 2010, Nelson co-founded the Leviathan Lab, a creative studio that is focused on expanding the reach of Asian American artistic voices, and creating opportunities for new and veteran Asian American actors to perform Shakespeare. Nelson accomplished this, in part, by produc-

ing a series based upon the second-year acting project at YSD called “Shakespeare Quartets,” in which four actors edit down and perform an entire Shakespeare play. “If you never get a chance to be in a Shakespeare play, how can you be expected to play Lady M, or Lear, or the Fool?” he asks. “The problem we were trying to address was the pipeline issue.”

Nelson’s interests have grown to include film and projects that span disciplines, but his first priority remains theatre. “I’d like to be an artistic leader of a

whose family is originally from Argentina, grew up in a home where the boleros of Julio Iglesias mixed with the arias of The Three Tenors. She credits her background and upbringing with making her a better listener. “In my work in theatre and dance, I’ve become an advocate for others, as well as a translator between departments, generational workforces, and roles,” she says. “In addition to making great art, the organization I dream of running would invest in its staff, its artists, and the community it serves.”

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inaugural class, Karena says, “resulted in an immediate love-fest. It’s impressive to see what we’ve all accomplished with our careers. And,” she went on, “there is something special about having that shared YSD experience, even though we didn’t all overlap as students. We inherently understand where we are coming from both as members of the alaana (African, Latino(a), Asian, Arab and Native American) community and through our YSD history.”

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regional theatre,” he says, “and bring my passion for diversity to one community and help them grow. Eventually, I hope to create something that could have a broader impact, but first I want to affect a single community.”

Nelson was grateful for his experience, and the chance to meet the other spark leaders: “To get to see all of these people together, and to know that we are all trying to fight the same fight, to battle perceptions about diversity and leadership, is tremendously powerful.”

Karena Fiorenza Ingersoll, 03

Karena is currently the general manager of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and was previously the associate managing director at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where she worked on its new play development program, The Ground Floor. She continues to freelance as an arts management strategist and artist representative, partnering with individual artists and ensembles, such as universes, whose work gives voice to underrepresented stories and perspectives.

Finding three other YSD graduates in the spark Leaders

01 Karena Fiorenza Ingersoll ’12.

Photo by Todd Rosenberg.

02 Nelson Eusebio ’07 (center) on the set of Red Phone Production’s film The Barrelman Caper. Photo by Ryan Brown Photography.

03 Jacob Padrón ’08 04 Snehal Desai ’08

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Alumni Events 2014 NEW YORK HOLIDAY PARTY

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AT THE YALE CLUB OF NEW YORK CITY

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06 01 Jill Lawrence ’97, Jake Thompson, Linda Kuriloff ’91, Magaly (Coliman) Christopher ’98, and Michael Early ’91 02 Edward Morris ’13, Tyler Kieffer ’15, Robert Wierzel ’84 (Faculty), Joey Moro ’15, and Oliver Wason ’14 03 Elisa Spencer ’05, Sarah Bartlo ’04, and Elin Eggertsdottir ’04

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04 David Roberts ’08, Burke Brown ’07, and Tiffany Rachelle Stewart ’07

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07 05 Seth Bodie ’14 and Ashton Heyl ’14 06 Donald Lowy ’76 (recipient of the 2014–2015 YSD Warfel Award) with Victoria Nolan (Deputy Dean) 07 Jill Taylor ’12 and Christopher Bannow ’14

p h otos by c h r i s toph e r as h ’1 4

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Alumni Events 2015 WEST COAST ALUMNI PARTY AT THE HOME OF JANE KACZMAREK ’82

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ph otos by r yan m i lle r / c apt u r e i m agi n g

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06 05 01 Host Jane Kaczmarek ’82 and Christine Estabrook ’76 02 Florence Van Putten, Joe Gantman ’53, and Peter Nelson ’53 03 Rafeal Clements ’90 and Bruce Katzman ’88

04 Charise Smith ’10, Meg Miroshnik ’11, Aubyn Philabaum ’08, Mattie Brickman ’09, Joby Earle ’10, and Kirsten Parker ’11

06 Sue Cremin ’95, Snehal Desai ’08, James Bundy ’95 (Dean), Melissa Trn ’08, and Brett Dalton ’11

05 back row, left to right Bree (Sherry) Fabrizio ’10, Stephen Henson ’11, Kirsten Parker ’11, Jason Davis, Sophia Davis, Maureen (Dunleavy) Davis ’99. front Amanda Haley ’10, Vincent Olivieri ’01, Sarah Olivieri ’08, and baby Hallie Olivieri

07 Fred Melamed ’81, Stephen Godchaux ’93, and Sue Cremin ’95

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08 Roger Smith ‘83 and W. Allen Bennett ‘92

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Alumni Events TD&P ALUMNI VISIT

NEW HAVEN

01 01 TD&Ps at the home of Ben and Laraine Sammler. back row, left to right Chip Letts ’76, Alan Hendrickson ’83 (Faculty), Mike Backhaus ’13 (Faculty), Ed Lapine ’83, Don Lowy ’76, Bill Reynolds ’77, Matt Welander ’09 (Faculty), Robert Long ’76 (Former Faculty), Charles Davidson. front row, left to right Kathleen Armstrong Letts, Allison Backhaus, Laraine Sammler, Ben Sammler ’74 (Faculty), Pam Rank ’78, Jeff Rank ’79, Walt Klappert ’79, Shuli Rayberg, Tom Kupp ’76, Jane Kupp, Jane Head ’79, Pat Silvestro. Photo by Rick Silvestro ’76.

02 YSD alumni Neil Mazzella ’78 (Former Faculty) left and Chip Letts ’76 back right enjoy dinner at Mory’s with Spencer Hrdy ’17, Emily Erdman ’15, Kathleen Armstrong Letts, and Sean Walters ’16. Photo by Rick Silvestro ’76.

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APRIL 24–25, 2015

Alumni Events YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA ALUMNI RECEPTION AT THE UNITED STATES INSTITUTE FOR THEATRE TECHNOLOGY (USITT) ANNUAL CONFERENCE & STAGE EXPO 2015

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03 01 left to right Bradley Powers ’03 (with daughter Hazel in his arms), Corrine Larson ’03, Michael Banta ’03, and Sandra Goldmark ’04

04 02 Karen Walcott ’13 and Nicole Bromley ’13 03 Todd Berling ’89, Allison Mitchell, and Yuri Cataldo ’08

04 left to right Laura Patterson ’03, Mitchell Cramond ’16, James Lanius ’15, Alys Holden ’97, Steven Schmidt ’11, and Kate Newman ’15

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Awards & Honors 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards 2014 Outstanding Art Direction for a Period Series, Miniseries, or Movie Adam Scher ’94 (Art Director) Winner, Boardwalk Empire Andrew Jackness ’79 (Production Design) Nominee, Masters of Sex Outstanding Art Direction for Variety, Nonfiction, Reality, or Reality-Competition Programming Eugene Lee ’86 (Production Designer) Winner, Saturday Night Live Derek McLane ’84 (Production Designer) Nominee, The Oscars Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Reg E. Cathay ’81 Nominee, House of Cards Paul Giamatti ’94, YC ’89 Nominee, Downton Abbey Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Angela Bassett ’83, YC ’80 Nominee, American Horror Story Kate Burton ’82 Nominee, Scandal Outstanding Children’s Program Sheila Nevins ’63 (Executive Producer) Nominee, One Last Hug: Three Days at Grief Camp Nominee, Wynton Marsalis – A YoungArts MasterClass

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Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special Sheila Nevins ’63 (Executive Producer) Nominee, Paycheck to Paycheck: The Life and Times of Katrina Gilbert Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking Sheila Nevins ’63 (Executive Producer) Nominee, Life According to Sam 87th Annual Academy Awards 2015 Best Supporting Actress Meryl Streep ’75, DFAH ’83 Nominee, Into The Woods Best Production Design Adam Stockhausen ’99 Winner, The Grand Budapest Hotel 72st Annual Golden Globe Awards 2015 Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Meryl Streep ’75, DFAH ’83 Nominee, Into The Woods Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television Frances McDormand ’82 Nominee, Olive Kitteridge Best Television Series - Drama Sarah Treem ’05, YC ’02 (Executive Producer) Winner, The Affair 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards 2015 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Meryl Streep ’75, DFAH ’83 Nominee, Into The Woods

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Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries Frances McDormand ’82 Winner, Olive Kitteridge 31st Annual Helen Hayes Awards 2015 The Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding Original New Play or Musical Liz Lerman (Faculty) Nominee, Healing Wars The James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play—HAYES Production Richard Gallagher ’06 Nominee, Tribes Outstanding Lighting Design— HAYES Production Philip Rosenberg ’59 Winner, Private Lives Outstanding Director of a Play—HAYES Production David Muse ’03, YC ’96 Nominee, Cock Outstanding Choreography in a Play—HELEN Production Liz Lerman (Faculty) Nominee, Healing Wars 30th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards 2015 Outstanding Musical Bess Wohl ’02, ART ’98 Nominee, Pretty Filthy Outstanding Scenic Design Derek McLane ’84 Nominee, Into the Woods Walt Spangler ’97 Nominee, Between Riverside and Crazy Outstanding Costume Design Candice Donnelly ’85 Nominee, Indian Ink

69th Annual Tony Awards 2015 Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play Patricia Clarkson ’85 Nominee, The Elephant Man Best Scenic Design of a Musical Michael Yeargan ’73 (Faculty) Nominee, The King and I Best Costume Design of a Play Jane Greenwood (Faculty) Nominee, You Can’t Take It With You Best Costume Design of a Musical William Ivey Long ’75 Nominee, On the Twentieth Century Catherine Zuber ’84 Winner, The King and I Best Lighting Design of a Musical Donald Holder ’86 Nominee, The King and I 60th Annual Drama Desk Awards 2015 Outstanding Book of a Musical Kimberly Rosenstock ’10, Will Connolly ’10, and Michael Mitnick ’10 Nominees, Fly by Night Outstanding Set Design Scott Pask ’97 Nominee, The Visit Outstanding Costume Design Catherine Zuber ’84 Nominee, Gigi Outstanding Lighting Design Maruti Evans ’10 (Special Research Fellow) Nominee, Deliverance

Awards & Honors Special Award: Outstanding Ensemble Lizbeth Mackay ’75 Nominee, The Wayside Motor Inn

Riccardo Hernandez ’92 Nominee, Pullman Porter Blues

60th Annual Obie Awards 2015

Todd Rosenthal ’93 Nominee, Luna Gale

Special Award: Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award Bess Wohl ’02, ART ’98 Winner

46th Annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards 2014

Direction Trip Cullman ’02, YC ’97 Winner, Punk Rock (MCC Theater)

81st Annual Drama League Awards 2015

Featured Performance Joel Polis ’76 Winner, My Name is Asher Lev

Distinguished Performance Award Bryce Pinkham ’08 Nominee, The Heidi Chronicles

Lighting Design Christopher Akerlind ’89 Nominee, The Tempest

65th Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards 2015

Sound Design Charles Coes ’09 (Faculty) Nominee, The Tempest

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Patricia Clarkson ’85 Nominee, The Elephant Man

25th Annual Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Awards 2014

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Bryce Pinkham ’08 Nominee, The Heidi Chronicles

Outstanding Lighting Design (Large Theatre) Robert Wierzel ’84 (Faculty) Nominee, The Steward of Christendom

Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) Catherine Zuber ’84 Winner, The King and I William Ivey Long ’75 Nominee, On the Twentieth Century Outstanding Set Design (Play or Musical) Scott Pask ’97 Nominee, Something Rotten!

Outstanding Scenic Design (Large Theatre) John Lee Beatty ’73 Nominee, The Country House Tobin Ost ’01 Nominee, Harmony Kevin Depinet ’06 Nominee, The Steward of Christendom

Michael Yeargan, ’73 (Faculty) Nominee, The King and I

Outstanding Costume Design (Large Theatre) Tobin Ost ’01 Nominee, Harmony

46th Annual Jeff Equity Awards 2014

Rita Ryack ’80 Nominee, The Country House

Outstanding Scenic Design (Large) Kevin Depinet ’06 Nominee, The Dance of Death

Connecticut Critics Circle Awards 2014-2015 Outstanding Production of a Play Yale Repertory Theatre Nominee, Arcadia Yale Repertory Theatre Nominee, Elevada Outstanding Director of a Play James Bundy ’95 (Dean) Nominee, Arcadia (Yale Repertory Theatre)

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Stephen DeRosa ’95 Winner, Sing for Your Shakespeare (Westport Country Playhouse) Outstanding Set Design Alexander Dodge ’99 Winner, Private Lives (Hartford Stage) Nominee, Kiss Me Kate (Hartford Stage) Chika Shimizu ’15 Nominee, The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Yale Repertory Theatre)

Jackson Gay ’02 Nominee, Elevada (Yale Repertory Theatre)

Outstanding Lighting Design Matthew Richard ’01 Nominee, Hamlet (Hartford Stage) Nominee, Reverberation (Hartford Stage)

Outstanding Actor in a Play Zach Appleman ‘10 Winner, Hamlet (Hartford Stage)

Outstanding Costume Design Jessica Ford ’04 Nominee, The Liar (Westport Country Playhouse)

Tom Pecinka ‘15 Nominee, Arcadia (Yale Repertory Theatre)

Outstanding Sound Design David Budries (Faculty) Nominee, Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Long Wharf Theatre)

Steven Skybell ’88, YC ’84 Nominee, The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Yale Repertory Theatre)

Katharine Marvin ’16 Nominee, Elevada (Yale Repertory Theatre)

Outstanding Actress in a Play Shaunette Renée Wilson ’16 Nominee, The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Yale Repertory Theatre) Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Max Gordon Moore ’11 Nominee, Arcadia (Yale Repertory Theatre)

Jane Shaw ’98 Winner, Hamlet (Hartford Stage) Special Award for Projections Shawn Boyle ’15 Winner, Elevada Tom Killen Award (recognizes extraordinary contribution to Connecticut’s professional theatre) Carmen de Lavallade (Former Faculty)

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Awards & Honors The Joe A. Callaway Awards 2014–2015 Outstanding Direction Mike Donahue ’08 Winner, The Legend of Georgia McBride (MCC Theater) Trip Cullman ’02, YC ’97 Finalist, Significant Other (Roundabout Theatre) Rebecca Taichman ’00 Finalist, The Oldest Boy (Lincoln Center Theatre)

Honors United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) honored several Yale School of Drama faculty and alumni at its 55th Annual Conference & Stage Expo in March 2015.

Distinguished Achievement Awards were presented to Jane Greenwood (Faculty) for Costume Design, Wendall Harrington (Faculty) for Education of Projection Design, and Teresa Eyring ’89 for Management. Andi Lyons ’80, received the USITT Joel E. Rubin Founder’s Award in recognition of her outstanding and continued service to the Institute since 1982. Mitchell Cramond ’16 and Jeong Sik Yoo ’15 won the 2015 Renovation Challenge Best Challenge Solution Award.

03 01 Andi Lyons ’80 with USITT President Lea Asbell-Swanger at the awards reception during the USITT 2015 Annual Conference & Stage Expo.

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02 02 Teresa Eyring ’89 receiving the USITT 2015 Distinguished Achievement Award in Management from Neil Kutner, vice commissioner of USITT’s Management Commission. Photo by Glen Ellman.

03 Mitchell Cramond ’16 with his award at the USITT 2015 Annual Conference & Stage Expo.

Awards & Honors

Jane Greenwood (Faculty)

Martyna Majok ’12 has received several awards for her play Ironbound, including Marin Theatre Company’s David Calicchio Emerging American Playwrights Prize, Aurora Theatre Company’s Global Age Project Prize, and the National New Play Network’s Smith Prize for Political Playwriting.

Martyna was also awarded the 2015-2016 PoNY Fellowship at the Lark Play Development Center, an award valued at $100,000.

Jess Goldstein ’78 (Faculty), resident costume designer for Yale Repertory Theatre, received Theatre Development Fund’s Robert L. B. Tobin Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatrical Design.

Wendall Harrington (Faculty)

Annie Dorsen ’00, YC ’96 received the 2014 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, an unrestricted prize of $75,000 given annually to five risktaking mid-career artists working in the fields of dance, film/video, music, theatre, and the visual arts.

Martyna Majok ’12

Warren Bass ’67 Warren Bass ’67 won the 2015 American Movie Award for Documentary Short for his 42-minute film, The Urban World.

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Graduation

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a l l p ho to s by m a ra l avitt.

CLASS OF 2015

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Congratulations to our newest alumni — the Class of 2015!

Master of Fine Arts/ Certificate in Drama acting Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Celeste Arias Aaron Bartz Ato Blankson-Wood James Cusati-Moyer Cornelius Davidson Christopher Geary Chasten Harmon Maura Hooper Tiffany Mack Thomas Pecinka Aaron Profumo Matthew Raich Ariana Venturi Zenzi Williams

design Montana Blanco Kurtis Boetcher Shawn Boyle Grier Coleman Kristen Ferguson Soule Golden Jungah Han Adrian Martinez Frausto Josef Moro Caitlin Smith Rapoport Steven Rotramel Mariana Sanchez Hernandez Chika Shimizu directing Sara Holdren Jessica Holt Andras Viski dramaturgy and dramatic criticism Rachel Carpman Hugh Farrell Helen Jaksch Kelly Kerwin Samantha Lazar

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playwriting Lee Ryan Campbell Phillip Howze Emily Zemba sound design Brian Hickey Tyler Kieffer Jing Yin stage management Emily DeNardo Shannon Gaughf Will Rucker Anita Shastri technical design & production Rosalie Bochansky Joseph Brennan Emily Erdman Thomas Harper Sanghun Joung Andrew Knauff James Lanius Katherine Newman Lisa O’Reilly Thomas Rose Ross Rundell Kenyth Thomason Jeong Sik Yoo

theater management Louisa Balch Eric Gershman Molly Hennighausen Anh Lê Stephanie Rolland Yu Shen Sarah Williams technical internship certificate Emily Baldasarra Samantha Catanzaro Kelly Fayton Ashley Flowers Jessica Hawkins Christina King Alexandra Reynolds Stephanie Smith

Graduation CLASS OF 2015

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GRADUATION PRIZES

Prizes are given each year as designated by the faculty. ascap Cole Porter Prize Lee Ryan Campbell ’15 Edward C. Cole Memorial Award Thomas Harper ’15 John W. Gassner Memorial Prize David Bruin ’16 Bert Gruver Memorial Prize Will Rucker ’15 Allen M. and Hildred L. Harvey Prize Emily Erdman ’15 Morris J. Kaplan Prize Sarah Williams ’15 Julian Milton Kaufman Memorial Prize Sara Holdren ’15

Jay and Rhonda Keene Prize Soule Golden ’15 Leo Lerman Graduate Fellowship in Design Grier Coleman ’15 Dexter Wood Luke Memorial Prize James Lanius ’15 Mentorship Award Katherine Newman ’15 Donald and Zorka Oenslager Fellowship Mariana Sanchez Hernandez ’15 Chika Shimizu ’15 Pierre-André Salim Prize Kelly Kerwin ’15

The Frieda Shaw, Dr. Diana Mason OBE, and Denise Suttor Prize for Sound Design Tyler Kieffer ’15 Oliver Thorndike Acting Award Zenzi Williams ’15 George C. White Prize Eric Gershman ’15 Herschel Williams Prize Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ’15

01 Montana Blanco ’15 02 left to right Catherine Sheehy ’92, DFA ’99 (Faculty) and Dramaturgy graduates Kelly Kerwin ’15, Samantha Lazar ’15, Rachel Carpman ’15, Helen Jaksch ’15, and Hugh Farrell ’15. Photo

by Mara Lavitt.

03 left to right Zenzi Williams ’15, Cornelius Davidson ’15, Joseph Brennan ’15, Matthew Raich ’15, Aaron Bartz ’15, and Grier Coleman ’15 at the Yale Commencement ceremony.

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Graduation FELLOWSHIPS & SCHOLARSHIPS (Awarded 2014–2015 Academic Year) John M. Badham Scholarship Andras Viski ’15 John Badham Scholarship in Directing Jessica Holt ’15 Mark Bailey Scholarship Taylor Barfield ’16 George Pierce Baker Memorial Scholarship Samantha Lazar ’15 Rachel Carpman ’15 David Clauson ’16 Herbert H. and Patricia M. Brodkin Scholarship Aaron Profumo ’15 Patricia M. Brodkin Memorial Scholarship Emily DeNardo ’15 Shannon Gaughf ’15 Paul Carter Scholarship Joseph Brennan ’15 Ciriello Family Scholarship Fund Ian Hannan ’17

Holmes Easley Scholarship Christopher Thompson ’16 Alexander Woodward ’16 Eldon Elder Fellowship Izmir Mohamed Ickbal ’16 Rebecca Powell ’17 Jesse Rasmussen ’17 Christopher Ross-Ewart ’17 Chika Shimizu ’15 Ni Wen ’16 Fan Zhang ’17 Wesley Fata Scholarship Sean Higgins ’16 Dino Fusco and Anita Pamintuan Fusco Scholarship Bradley Tejeda ’16 Annie G. K. Garland Memorial Scholarship Kelly Montgomery ’16 Earle R. Gister Scholarship Christopher Geary ’15 Randolph Goodman Scholarship Jean Kim ’16

August Coppola Scholarship Anh Lê ’15

Cheryl Crawford Scholarship Sarah Mantell ’17

Jerome L. Greene Scholarship Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ’15 Ato Blankson-Wood ’15 Thomas Pecinka ’15 Zenzi Williams ’15

Edgar and Louise Cullman Scholarship Yagil Eliraz ’15

Julie Harris Scholarship Fund Annelise Lawson ’16

Cullman Scholarship in Directing Elizabeth Dinkova ’17 Luke Harlan ’16 Sara Holdren ’15

Stephen J. Hoffman ’64 Scholarship Katherine Newman ’15

Caris Corfman Scholarship Tiffany Mack ’15

Pamela Jordan Scholarship Aaron Bartz ’15 The Stanley Kauffmann Scholarship David Bruin ’16

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Sylvia Fine Kaye Scholarship Fund Melanie Field ’16 Jay and Rhonda Keene Scholarship for Costume Design Fabian Aguilar ’16 Ray Klausen Design Scholarship Jungah Han ’15 Gordon F. Knight Scholarship Fund Jing Yin ’15 Lotte Lenya Scholarship Fund Jenelle Chu ’16 Victor S. Lindstrom Scholarship Michael Best ’16 Lord Memorial Scholarship Molly Hennighausen ’15 Virginia Brown Martin Scholarship Galen Kane ’16 Stanley R. McCandless Scholarship Andrew Griffin ’16 Elizabth Mak ’16 Alfred L. McDougal and Nancy Lauter McDougal Endowed Scholarship Fund Celeste Arias ’15 Mariana Sanchez Hernandez ’15 Benjamin Mordecai Scholarship for Theater Managers Louisa Balch ’15 Kenneth D. Moxley Memorial Scholarship Kenyth Thomason ’15

G. Charles Niemeyer Scholarship Fund Alexandra Ripp ’13, DFA cand.

Dana Tanner-Kennedy ’14, DFA cand.

Donald M. Oenslager Scholarship in Stage Design, 3rd year Kurtis Boetcher ’15 Donald and Zorka Oenslager Scholarship in Stage Design Montana Blanco ’15 Shawn Boyle ’15 Josef Moro ’15 Steven Rotramel ’15 Eugene O’Neill Memorial Scholarship Tori Sampson ’17 Mary Jean Parson Scholarship Leora Morris ’16 Jeff and Pam Rank Scholarship Thomas Harper ’15 Mark J. Richard Scholarship Jiréh Holder ’16 Lloyd Richards Scholarship in Acting Jonathan Majors ’16 Barbara E. Richter Scholarship Fund Rosalie Bochansky ’15 Helen Jaksch ’15 Rodman Family Scholarship Spencer Hrdy ’17 Pierre-Andre Salim Memorial Scholarship Pornchanok Kanchanabanca ’16 Jeong Sik Yoo ’15 Fufan Zhang ’17 Scholarship for Playwriting Students Miranda Hall ’17

Graduation FELLOWSHIPS & SCHOLARSHIPS Richard Harrison Senie Scholarship Soule Golden ’15 Caitlin Smith Rapoport ’15

Stephen B. Timbers Family Scholarship for Playwriting Lee Ryan Campbell ’15

Constance Welch Memorial Scholarship Chalia Ayers LaTour ’16 Niall Powderly ’16

Daniel and Helene Sheehan Scholarship Sarah Williams ’15

Frank Torok Scholarship Anita Shastri ’15

The Shubert Scholarships Louisa Balch ’15 Grier Coleman ’15 Jessica Holt ’15 Maura Hooper ’15 Emily Zemba ’15

Leon Brook Walker Scholarship Julian Elijah Martinez ’16

Rebecca West Scholarship Paul Cooper ’16 Shaunette Renée Wilson ’16

Howard Stein Scholarship Brendan Pelsue ’16

Richard Ward Scholarship Stephanie Rolland ’15

Audrey Wood Scholarship Lindsey Ferrentino ’16

01 Acting graduates Tiffany Mack ’15, Chasten Harmon ’15, and Yahya AbdulMateen II ’15. Photo by Mara Lavitt.

02 front Theater Management graduates Anh Lê ’15, Molly Hennighausen ’15, back Louisa Balch ’15, Stephanie Rolland ’15, and Sarah Williams ’15. Photo

by Mara Lavitt.

03 Matthew Suttor (Faculty) and Sound Design graduates Tyler Kieffer ’15, Brian Hickey ’15, and Jing Yin ’15. Photo by Mara Lavitt.

Zelma Weisfeld Scholarship for Costume Design Grier Coleman ’15

04 left to right Stage Managers Shannon Gaughf ’15, Anita Shastri ’15, Emily DeNardo ’15, Mary Hunter (Faculty), Will Rucker ’15, and James Mountcastle ’90 (Faculty).

Photo by Mara Lavitt.

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Graduation CLASS OF 2015 CELEBRATION LUNCHEON 01 standing Rachel Carpman ’15 and Tyler Kieffer ’15. sitting Jessica Holt ’15, Samantha Lazar ’15, Helen Jaksch ’15, Emily Zemba ’15, and Kelly Kerwin ’15.

02 Theater Management graduates Sarah Williams ’15 and Eric Gershman ’15, SOM ’15

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03 TD&P graduates Lee O’Reilly ’15, Andrew Knauff ’15, Rosalie Bochansky ’15, Emily Erdman ’15, and Tom Harper ’15.

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03 back row Ato Blankson-Wood ’15, Montana Blanco ’15, Mariana Sanchez Hernandez ’15, Jungah Han ’15, Adrian Martinez Frausto ’15, Kristen Ferguson ’15, Kurtis Boetcher ’15, Will Rucker ’15, and Celeste Arias ’15. front Matthew Raich ’15 and Chika Shimizu ’15.

a l l p ho to s by m a ra l avitt.

Hosted by YSD Development and Alumni Affairs Office

Bookshelf PUBLI C AT IO NS BY & ABO U T YAL E S C H O OL O F DRA MA A L U MN I

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05 01 Funny Shorts

by Billy Aronson ’83 2015 Broadway Play Publishing 02 Shakespeare on Theatre

by Robert Cohen ’65 2015 Routledge Press

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06 07 03 Dramaturgy in Motion

by Katherine Profeta ’99, DFA ’10, YC ’91 2015 University of Wisconsin Press

05 Falling Into the Theatre … and Finding Myself

by Robert Cohen ’65 2014 Fithian Press

04 A Story Larger Than My Own Edited

by Janet (Burroway) Ruppert ’63 2014 University of Chicago Press

06 You Can’t Ruin My Day: 52 Wake-Up Calls to Turn Any Situation Around

by Allen Klein ’62 2015 Viva Editions

07 American Cinderellas on the Broadway Musical Stage: Imagining the Working Girl from “Irene” to “Gypsy”

by Maya Cantu ’10, DFA ’14 2015 Palgrave Macmillan

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Art of Giving Philanthropic generosity is essential to Yale School of Drama. Among the many ways to contribute to YSD, one of the most vital is scholarship support. Establishing a named scholarship provides vital financial aid for students, while allowing the donor to pay tribute to an important mentor, an esteemed colleague, or a loved one. Below, we profile several donors who have made such a gift to the School.

Albert Zuckerman

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The impeccably preserved Victorian-era townhouse on West 26th Street in New York where Albert (Al) Zuckerman ’61, DFA ’62 has based his business for more than 35 years has a storied history. It was once owned by brothers William and John Jacob Astor III, the richest and most prominent landlords in New York at the time, then by millionaire communist Corliss Lamont, upon whose death the property was bequeathed to the U.S. Communist Party. From the midforties until the late fifties it served as the party’s headquarters and housed the editorial and publishing offices of the communist newspaper The Daily Worker. Al bought the YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 015

building in 1979 for his business, Writers House, now one of the largest literary agencies in the world. Writers House represents writers of fiction and non-fiction, for both adult and juvenile books, as well as illustrators. Books are everywhere: One can’t turn

There is no better way to honor the legacy of a great teacher than by fostering the careers of young people with talent. one’s head without being confronted by the work of best-selling, prize-winning authors: Ken Follett, Stephenie Meyer, Erica Jong, Neil Gaiman, Stephen Hawking, as well as many others honored with the Nobel Prize, the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize.

The building’s concrete-lined walk-in vaults where the Astors stored their real estate deeds and cash from rentals now contain archival books by the authors represented

Art of Giving

by Writers House.

Before immersing himself in the world of books, Al was an ambitious young playwright. He served in the U.S. Navy for three years after graduating from Princeton. “My great accomplishment of those years was reading all of Proust in French,” he says.

Afterward, he went to work for the U.S. Department of State. “I admired the writer/ diplomat Jean Giraudoux and thought I could be just like him.” Al then wrote a play, which was published in Best Short Plays of 1956, and was the impetus for Al’s application for admission to Yale School of Drama.

“Going to Yale was a life changing experience for me,” Al says. The presence of John Gassner, then head of the playwriting department, was transformative. “Gassner taught me everything: how to build a scene, how to construct a character,” Al says. Upon graduation, at Gassner’s invitation, Al stayed on at YSD to teach first-year playwriting. “I came to the realization that I could help other writers.” He’s been doing just that ever since.

In 2015, Al paid tribute to the tremendous influence that YSD had on his life by creating a generous charitable gift annuity at Yale, which will ultimately benefit a scholarship to be named for John Gassner. There is no better way to honor the legacy of a great teacher than by fostering the careers of young people with talent.

Jennifer Tipton The Dorothy and Lillian Gish prize considers lighting designer Jennifer Tipton (Faculty) “a woman who has made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind’s enjoyment and understanding of life.” She has been honored with a MacArthur Foundation Award, a Guggenheim fellowship, and Tony, Drama Desk, and Bessie awards. Long before Jennifer enjoyed the eminent position she now holds in the American theatre, she wanted to be a

02 dancer. She earned a BA degree in English at Cornell, then went to New York where she danced and worked as a rehearsal mistress in ballet classes, observed performances, critiqued other dancers, and very gradually segued into lighting design. “I saw the bigger picture,” she says, “and that was light.

Dance depends on light, not scenery. It sets the landscape.”

She gained first-hand knowledge while touring with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, first recreating the lighting that had already been set, and later, when the company came to Broadway (for only four performances, she points out), she became the primary lighting designer for the company.

Her lighting for dance expanded to include work with such choreographers as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Jerome Robbins, and Twyla Tharp. She also designed for ballet (Christopher Wheeldon’s DGV: Danse à grande vitesse, Peter Wright’s staging of Giselle, and George Balanchine’s Jewels for The Royal Ballet) and theatre on Broadway (Long Day’s Journey into Night, Sophisticated Ladies, For Colored Girls…) and OffBroadway (with The Wooster Group and

01 Albert Zuckerman ’61, DFA ’62. Photo

by Christopher Ash ’14.

02 Jennifer Tipton (Faculty). Photo by Lois Greenfield.

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Art of Giving

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The Public Theater). “One feeds on the others,” she says.

Jennifer began teaching at Yale School of Drama in 1982, and has been an extraordinary instructor and mentor to decades of design students. This year, in addition to the gift of her teaching, Jennifer made a substantial donation to establish the Jennifer Tipton Scholarship in Lighting at YSD. “I wanted to do something now,” she says, since it can be difficult for a lighting designer to make a living in the theatre. “There is often pressure from parents, who expect their children to be able to be gainfully employed after three years at Yale,” she says.

“But the money that can be made in New York—anywhere but on Broadway—is a pittance.”

way. Her clients over the years included Jerome Robbins, Tennessee Williams, David Merrick, Gypsy Rose Lee, Frederick Loewe, and Carson McCullers, as well as institutions such as The Theatre Guild, The Actors Studio, and Circle in the Square.

Foundation President Emily Altman noted that the gift was announced on the very eve that a new production of Lerner and Loewe’s musical Gigi opened on Broadway.

“The Frederick Loewe Foundation is delighted for the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the advancement of the American theatre with these gifts to Yale School of Drama,” she said.

Frederick Loewe Foundation

After graduating from Yale College, Roger Horchow YC ’50, HON ’00 embarked upon a varied career path that would include several very successful entrepreneurial ventures, writing three books, occasional film acting, and becoming a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer. In 1971, Roger founded the Horchow Collection, a luxury mail-order catalog that became an instant triumph, and changed the way people purchased high-end items.

Sixteen years later, when he sold the company to Neiman Marcus, Roger decided that he wanted to produce musicals on Broadway. His first effort was George Gershwin’s Crazy for You, which ran for four years and was nominated for 11 Tony Awards, ultimately winning Best Musical in 1992. Roger followed that with Kiss Me, Kate, Curtains, and Gypsy, winning another Tony (for Kiss Me, Kate).

In 2012, with his daughter, Sally Horchow YC ’92, Roger produced the Broadway revival of Annie, which was a 2013 Tony Award nominee for Best Revival of a Musical. This was Sally’s first venture as a producer, and she has since co-produced The Heidi Chronicles on Broadway. Proud father, and proud Yale alumnus, Roger surprised his daughter

Thanks to the enormous generosity of the Frederick Loewe Foundation, two new scholarships have been established at Yale School of Drama. The Frederick Loewe Musical Theatre Scholarship will be awarded to a student with an interest in writing for the musical theatre, as Loewe himself did, composing the scores for some of the American theatre’s most memorable musicals, including My Fair Lady, Camelot, 04 Brigadoon, Paint Your Wagon, and Gigi. A student in the directing department will be the first recipient of the Frederick Loewe Directing Scholarship. This award has been established in honor of Floria V. Lasky, one of the country’s legendary entertainment lawyers, and one of the first women to break into the legal sphere of BroadYA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 015

Roger Horchow

Art of Giving

05 by establishing the Sally Horchow Scholarship for Acting at Yale School of Drama in her honor. “I thought that a YSD legacy would be a wonderful tribute to Sally and a help to our alma mater,” Roger says. “This gift demonstrates our continued commitment to Yale and to the fine work done by the School.”

could follow him around for a year,” says Nina. “I am fascinated by process. I love to immerse myself.”

They are still dedicated to YSD today.

Nina’s role on the Yale Summer Cabaret Board of Directors, as well as being a loyal Cabaret patron, has allowed her to be connected to people and process. “The talent at YSD in general just blows me away,” she says. “Not just actors, but sound designers, lighting designers, and everyone from all the disciplines. Being involved with the Cabaret allows us to see them really doing their work, using their ideas, and doing it all on a shoestring!” But their dedication doesn’t end when a student graduates. As Moreson points out: “We also follow students after they leave,” he says. “We’ll go to New York or the Berkshires or wherever they’re working so that we can see them.”

Nina and Moreson decided to create a scholarship for actors as they are very

03 Flora Lasky, legendary entertainment lawyer 04 Musical theatre composer Frederick Loewe 05 Roger Horchow YC ’50, HON ’99 and Sally Horchow YC ’92 at the opening night of the Broadway revival of Annie in 2012.

06 Moreson Kaplan and Nina Adams GRD ’69, NUR ’77

Moreson Kaplan and Nina Adams Dr. Moreson Kaplan, a retired clinician, teacher, and administrator at Yale Health, and Nina Adams GRD ’69, NUR ’77, a nurse practitioner, have been in New Haven since the 1960s, their careers spent taking care of countless members of the Yale community.

Both Nina and Moreson have a longstanding love for the theatre. “I’m from New York and grew up going to the theatre with my parents,” says Nina. “Coming to New Haven, it was exciting to find the Rep and Long Wharf locally.” They first became interested in YSD during the deanship of Robert Brustein ’51, HON ’66 (Former Dean). “When I saw director Andrei Serban’s 1978 Yale Rep production of Sganarelle, I told my friends that I wished I

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aware of student debt and how onerous it can be. “We give what we can to lessen that load, and because we follow the actors so closely, it’s become very personal for us,” she says. “We get so much out of giving.”

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Mark Rucker Director

I have very vivid memories of the late August day in 1989 when I met Mark Rucker ’92 for the first time. Though we both sported modified Dorothy Hamill

Mark Rucker ’92

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haircuts, in other ways, we couldn’t have been more different. There was I, all New England reticence, armed in Polo cap-a-pie, while he was blazingly Californian, exuding sun from his seashell necklace to the ripped knees of his stonewashed jeans. In fact, knees were a constant and literal revelation at YSD throughout Mark’s time there.

Before he graduated, Mark had talked the pants off of Reg Rogers ’93, Liev Schreiber ’92, Chris Bauer ’92, Malcolm

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Gets ’92, Tom Beckett ’91, YC ’85, Lars Hanson ’92, Brendan Corbalis ’93, and Declan Lane ’93 (at least those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head), and gotten them all into fetching frocks featuring what he would call their “naïve knees.”

Of course, some were easier to convince into a dress than others, but that doesn’t matter, because Mark had an absolutely mesmeric ability to inspire his collaborators to follow him. It might have been to the barricades or over the cliff into the sea, but we would go. (In truth, it rarely was either, far more often we careened after him through the theatrical equivalent of a slightly downat-mouth but bustling, and somehow romantic, swap meet; he was an alchemist, converting curated trash into so much pure magic.) And when we went where he would take us, from a doomed Mississippi floodplain to a blasted heath to an all-girls theatrical boarding house, from the Fandango Ballroom in New York to a Chicago prison block to the dark ride at a carnival in Anywhere, U.S.A., we did our best work, all of us, because he constantly and consciously made room for everyone to give all they had.

That was our unfailing reward for going on the journey with him. But as great a gift as that was, that was only the half of it.

Mark Rucker, was a prodigiously gifted guy. He was a talented director, a marvelous raconteur, a giggling gossip; a gleeful connoisseur of camp, kitsch, and gorgeously tattered Americana; a snappy dresser; a dedicated son, brother, and, perhaps dearest to him, uncle. He was a leader, a visionary, a dreamer; a cock-eyed sympathist, who, like Terence, counted nothing human foreign to himself. He was a devotee of beauty and a spirited guardian of its residence in the beholder’s—any beholder’s—eye. He was a diviner who unerringly located subterranean springs of potential in every collaborator. Oh, forget the f **king metaphors. At virtually everything he set his hand to, he was extraordinary, and don’t even get me started on his humility.

p ho to c o urte s y o f a m e r ic a n c o n s e rvato r y the ate r.

In Memoriam

In Memoriam But all these things pale in comparison to his greatest gift: Mark Rucker had a positive genius for friendship. That is what makes writing about him, itemizing his excellences so numbingly insufficient—the weight of the responsibility and the realization that you’re just a representative of so much genuine grief in numerous hearts, of such a profound absence in so many lives, the awareness that you can’t even scratch the surface of the general loss.

Of course it’s healthier, and a more fitting tribute to dwell not in the absence but the enduring presence of the man—to remember the traditional “Hello, Cookie” greeting, the Lily Tomlin quotations that would float effortlessly up, the Hula girl lamps and old LP covers that decorated his digs, the roast pork dinner specials at what he called “Alex Draper’s Yorkside”—in short, to remember the fellowship. Mark Rucker’s friendship made us all better. I have had condolences in these last three weeks from former students who didn’t know Mark but only knew what his friendship meant to me.

I was Mark Rucker’s friend, which puts me in a very crowded cohort. How he loved an unexclusive club!

Each and every one of us in his orbit felt the gravitational pull. He shone, lavishing on all a very particular-to-us affection, and the generosity of his attention kept us warm and well. Ah, metaphor keeps breaking through! Suffice it to say, no one I have ever known personally has inspired such widespread admiration and, there is no other word for it, love. Even in his death he is bringing us together again—over drinks, over dinner, over email, over the phone, over and over and over. And on it will go.

Living on in the love he not only inspired, but actively cultivated, that is so Mark Rucker.

Mark passed away on August 25, 2015.

He had been Associate Artistic Director of American Conservatory Theater since 2010. — cathe rine s he e hy ’ 9 2 , dfa ’ 9 9 (facu lty)

John Robert Hood, Jr.

Teacher, Technician, Musician

John Robert Hood, Jr. ’61 (Former Faculty) devoted his life to art and to his students. Born in Lawrenceburg, TN, John graduated from Vanderbilt University, served in the U.S. Army, and earned an MFA at Yale School of Drama in 1961. He spent the next 19 years at YSD, teaching and producing theatre and eventually becoming professor and chair of the Technical Design and Production department. John also served as production coordinator for Yale Repertory Theatre, and director of the

Yale Electro-Mechanical Research Laboratory. At Yale College, he was a Pierson College Fellow.

In 1978, while still at Yale, John co-founded Systems Design Associates, an international performing arts facilities and equipment consulting firm where he worked with such clients as MIT and the U.S. Naval Academy. John left Yale in 1980 for the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin, where he was head of design and technology in the department of theatre, and director of productions at the UT Performing Arts Center, where he produced opera, dance, music, and theatre.

In the 1990s John formed a bluegrass band called Hard to Make a Living and per-

John Robert Hood, Jr. ’61 (Former Faculty)

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In Memoriam formed professionally for many years throughout the Texas Hill Country. He played bass and cello, and also sang with several folk, bluegrass, swing, and jazz ensembles. John also served as president of the Central Texas Bluegrass Association and was the creative force behind monthly publications, music productions, scholarships, and countless jam sessions.

After many years in Austin, John moved to Lockhart, TX, to restore his 1930s home.

Not one to sit back and relax, John accepted a position at Texas State University teaching playwriting and screenwriting. Eventually he became a faculty member in the Honors College, where he continued to teach classes in writing, storytelling, American folk songs, Shakespeare, and the modern theatre.

John passed away on July 17, 2015. As John’s friend and colleague Zachary Christman writes, “John transformed the lives of countless artists, performers, writers, and technicians. John’s own voice may be silent, but his influence carries on in the voices of his students.”

plays on radio for the vision-impaired and to work regularly with blind and low-vision actors. The company he formed in 1980 was known as Theater By The Blind (TBTB) and employed both sighted and non-sighted actors in short plays and revues, which were presented in community venues. In 1985, TBTB was mounting full productions, providing a working environment for theatre artists who happened to be visually impaired (and others who were not). Philosophically, with Ike at the head, the company came to view disabilities as opportunities for creativity, rather than hindrances.

In 2008, the company changed its name to Theater Breaking Through Barriers and expanded its mission to include artists with other disabilities. In the 30 years since its

Ike Schambelan Director

Ike Schambelan ’64, DFA ’67

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Isaac “Ike” Schambelan ’64, DFA ’67 was the founder and artistic director of the groundbreaking Theater Breaking Through Barriers, the only Off-Broadway theatre, and one of the few theatres in the country, dedicated to advancing actors and writers with disabilities and changing the image of people with disabilities from dependence to independence.

Ike directed regional and Off-Broadway theatre productions after he graduated from Yale School of Drama; worked at the Austen Riggs Center, a psychiatric treatment facility, where he used theatre as a therapeutic tool; and later ran a children’s theatre program at Long Wharf Theatre.

In 1979, Ike began to direct readings of

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founding, TBTB has produced work by Shakespeare, Brecht, Shaw, Gorky, Agatha Christie, Lanford Wilson, Arthur Miller, and A. R. Gurney ’58.

Reviewers often remarked that they forgot that the performers were blind or disabled and simply enjoyed the art of the play.

This was very gratifying to Ike, who once said, “We don’t do feel-good work or art therapy. We do art.” In 2005, the company addressed head-on the issue of sightlessness in a production of Seneca’s Oedipus,

In Memoriam which Ike directed. In a review in The New York Times, Honor Moore wrote: “At the end of the play, Oedipus, played by blind actor George Ashiotis, announces that the curse of famine and plague brought on by his crime has been lifted. Poignantly alone on the stage, he is blind not only as himself but also as Oedipus, the moment all the more powerful because a blind man’s dark glasses obscure his eyes, which we have seen throughout the play.”

Ike died on February 3, 2015. He is survived by his wife, Joan Duddy; a twin brother, Howard; and another brother, Morrie.

can Playhouse and an episode for Tales from the Darkside.

He returned to playwriting with The Shallow End (2000) and Antigone in Desire (1999), which he directed at The Lang Theater Center at The New School. His most recent plays were Still Life with Nude, God and Sex, and Passage, which was a semifinalist at the 2011 Eugene O’Neill Play-

Guy Joseph Gallo Playwright, Screenwriter, Poet

A playwright, screenwriter, poet, and essayist, Guy Joseph Gallo ’82 is best known for his screenplay adaptation of Under the Volcano, based on the novel by Malcolm Lowry.

Directed by John Huston, starring Albert Finney and Jacqueline Bisset, Under the Volcano was released in 1984 and was an Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Guy graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, received an MA from Hunter College in playwriting, and an MFA from Yale School of Drama in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism.

Guy’s first play, Failing (1977), won the Phyllis Anderson Prize for Playwriting and was produced by the Loeb Theatre Center.

His one-act, Rain in Lent (1979), had productions at Hunter College and The Double Image Theater. A non-musical stage adaptation of J. M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy was presented by the Yale Dramatic Association in 1982.

Guy then worked for 10 years in film and television, writing numerous screenplays for major studios and independent producers, including “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” for the television series Ameri

wrights Conference. His most recent film work included The Last Christmas, a World War I story written in collaboration with his wife, Jeannine Dominy.

A rigorous and nurturing mentor with a deep grounding in literature, philosophy, and the arts, Guy taught screenwriting at both the undergraduate and graduate level at Barnard College, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and Columbia University’s School of the Arts from 1987 until his death.

He was a contributor of poetry and fiction to The Mississippi Review and to Bomb Magazine. Guy’s Gifts from NOLA, written about his native New Orleans in the wake of Katrina, was given honorable mention

by David Foster Wallace in Best American Essays 2007. His novels, Quarter Romance and Left Over Agnes, were also homages to New Orleans. Guy’s book, Screenwriter’s Compass: Character as True North, was published to critical acclaim in 2012 by Focal Press; it was praised as a wise study of dramatic construction, informed by

Guy Joseph Gallo ’82

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In Memoriam his vast experience as both screenwriter and professor. Terry Jones, of Monty Python fame, wrote, “It’s simply the best book about writing for the screen I’ve read.”

Guy also collaborated with British violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved on the series The Great Violins (Athene/Divine Art), contributing poems on the Telemann violin Fantasies that drew on his lifelong love for classical music. The soon-to-be released series will be dedicated to Guy and will include recordings made at the Library of Congress, and in London and Italy.

Guy completed his collection of poetry, Yearning’s End, which was published posthumous in July 2015 by Finishing Line Press.

Guy passed at the age of 59 on January 13, 2015, after a valiant 15-month battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Jeannine; and his two children, Dominy and Whitmore; as well as his mother, Iris Whitmore Gallo.

Keith Elsworth Lockhart Advertising Pioneer

Keith Elsworth Lockhart ’64

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Keith Elsworth Lockhart ’64 was an advertising pioneer who co-founded one of the first African American-owned advertising agencies in the U.S. Right out of high school, he joined the Air Force, attaining the rank of navigator. Upon leaving the service, he received a BA from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and then earned an MFA at Yale School of Drama, where he studied playwriting. With two university degrees under his belt, Keith went on to have a long, successful, and trailblazing career in adver-

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tising.

Keith’s first industry assignment was as a copywriter at J. Walter Thompson, at that time the world’s largest ad agency, where he became one half of a creative team with Ted Pettus. Shortly after, Carson Products, makers of hair care products for African American women, offered Keith and Ted the chance to manage its advertising account, worth about $600,000 in 1977. The partners took the plunge and co-founded Lockhart & Pettus (L&P), one of the few African American-owned advertising agencies. L&P quickly earned a reputation for outstanding work and built a client list that included Carson Products, Chrysler, Pepsi, Clairol, KFC, Glory Foods, Panasonic, Con Edison, and the U.S. Army. By 1987, the agency was billing $15 million a year and was the nation’s third largest African American-owned company.

Keith served on the boards of the Black Tennis and Sports Foundation, The Drawing Center, and the Glaucoma Foundation.

He developed a teen anti-smoking campaign which was utilized in more than 50,000 schools nationwide, and later worked as an adjunct professor of advertising, marketing, and management at Saint Peter’s College in New Jersey. Keith was also an accomplished trumpet player and a knowledgeable fan of both jazz and classical music. He loved the theatre and continued to write plays throughout his life.

Keith died at the age of 81 on February 6, 2015, in Rockport, ME. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Ellen Jorgensen, and his five children.

Genie Zust

Actress, Puppeteer

Genie Zust ’59 was one of only a few women students when she earned her MFA in design from Yale School of Drama. She went on to receive a PhD in English literature and drama from New York University, and while pursuing an acting career, she married Richard

In Memoriam Robbins in 1960. They moved to the Berkshires with their three children where she taught at local private schools, but she and Richard hoped to find work that they could do together.

In April of 1971 they launched the Robbins-Zust Family Marionettes, “The Smallest Established Permanent Floating Theatre Rep Company in America,” which used wooden and Genie Zust ’59 plaster puppets to bring fairy tales to life for local children. The marionette bodies were whittled from wood by Richard, and the heads were cast in plaster molds made by Genie, who also sewed their clothing and wrote the scripts for more than two dozen fairy tales and classic stories. The original troupe included Genie and Richard and their three children, and continues today, led by son Dion.

As one of the few local teachers with a doctorate degree, Genie was instrumental in helping to establish Berkshire Community College. She also acted in, assisted with, and directed plays, musicals, and operas with the Berkshire Lyric Theatre, the Berkshire Public Theater, and the Berkshire Opera. Genie died on November 6, 2014. Her survivors include her three children, Maia Robbins-Zust, Dion Robbins-Zust, and Thea Robbins-Zust; and one grandchild, Milo Robbins-Zust.

George Corrin, Jr. Designer

As a teenager, George Corrin, Jr. ’51 designed his first set for the Studio Players of Essex County in Upper Montclair, NJ. He graduated with a BFA in drama from Carnegie Mellon University where he was a Phi

Kappa Phi Honor Society member and received the Apell Memorial Award. George was also Carnegie Mellon’s first African American student, and was almost denied admission until a flood of recommendation letters swayed the school’s dean.

His undergraduate studies were interrupted by three years of military service during World War II, where he spent some time in Special Services, working on productions for troops in the South Pacific. George later earned an MFA from Yale School of Drama and then moved to New York City to work for ABC Television, where he designed news and election night sets, including two of the debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. After 13 years at ABC, he continued his work in video with Reeves Teletape, on commercials and programs, and coordinated the renovation of a former CBS television studio into a theatretelevision complex that eventually became the production home for Sesame Street.

In the late 1970s George became a freelance designer and, while he continued to work in video, he also branched out into graphic and interior design, as well as returning to his roots in the theatre as a designer for many Off-Broadway productions.

In 1989 he was hired to restore the top floor of the Shubert Theatre on Broadway to its former glory. George created elaborate woodworking, relying on information he gleaned from the original design and construction. He ordered recreations of turnof-the-century hardware, by using a period Sears catalog as reference, and had the carpet recreated by the same carpet mill which

George Corrin, Jr. ’51

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In Memoriam had woven the original 1913 carpeting.

George’s creativity also extended to corporate communications. His many clients included Pepsi, Mobil, AT&T, the Insurance Information Institute, and Steelcase, among others. His design career lasted until he was nearly 90. George died at home in New York City on April 28, 2015, at the age of 92. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Jean; his children and grandchildren; and many loving siblings, nieces, and nephews.

Peter Brett Prentiss Actor and Professor

Peter Brett Prentiss ’68

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Peter Brett Prentiss ’68 was an actor and theatre professor for 38 years at Stephens College in Columbia, MO, before retiring in 2008.

Born in Indianapolis, IN, and raised in Ohio, Brett graduated in 1959 from Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, and then, Amherst College in 1963; he attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts from 1963-1965. While in London, he met his wife, Branca Maria de Queiroz Costa, of Rio de Janeiro. After marrying, they returned to the U.S. where Brett earned his MFA from Yale School of Drama.

Following Yale, Brett taught theatre at Stephens College, and then spent several years in New York City.

He returned to Stephens for the duration of his career, where he performed in, and directed, more than 100 undergraduate shows. He also received the Governor’s Excellence in Teaching Award from the State of Missouri in 1994, and was named a Trustees Professor by Stephens College in 2002.

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commercials, Brett was known for his powerful voice, devoted mentorship of students, a sharp wit, creative profanity, and great storytelling. A skilled magician and voracious reader, he loved his family, his dogs, scuba diving, and his martinis. He died May 13, 2015, of prostate cancer at the age of 73, and is survived by his wife of 50 years, Branca; his son, Craig; daughter, Laura; and five grandchildren.

Gordon Curran Stewart

Insurance Executive, Speechwriter, Publisher

Growing up on the south side of Chicago, Gordon Curran Stewart ’67 won a scholarship at the age of 16 to Oberlin College, where he majored in history and music. He earned a PhD in European history at the University of Chicago and then studied music and drama at the University of Vienna in Austria. He received an MFA in directing from Yale School of Drama before becoming a doctoral candidate in comparative literature at Yale University, which led to his first position as an instructor of English and theatre at Amherst College.

Stewart left Amherst and moved to New York City to pursue drama and politics. He was chief speechwriter and executive assistant for New York City Mayor John Lindsay from 1971 to 1973, and wrote for Jimmy Carter during his successful run for the presidency in 1976, which led to George’s appointment as President Carter’s deputy chief speechwriter.

Following his years at the White House, Stewart served as the vice president of the American Stock Exchange from 1982 to 1989, and then joined the Insurance Information Institute, where he was named president in 1991, a position he held until his retirement in 2006.

In 2007, Stewart and his family moved to Philipstown in Cold Spring, NY. Dedicated

In Memoriam to his new community, Stewart created an online newspaper, Philipstown.info, hoping that it would provide a fresh approach to community journalism and encourage reader participation. “One thing we will not impose are political views. No editorials,” he wrote when the website launched in 2010.

Stewart also founded and directed productions at the World’s End Theater, helped

Gordon Curran Stewart ’67

breathe new life into the Philipstown Depot Theatre, and played a leadership role in building financial support and art-world recognition for the Garrison Arts Center, including funding to bring leading artists to show work at the center and meet with local artists.

In 2013, Stewart was named one of the “Century’s Game Changers” by the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, an association for commercial insurance intermediaries, for his work with the Institute. In addition, the Cold Spring Area Chamber of Commerce named him the Business Person of the Year in 2013.

Stewart passed away on November 26, 2014. He leaves behind his wife, Zanne, and his daughter, Katy.

Joseph T. Barna

Memories from a YSD Classmate

I saw Joe’s name in the Farewell list in last year’s Yale School of Drama Annual Magazine. He died in June of 2014, but a simple announcement of his passing doesn’t do him justice. My experience with the ponytailed Joseph T. Barna ’81, YC ’71 began in the early 1980s. He had finished his TD&P coursework, but not his thesis, which was on computer-assisted lighting design. I was running a one-person theatre department at the University of New Haven, jobbing in lighting designer/TDs for two main stage productions a year. Joe functioned at high speed; he talked too loudly, berated the student crews (none of whom were theatre majors), then baked them cookies and brownies. My student stage manager figured out how to handle Joe: “You just have to yell at him once a day.” He would still talk too loudly but a little less caustically. He gave parties for the casts at his very messy apartment, which was filled with the most interesting stuff: collections of 35 mm slides on all kinds of subjects, odds and ends of costumes, architectural bits, and souvenirs of roller coasters, one of Joe’s great loves (he went to roller coaster conventions).

Joe was the photographer for the Yale Russian Chorus and went on tour with them to Russia in the summer of ’84. When I offered Joe the use of my large video camera for the trip, he asked what he could bring back for me. Since the trip would also take them to London, I gave him money (at the time, a totally extravagant $300) and asked him to buy me a Burberry raincoat. He returned with my gorgeous Burberry, presenting it with a flourish. He had the saleswoman try on various coats to make sure he got the right one. Now fraying at all its edges, it is still my coat of choice.

Having maintained only sporadic contact with Joe, I was devastated when he called a few years ago to tell me he was ill. We saw YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

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In Memoriam each other off and on after that, the last time at a YSD reunion. He’d been doing computer work, living in New York and other places, and served as the official photographer for the New York City Pride Parade.

One poignant memory I have is of Joe confessing, in a rare moment of self-revelation, that he’d love to have a wedding someday.

I’m glad he lived to see at least some progress in the long trek toward gay marriage equality. Reading about his passing, I feel nostalgia, great fondness, respect, and regret that this extraordinary man didn’t live longer.

Upon hearing of Joe’s death, our mutual friend Sharon Matthews said, “The world is now a duller place.” I think of Joe every time I put on my Burberry coat. Hail and farewell, collaborative partner and good friend. — l i l a wo l f f -w i l k i ns o n ’90, d fa ’94 ( fo r m e r fa c ulty)

Frank Gilroy Playwright, Screenwriter

Frank Gilroy ’53

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Playwright and television and movie screenwriter Frank D. Gilroy ’53, whose 1964 play The Subject Was Roses won a Pulitzer Prize, a Tony Award and a Drama Critics’ Circle Award, passed away on September 12, 2015.

After serving in World War II, Frank graduated from Dartmouth College, and attended Yale School of Drama, but left before graduating. After Yale, he worked a series of jobs and spent his spare time writing scripts. He sold his first script, a sketch for Kate Smith, in 1952, and soon began a successful writing career during the Golden Age of Television for such omnibus programs as Playhouse 90, Studio One in Hollywood, The United States Steel Hour, Kraft Television Theatre,

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and Lux Video Theatre. Frank also wrote for television westerns, including Have Gun – Will Travel and The Rifleman.

In 1962, Frank made his Off-Broadway debut —and won an Obie Award—for Who’ll Save the Plowboy? Two years later, on May 25, 1964, The Subject Was Roses opened on Broadway. A modest, small-scale, threecharacter family play, it went on to win the Pulitzer Prize, the Tony Award, and the Drama Critics’ Circle Award; and was compared by some critics to masterworks by Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller. Frank wrote more than 30 plays during his career, but none approached the critical or commercial acclaim of his first Broadway hit.

In addition to adapting The Subject Was Roses for the screen, Frank wrote screenplays for 10 feature films including Desperate Characters, From Noon Till Three, The Gig, and The Only Game in Town (based on his play), a big-budget film starring Elizabeth Taylor which was one of the most notorious flops of the 1970s.

The Subject Was Roses continues to have a very long life, often revived in regional theatres, but its success and longevity was a mixed blessing for Frank. Just before the Broadway revival in 1991, he said, “I’d like to walk into a room sometime and be introduced as the author of something other than that play. There’s always one thing in a career that has more impact than anything else. In my case, The Subject Was Roses was that thing.”

Frank is survived by his wife of 62 years, writer and sculptor Ruth Gaydos; sons Tony, Dan, and John; and five grandchildren.

Melvin Bernhardt Director

Director Melvin Bernhardt ’55 was best known for his work on two Pulitzer Prizewinning dramas, Crimes of the Heart and The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-theMoon Marigolds. Following his 1970 produc-

In Memoriam tion of Paul Zindel’s Gamma Rays, Melvin rose to prominence as a director both on and off Broadway, working with leading actors of the time, such as Linda Lavin, Julie Harris, and Olympia Dukakis. In 1978, he won a Tony award for Hugh Leonard’s Da, a semi-autobiographical story of a young Irishman visited by the ghosts of his family.

As Richard Eder wrote in The New York Times, Melvin directed the play “with artful and canny patience.”

Born in Buffalo, New York in 1931, Melvin attended the University of Buffalo, where he surprised his family by choosing to pursue theatre rather than law. His family name was Bernhard, but he added the t when he entered the theater in honor of the great Sarah. After earning his MFA in directing from Yale School of Drama in 1955, he went on to work as a stage manager until his first job as a director at the Cherry Lane Theater in 1965. One of his early successes, was John Guare’s satirical one-act, Cop-Out, starring Linda Lavin and Ron Leibman in 1969, and other notable productions include And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little (1971) and Hide and Seek (1980) starring Elizabeth Ashley.

Melvin is remembered for his skillful work with actors, as well as for his ability to bring new plays from obscurity to success in very little time. It was under his influence that Manhattan Theater Club agreed to produce Beth Henley’s first full-length drama, Crimes of the Heart, which soon thereafter won the Pulitzer and transferred to Broadway for a run of 500 performances.

Melvin died at the age of 84 on September 12, 2015 He is survived by his husband Jeff Woodman and his brother, Richard Bernhard.

Farewell Robert Ackart ’52 / 12.14.2014 Melvin Bernhardt ’55 / 09.12.2015 Suellen G. Childs ’69 / 07.06.2014 Stan Cornyn ’59 / 05.11.2015 George Corrin, Jr. ’51 / 04.28.2015 Carolyn Browne Dundes ’60 / 10.16.2015 Guy Joseph Gallo ’82 / 1.13.2015 Frank Gilroy ’53 / 9.12.2015 Barbara K. Goodwillie ’51 / 11.07.2014 Mary Dwight Hazzard ’82 / 03.05.2015 John R. Hood, Jr. ’61 / 07.17.2015 Lloyd A. Kaplan ’58 / 08.27.2015 Keith Elsworth Lockhart ’64 / 02.06.2015 John R. Lucas ’64 / 08.29.2015 Lewis R. Marcuson ’54 / 06.20.2015 Thomas Reed Mohan ’75 / 10.11.2014 Rev. Robert A. Morris ’54 / 03.02.2015 Peter Brett Prentiss ’68 / 5.13.2015 Geraldine H. Rehrig ’46 / 04.05.2014 Robert J. Rosenblum ’61 / 03.12.2015 Mark Rucker ’92 / 08.25.2015 Isaac (Ike) Schambelan ’64, DFA ’67 / 02.03.2015 Gordon Curran Stewart ’67 / 11.26.2014 Forrest M. Stone ’85 / 08.11.2015 Elmer Arthur Tag ’51 / 05.19.2015 Yun C. Wu ’49 / 12.31.2014 Genie Zust ’59 / 11.06.2014

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Alumni Notes 1940s When Joan (Feldman) Kron ’48 was a student at Yale School of Drama, her goal was to design for the circus. She got as far as making ruffs for the character of Clarabell the Clown on The Howdy Doody Show and breakaway suits for Milton Berle, both at NBC. Joan eventually veered off into a long career in journalism: New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and, since 1991, Allure magazine, where she is the contributing editor at large, covering aesthetic surgery for the print edition and for allure.com.

Typical recent online articles include an interview with the two plastic surgeons wielding the scalpels on the TV show Botched; a report on a new injection treatment to reduce double chins; and three pieces on the suicide of the so-called “Baron of Botox,” dermatologist Fredric Brandt. Making sense of cultural events, scientific advances, and tragedies related to cosmetic surgery for six million readers is what keeps Joan energized when others of her age have retired. Recently, she received an award from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery for her part in educating the public. For the past two years, Joan has been producing and directing her first documentary, Take My Nose…Please!—a film about women, comedy, and plastic surgery—to be released in 2016. Joan is still a working girl, albeit one with seven grandchildren. Her goal is to be the oldest filmmaker at Sundance.

1950s

at Kykuit, the family estate in Pocantico

for his book Blood on the Stage, 480 B.C.

Hills, NY. Most recently Happy Rockefeller,

to 1600 A.D.: a Benjamin Franklin Award

wife of the late Nelson Rockefeller, passed

and an Independent Publishers Award. His

away at 88-years-old, while Nelson’s

book, a reference guide that analyzes more

youngest brother, David, celebrated his

than 50 blood-splattered plays that have

100th birthday in June. As a super senior,

withstood the test of time, was also a

Michael marvels at the inventiveness

runner-up at the Los Angeles Book Festival.

The Off-Broadway Alliance named Rob-

in revivals of musicals updated for new

●

generations, such as An American in Paris

ert Kalfin ’57 a Legend of Off-Broadway

and The King and I, as well as new musicals

Honoree at their 2015 awards ceremony.

like the hip-hop Hamilton. Michael is happy

Robert’s book for young directors, Making It Safe to Be Unsafe About Directing, is in

“Not many laborers in our business can say they shook hands with Bertholt Brecht.”

— j oy c a rl in ’54

to be alive to see the exciting progression. ● At their May 2015 gala, the Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley, CA honored Joy Carlin ’54. “For my endurance I guess,” Joy writes. “Not many laborers in our business can say they shook hands with Bertholt Brecht.” Joy recently directed Talley’s Folly at the Aurora. In May 2016 she will direct The How and the Why by Sarah Treem ’05, YC ’02. Joy is also in-

the editing process. He is looking forward to productions of My Parsifal Conductor, a Wagnerian comedy by Allan Leicht ’66; Chance, a musical by Richard Isen that was previously staged in San Francisco; The Jolly Black Widow - Nannie Doss by Marsha Sheiness; and a new stage adaptation by Ms. Sheiness of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Robert has also been developing a new musical, Hearts, with Joe Butler (of The Lovin’ Spoonful) and Natalie Mosco.

Old age is creeping up on Kenneth Stein ’59. In January he had open heart surgery, and now he understands that he also needs new knees. He has slowed down except for trips to London and France. Kenneth has attended more than 30 major shows and classical music concerts recently, and is glad that Yale training helps him to understand what he sees.

●

1960s Scene design projects by John Ezell ’60

volved with several new play projects in the

in 2014-15 included: Disgraced at the

Bay Area at Just Theater and PlayGround,

Arizona Theatre Company; The Winslow Boy

At age 90, Bob Barr ’52 continues to

which was co-founded by Jim Klein-

at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis;

write and act. His 10-minute play, The Love

mann ’92. ● The English Bride by Lucy

Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing at

Potion, was produced in New York at Joria

Lichtblau ’56 had its west coast premiere

Crossroads Theatre, The Repertory Theatre

Mainstage last April. This is the eighth of

at The Road Theatre in Los Angeles last

of St. Louis, and the Cincinnati Playhouse;

his 10-minute plays to be performed in

March. ● Zelma “Sis” Weisfeld ’56 had

The New Nutcracker for the Cincinnati

the U.S., Singapore, Australia, and

a major exhibit of her costume design

Ballet national tour (costumes by Carrie

New Zealand. ● In retirement Michael

sketches and photos at the March 2015

(Fishbein) Robbins ’67); Next to Normal

Onofrio ’53, YC ’50 continues to inter-

USITT Conference in Cincinnati. ● Amnon

at La Mirada Theatre; and annual revivals

pret the legacy of the Rockefeller dynasty

Kabatchnik ’57 won two Gold Medals

of A Christmas Carol at the Kansas City

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Alumni Notes

01 02 01 Joan (Feldman) Kron ’48.

Photo by Lotta Kilian.

02 Robert Kalfin ’57 was named a 2015 Legend of Off-Broadway Honoree by the Off-Broadway Alliance.

03 Bob Barr ’52 03 04

04 Don Cairns ’63 05 Leslie Stark ’62 directing 12 Angry Jurors, his own mixedgender adaptation of 12 Angry Men, at the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse, March 2015. Photo by Maria, Writing With Light.

06 William Boardman ’64, YC ’60 with his granddaughter Carter Belle Boardman, born July 16, 2014.

06

05

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Alumni Notes Born in Manhattan, Mildred Kuner ’48 was always

tor replaced the boyfriend, but when the new actor

interested in writing. While attending Hunter College

showed up on opening night, the director knocked

in New York, she took a creative writing class, and

him down.” Variety theatre critic Brooks Atkinson

found she had a knack for playwriting. “I had never

happened to see the play and gave it a good review,

even read plays,” she confesses, “but when I started

but unfortunately, there was no money to pay for

to read them in college, I fell madly in love with

advertising or to keep the box office open, so the

Restoration comedies.” She took a stab at writ-

play closed after a week. “On top of that, I had an

ing a comedy of her own and, after her junior year,

ineffectual William Morris agent who I couldn’t rely

Playwright & Teacher Mildred Kuner ’48

took her play to the

on to further my work,” Mildred says, “so I decided

Bread Loaf Writers

I’d send the play myself to Laurence Olivier and then

Conference in Ver-

to Charles Boyer. Both liked it, but both declined, and

mont. While there,

asked me to send something else instead. With all of

she shared her work with critic and author Walter

those discouraging events, I pretty much gave up on

Prichard Eaton (Former Faculty), who was head

playwriting,” she says. “I got tired of getting options

of the playwriting program at Yale School of Drama.

and no productions.”

He liked her play and suggested that she apply to the School.

“It was unusual for a woman to be a playwright

Mildred turned down an offer to write for the soap opera As the World Turns and returned to teaching, this time at her alma mater, Hunter, where

back then,” Mildred says. “Lillian Hellman, Claire

she wrote articles on theatre, a monograph on W.

Booth Luce, and Zoë Akins — that was about it.” At

Somerset Maugham entitled Maugham and the West:

the time, playwrights at YSD had to take acting and

the Human Condition: Bondage, a critical biography

directing classes. In their first year, they adapted a short story; in their second, they wrote an original one-act play; and, in their third, a three-act play.

Future Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winning actress Julie Harris ’47, DFAH ’07 was at YSD at the same time as Mildred. “She was so wonderful, and everyone wanted her to be in their project. At some point, Professor Eaton banned directors from casting her for one month,” Mildred says. “He was afraid that her talent and brilliance was so great that she was making the students look better than they really were.”

After graduating from YSD, Mildred took a job

“I had never even read plays,” she confesses, “but when I started to read them in college, I fell madly in love with Restoration comedies.”

teaching English and Drama in a small town in South Dakota. While there, she wrote and entered a play in a contest that was organized by Stanford University.

of Thornton Wilder, and a dramatic adaptation of

Her submission won. “It was a really good experi-

Victoria Holt’s novel Mistress of Mellyn. She also

ence for me,” she says. “I was still hoping to be a

discussed theatre topics on the radio station WNYC.

playwright professionally. And I managed to be one, albeit temporarily.”

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Today, Mildred is retired, and lives in Ithaca, New York, where she remains engaged in the theatre and

After Mildred’s play won a second competition,

continues to appreciate the work of young theatre

with influential American stage director and producer

artists. Recently, she served as dramaturg to Ithaca

Margo Jones serving as one of the judges, it was

College graduates, who sought her advice. “I had a

produced around the country and eventually Off-

great time teaching,” she says. “I liked to encourage

Broadway. “My experience was lovely,” she says. “And

young playwrights, though, of course, one shouldn’t

terrible. The producer didn’t have enough money, and

over-encourage if the student doesn’t have what it

wanted her boyfriend to play the lead role. The direc-

takes.”

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

Alumni Notes Repertory Theatre and the Great Lakes Theatre Festival in Cleveland. ● Wendy (Oehlert) Adams ’61 is an artist, living in her hometown of Atlanta, GA, which is morphing, she writes, into a movie town.

She may have to renew her Equity, SAG-AFTRA cards and begin again. On a personal note, she is surrounded by her children and grandchildren. ● Carol Gaiser ’60 published her first book, Promettimi di Non Morire (Promise Me You Won’t Die), at the age of 79, with

07

Nottetempo publishing in Italy, in May

08

2013. The book is a collection of her published articles, poems, and 45 years of letters she wrote in Italian to her friend and mentor, Countess Silvana Mauri. Carol’s book is a tribute to enduring friendship. ● After 50 years of teaching and directing, Michael Rutenberg ’60, DFA ’65 has retired from teaching at Hunter College, CUNY. He and his wife, Marietta, now live in Boca Raton, FL. Michael will soon be teaching and directing at the newly built Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University in Boca Raton. ● Judith (Ebert) McMahon ’61 founded Southern Tier Actors Read (S.T.A.R.) in 2010 in Binghamton, NY. In March, the company staged a reading of The Playboy of the Western World at The Phelps Mansion Museum in Binghamton. In December, Judith acted in A Christmas Carol set in the rooms of the

09

1876 mansion. In January, she acted in The Vagina Monologues at the KNOW

07 Leonard Berkman ’63, DFA ’70

Theatre, also in Binghamton, presented Uncle Vanya at the Cider Mill Playhouse in Endicott, NY, in May, and directed The

08 Jean Richards ’63

Potting Shed there in August. ● Soon after moving to California two years ago, Don

09 Howard Pflanzer ’69

Cairns ’63 appeared as the Inspector in a local production of An Inspector Calls. You ●

Can’t Ruin My Day, the 25th book by Allen

10 Susan Horowitz ’69 appearing on Project Runway as a mature model.

Klein ’62, was recently published by Viva Editions. It contains “52 Wake-Up Calls to Turn Any Situation Around.” Allen’s first book, The Healing Power of Humor, is now

10

in its 40th printing and ninth foreign

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

79

Alumni Notes language edition. ● Leslie Stark ’62 will be reprising his role as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice at the Vineyard Playhouse, where he recently directed 12 Angry Jurors, Leslie’s mixed-gender adaptation of the Reginald Rose television and film classic 12 Angry Men. He directed plays for Island Theatre Workshop’s sixth short play festival at the Katharine Cornell Theatre. For the eighth year, Leslie is continuing to compile and present programs in the appreciation of classic jazz at Martha’s Vineyard libraries and senior centers. ● Susan Barber ’63 enjoys spending time abroad with hotel clients.

She just spent a month at the Biennale in Venice with Columbia University

11

12

alumni. ● Leonard Berkman ’63, DFA ’70 was guest dramaturg for the May 2015 Iowa New Play Festival, co-run by Dare Clubb ’82, DFA ’91 and Art Borreca ’86, DFA ’93. As Leonard heads into his 47th year as Anne Hesseltine Hoyt Professor of Theatre at Smith College, he has embarked upon a collaboration with Italian classical composer Marco Rosano, best known for Stabat Mater, recorded by countertenor Andreas Scholl. Leonard’s most recent full-length play, We Three, inspired by the life and self-portraits of German Romantic painter/theorist Philipp Otto Runge (1777-1810), is being translated into German by young BrazilianGerman actor Yannik Raiss. ● Jean Richards ’63 played Grandma/Scientist

13

in Michael Schelp’s movie, Max Saves the

11 Stefan Rudnicki ’69 with his 2014 Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine, for his work as coeditor and podcast producer for Lightspeed Magazine.

12 Edward Cornell ’68

13 Don Walker ’69 left and Steve Hendrickson ’81 were in Maxwell Anderson’s 1933 Pulitzer Prizewinning play Both Your Houses, at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida.

World, soon to be seen on YouTube. ●

Janet (Burroway) Ruppert ’63 is

currently under commission from the Sideshow Theatre Company in Chicago to write a modern female King Lear set during the crash of 2008, titled Boomerang. Janet is also shopping a musical, Morality Play, based on the Barry Unsworth novel. ●

Janet Sarno ’63 performed in her short

play, Midnight Tryst, at CAP 21 Theatre in June. Janet’s play, Dancing on Ice, was part of a reading series at the John Drew

8 0

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

Alumni Notes Theatre Lab last September. ● In recent

other design projects to keep the hand, brain,

Company of the Year. In fall 2015, Carrie

years, William Boardman ’64, YC ’60

and Yale-training nimble. ● The Urban World,

expects to be designing costumes for a

has been publishing regularly on reader-

a 41-minute film by Warren Bass ’67 was

reconceived version of the Jerry Bock/

supportednews.org, including one of the

the winner of the Documentary Short award

Sheldon Harnick/Sherman Yellen musical, now titled Rothschild & Sons, starring

few reports on the legal crushing of David

at the American Movie Awards. The film

Adjmi’s play based on television’s Three’s

follows one family as they, along with

Robert Cuccioli. Her costume designs for

Company in 2012. For the most part,

18,000 other families, are evicted from their

The New Nutcracker at the Cincinnati Ballet and White Christmas, the musical, can both

William writes about less parochial

homes on the banks of India’s Sabarmati

subjects: Ukraine, theatre, the emerging

River. It was also a winner at nine other

be seen this year at holiday time. ●

American police state, and other sources of

international festivals. ● Stephen Fore-

Edward “Ted” Cornell ’68 moved to the

black comedy. ● In the summer of 2015,

man ’67 is writing two projects simultane-

Adirondacks almost 30 years ago and

after 50 years as a professor at UC Irvine,

ously: a screenplay, The Trade, set in Africa

established himself as a painter and

Robert Cohen DFA ’64 retired. Two new

and dealing with slavery; and a memoir, The

sculptor. He is the proprietor of the Art

books he has written were published in

Education of a White Boy, based on his

Farm at Crooked Brook Studios. ● Howard

2014-15: Falling Into Theatre...and Finding

undergraduate career during the early civil

Pflanzer ’68 is working as a collaborating

Myself and Shakespeare on Theatre: A

rights movement at Morgan State in

writer, creating additional material for

Critical Look at His Theories and Practices

Baltimore, a traditionally African American

director Barbara Vann’s production of

(Routledge Press). Robert sends his

college, where Stephen was the only white

Alfred Jarry’s Ubu in Chains at Medicine

deepest thanks to Yale School of Drama. ●

male student enrolled. ● Bob Lawler ’67

Show Theatre. A reading of Howard’s new

Raymond Barry ’65 is currently playing

writes of old and new initiatives in Lake

play, Selling Your Life, was part of Medicine

the main antagonists in two films, A Dying

Geneva, WI, also known as “Newport of the

Show’s reading series, Word/Play, in June.

Art and Brave New Jersey, and rehearsing

Midwest.” Owners of the Baker House (a

●

his new play, Foreclosure. This year his

boutique hotel and music-restaurant) have

Linda works occasionally at the Irish Reper-

memoir, “Walnut Logs, Storefront,

revived the nearby Maxwell Mansion, now the

tory Theatre and since her husband has

1964-1967,” about his early years living in

preferred site for dinner theatre and cabaret

officially retired, they have done a lot of

“Life goes on!” writes Linda Fisher ’69.

a storefront on New York City’s East 10th

revues. In Williams Bay, the Belfry Music

traveling. “Not too shabby!” she concludes.

Street, was published in Canada’s The New

Theatre (Wisconsin’s first summer stock

●

Orphic Review. ● Mañana, a new novel by

theatre) is being renovated for reopening in

combination of writing and performing

William Hjortsberg ’65 was published

2016. The cultural revival is being advanced

across media. Her latest endeavors/

on May 12, 2015, by Open Road Media.

by Bragi Coffee House and Wine Bar, a new

escapades include writing the script, lyrics,

Susan Horowitz ’69 is enjoying the

On May 15, 2015, Falling Angel, a new

venue for local musicians and art lovers. The

and music for an original musical called

opera commissioned by the Center for

owners organize “The Williams Bay Fine Art

SSS...Witch!; writing a syndicated blog on

Contemporary Opera, composed by J. Mark

and Craft Fest” and have built a stage for

arts, entertainment, and travel; appearing

Scearse, and based on William’s novel of

pocket musical theatre productions. Robert

as a mature model on Project Runway

the same title, was given a workshop

is honored to join them for the summer as a

(Joan Rivers, whom she interviewed for her

performance at the National Opera Center

visiting scholar, and to enjoy the opportuni-

book Queens of Comedy, was celebrity

in New York. ● Moving toward retirement,

ties there. ● Carrie (Fishbein) Rob-

judge); writing and performing her comedy

Dwight R. Odle ’66 made a gift of his

bins’s ’67 first fully produced plays,

Mona at Manhattan Repertory Theatre;

costume rental business to the Dodge

Sawbones and The Diamond Eater, were

posing for an ad for retirees on a Times

College of Film and Media Arts at

performed as a double bill at HERE Arts

Square billboard; and singing at open

Chapman University in Orange, CA. Some

Center in New York in May and June 2014.

mikes, including those hosted by Manhat-

18,500 items became an educational

The production received six nominations

tan Association of Cabarets and Clubs. ● Still living in New York City, Gayle

resource for graduate students at one of

from the New York Innovative Theatre

the top-ranking film, television and

Awards, the most nominations given out by

Landers ’69 is now starring in the role of

animation schools in the U.S. Dwight will

IT Awards in 2014. Another new play,

grandmother to Lucian. Playing with him

costume South Coast Repertory’s A

Bedside Manners, was given a private

requires tremendous energy and prepara-

Christmas Carol for the 35th year, with no

reading last May at The Actors Company

tion, and while doing so, Gayle is learning

end in sight. He also occasionally takes on

Theatre, The Wall Street Journal’s 2012

everything all over again...singing, dancing,

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

81

Alumni Notes storytelling, and lots of improvisation. ●

are original new productions, mostly of

acting coach on the production of Christ

Jim Metzner ’69 has been writing a novel

genre classics in science fiction, fantasy,

the Lord in Italy. His main responsibility: to

during the past few years, and was

horror, and noir.

accepted into the Yale Writers’ Conference.

Jim will be moderating a panel of distinguished scientists at the 40th

1970s

rehearse and prepare the seven-year-old Jesus. The film will be released in March of 2016. Mark followed this with the direction of Verdigris by Jim Beaver, at Theatre West in Los Angeles; he also directed the world

anniversary of the Ecosystem Center at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods

Nahma Sandrow DFA ’70 wrote the

premiere of the play 30 years ago. Mark is

Hole, MA. The online version of Smithson-

libretto for Enemies, A Love Story, an opera

currently in the process of writing his

ian Folkways Magazine will be publishing

composed by Ben Moore, based on the

fourth book on directing, The Travis

an article by Jim on how the UNESCO

Isaac Bashevis Singer novel. After

Technique, based on the concept that characters need to be generated from

Collection of Traditional Music has influenced his work as a sound recorder.

Last but not least, his radio series, Pulse of the Planet, is in its 25th year and still pulsing on over 260 stations worldwide. ● Richard Olson ’69 co-directed a fully staged and costumed production of Henry Purcell’s opera, Dido and Aeneas, in June 2015 at the Church of the Transfiguration (“The Little Church Around the Corner”) in Manhattan. Richard’s wife, Claudia Dumschat, who is music director there, was the conductor. Both serve on the council of the Episcopal Actors Guild, a charitable organization for performers of all faiths and none, which is physically and historically connected to the church. ● The highlight of the past year for Stefan Rudnicki ’69 was receiving the 2014 Hugo Award for excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy at Loncon 3,

“I will dearly miss my students and my brilliant colleague Liz Diamond, but I am thrilled with the many opportunities that lie ahead.”

— d av i d cha m bers ’71 ( fa cult y)

within the mind of the character, not the actor, writer, or director. The Travis Technique is now being used by directors, writers, and actors in Germany, Ireland, Russia, Australia, and the U.S. It is Mark’s goal to share these techniques with as many writers, actors, and directors worldwide as possible. A Russian scholar told Mark: “You are boldly and accurately continuing the work of Stanislavsky.” ● David Chambers ’71 (Faculty) will be on academic leave from YSD next year, 2015-16. During that time he will be teaching at Harvard University, The New School in New York, and directing in London. He will leave the Drama School permanently in June 2016 after 30 years of teaching directing and acting. David writes: “I will dearly miss my students and my brilliant colleague Liz Diamond, but I am thrilled with the many opportunities

the annual science fiction convention, for

that lie ahead.” ● Though retired from the

his work as co-editor and podcast producer

University of Utah, David Kranes DFA ’71

for Lightspeed. More recent developments

workshops at the Center for Contemporary

include seeing four of his audio produc-

Opera at Kentucky Opera, the world

has been busy: he had a new book of

tions appear as finalists for this year’s

premiere took place at the Palm Beach

stories, The Legend’s Daughter, published

Audie Awards, presented by the Audio

Opera at the 2,200-seat Kravis Center in

in 2013; an opera (libretto) at Symphony

Publishers Association. One of them,

February 2015. Three of Nahma’s books

Space (NYC) in 2013; a play, A Loss of

Report from Nuremberg, was selected as a

are in print, in addition to the Samuel

Appetite, at Salt Lake Acting Company in

finalist for distinguished achievement in

French edition of Kuni-Leml, which won

2014, and another play at The Neighbor-

production, his company’s third nomina-

the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best

hood Playhouse in 2015. David is also

tion in that category. Another audiobook,

Off-Broadway Musical and Best Book of a

overseeing a Play Lab at Salt Lake Acting Company, modeled after the Playwrights

Darkwater by W.E.B. DuBois, finalist in the

Musical. Nahma is married to William

classics category, is not only his produc-

Meyers, photographer and critic for The

Lab at Sundance, which he shaped during

tion, but also part of his company, Skyboat

Wall Street Journal, and is grandmother to

its first 14 years. ● Barnet Kellman ’72

Media’s, growing list of publications,

their daughter’s little boy. ● Last year Mark

continues to teach directing at USC’s

around 80 titles strong. These audiobooks

Travis ’70 spent three months as the

School of Cinematic Arts where he is

82

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

Alumni Notes Sharon Washington ’88 is very busy. At the time we spoke, she was performing in vice-chair of the production division and

Dot, a new play by Colman Domingo, at the Humana Festival of New American Plays

founder and co-director of Comedy@SCA,

in Louisville, KY. “Collaborating with playwrights on new work offers actors the

the nation’s only academic program

opportunity to get your imprint on the play as an artist,” she says, “and to have the

offering a minor in comedy. As part of the

experience of being the first person to bring life to a playwright’s words.” Creating

program, Barnet moderates a highly

Telling Her Own Story

successful series of workshops with

Sharon Washington ’88

director James L. Brooks and acting

roles in new work wasn’t always in Sharon’s career plans, however. She

teacher Larry Moss. In February, Barnet and his wife, actress Nancy Mette, hosted a

attended Yale School of Drama to

party honoring the publication of the book

acquire the skills that would prepare her

commemorating the 50th Anniversary of

to work on the classics such as

the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. Many

Shakespeare, Shaw, Ibsen, and Chekhov,

Yalies attended, including Jane Kacz-

but found that she really loved observing

marek ’82, Sasha Emerson ’84, and

and taking part in the creation of

Steve Robman ’73. Toasts were raised to

new work.

Lloyd Richards MAH ’79 (Former

Sharon believes that new work is one

Dean) and O’Neill founder and guiding

of the areas in which acting opportuni-

force George White ’61, YC ’57

ties for women and people of color have

(Former Faculty). ● Ray Recht ’72 is still

noticeably increased over the past

teaching at Marymount Manhattan College

several years, in part because there are

and designing professionally. His set

more women and people of color writing

design for the world premiere of The

plays. “I think we are tired of the same

Granite State for Peterborough Players was

story,” she says. “There isn’t just one

a finalist for the New Hampshire Theatre

Sharon Washington ’88

narrative about the African American

Awards. Ray also designed Lewis

Photo by Walter McBride

experience or the female experience.

Black’s ’77 play One Slight Hitch for the

There are new stories that need to be

Florida Rep, which was reviewed by The

told, and more and more, artists of all kinds are thinking to themselves, ‘if nobody

Wall Street Journal. ● Joel Schechter ’72,

else is going to write that story, then I will write it.’” Sharon sees this as crucial to

DFA ’73 (Former Faculty) directed John

helping new voices to be heard and getting younger people excited about the theatre.

“I still love the classics,” she says, “but I am passionate about making theatre that

Gay’s once-banned satire Polly at San Francisco State University, where he

speaks directly to the concerns of today’s world.”

continues to teach theatre history and

“If nobody else is going to write that story, then I will write it.”

dramatic literature. ● Barbara Hauptman ’73 (Faculty) teaches “The Business of Acting” in the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at SUNY/Purchase. ● Benjamin Slotznick ’73, YC ’70 won the Associa-

Television is another area in which Sharon sees exciting new developments for

tion of Yale Alumni Leadership Award in

both women and people of color. “TV no longer carries the same stigma for a serious

November 2014 for his work with the Yale

actor that it once did,” she says. “These days, you can see a lot of really good work

Global Alumni Leadership Exchange

for actresses out there.” Sharon has found a number of good roles in television, and

(YaleGALE). Ben produced YaleGALE in

is especially excited to have a recurring role on Gotham, where she gets to play her

Europe 2014, as well as YaleGALE@Yale

first “bad girl” character, Molly Mathis.

In addition to her work as an actor, Sharon is writing a book about her childhood.

2013 and 2014. He will be producing

“It began as a children’s story,” she says, “and then it evolved into a memoir, and now

YaleGALE@Yale 2015 as well as YaleGALE in South Africa 2016. ● Franchelle

I’m adapting it for a one-woman stage show.” This project is inspired by her

Dorn ’75 enjoyed seeing YSD friends in

realization that she is a storyteller at heart. As an actor, she still loves telling other

New York while doing ‘Tis Pity She’s a

people’s stories — and although the writing process is very difficult — Sharon says, “I

Whore for Red Bull Theater at The Duke on

think it might be time to tell my own story.”

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

83

Alumni Notes 14 Joel Polis ’76, with twin brother Terry at Macchu Picchu in Peru.

15 Yale Cabaret Hollywood had a reading of Tuskers by Barbara Bragg ’87. back row Joe Reynolds ’97, Matt Reidy, Stuart W. Howard, Bruce Katzman ’88, Obi Ndefo ’97, YC ’94, Walt Klappert ’79, Shuli Rayberg, and Ben Miller. front row Katrinka Wolfson, Peter Gaddis, Barbara Bragg ’87, Linda Bisesti.

16 Dennie Gordon ’78 right with Jane Fonda on the set of Netflix’s Gracie & Frankie.

14

17 Memories from Martha (Gaylord) Lidji ’77: Dennie Gordon ’78, Martha (Gaylord) Lidji Lazar ’77, and Marcell Rosenblatt ’76 in the premiere of Death Comes To Us All, Mary Agnes, by Christopher Durang ’74, at Yale School of Drama in 1976.

16

15

17 8 4

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

Alumni Notes 42nd Street, among them Lizbeth

ing committee. ● 2015 marks Charles

presented No Chance, written after

Mackay ’75, Linda Atkinson ’75, John

Andrew Davis’s ’76 15th year coaching

channeling Williams for his 100th birthday.

Rothman ’75, Joe Grifasi ’75, Meryl

the Garfield H.S. Decathlon Speech Team

William was also in The Alcoholist, an

Streep ’75, DFAH ’83, Alma Cuer-

from the Los Angeles Unified School

Italian film shot in New York State. He is

vo ’76, Jeremy Smith ’76, William Ivey

District. Charles reports: “We took second

the artistic consultant for The Yip Harburg

Long ’75, Carmen De Lavallade

place in 2007, first place in 2009, and this

Foundation on the new e-book the founda-

(Former Faculty), Mark Linn-Baker ’79,

year we took third.” Charles has written 10

tion is producing about the creation of

YC ’76, and Marcell Rosenblatt ’76. ●

songs for an adaptation of the morality

Starting in April, Jonathan Miller ’75

play Everyman, now titled eMan. An

still producing museum installations and

(Former Faculty) took a new position as

interested producer approached him after

events utilizing projection mapping and the

“Somewhere over the Rainbow.” William is

vice president and general manager of Arts

hearing the music. Charles is cautiously

Pepper’s ghost technique, including a

Consulting Group, a national firm that

optimistic. ● Still on the west coast,

centerpiece for a recent event on board the

provides interim management, executive

Christine Estabrook ’76 wants to give

Intrepid floating museum for The Explorer’s

search, revenue enhancement consulting,

an enthusiastic shout-out to Jane

Club. And he continues to work with The George Balanchine Foundation on video

facilities and program planning, and

Kaczmarek ’82 for hosting the West

organizational development services for

Coast Alumni Party, to Tom Moore ’68 for

productions at Lincoln Center and

the arts and culture industry. After over 40

moderating the panel, Deborah Berman for

throughout the world. ● Joel Polis ’76

years presenting and producing at Yale,

organizing, and Sasha Emerson ’84 for

won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle

A.R.T., and ArtsEmerson, Jonathan needed

hosting a west coast celebration uniting

and Stage Raw Los Angeles awards for

to adjust to a different approach and

alumni and the 2015 graduates of the

best performance by a featured actor, for

rhythm, and also to not working down the

School of Drama. Congratulations to

his work in My Name is Asher Lev, adapted

hallway from his long-term colleague Rob

James Bundy ’95 (Dean) and Walton

by Aaron Posner from the book by Chaim

Orchard ’72 (Faculty). ● Peter Rob-

Wilson (Faculty) for the 2015 presenta-

Potok, and directed by Stephen Sachs at The Fountain Theatre in Hollywood. His

erts ’75 spent a dusty but fun week in

tion. Since last year, Christine has wrapped

June 2015 in State College, PA, with eight

up playing Christina Hendrick’s mother on

collaboration as director with playwright

other USITT volunteers to help determine

Mad Men and played Cloris Leachman’s

Allen Barton on Years to the Day resulted in

the scope of a project to produce a

daughter in the movie Is That a Gun in Your

successful runs at the Beverly Hills

digitized catalogue for the entire physical

Pocket?. She also appeared in an episode

Playhouse, Kansas City Arts Center, the

collection of George C. Izenour. It was both

of the HBO show Blunt Talk, and an

Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and a preview

startling and heartwarming to come across

episode of Looking with her friend

run at 59E59 in NY. Joel’s second

some old mechanical and electronic friends

Jonathan Groff. ● Robert Long ’76

directorial effort with Barton, Disconnection,

from his YSD days preserved in this

(Former Faculty) attended a mini-reunion

at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, garnered

collection. He was also keeping an eye

of the TD&P class of 1976 in New Haven

glowing notices and full houses for a

open for some original Stanley McCandless

on April 25th, hosted by Ben Sam-

documents, rumoured to be in hiding there.

mler ’74 (Faculty). Attendees included

The volunteers were assembled by Jeff

Tom Kupp ’76, Chip Letts ’76, and Jeff

when chemo calls and you have stage four

Gress of Capitol University, Columbus, OH,

Rank ’79, with classmate Steve

prostate cancer with bone metastases, ya

10-week run. ● Steve Pollock ’76 writes: “Sorry to have missed the reunion weekend;

from a LinkedIn USITT based group called

Pollock ’76 calling in. None have changed

gotta respond. That said, and with a month

Archiving Technical Theatre History. In

a bit! ● Two days before Christmas 2014,

of treatment completed (five to go), I’m

August 2015, Peter co-presented a

William Otterson ’76 was featured in

finding that all of the work I did the first

budgeting workshop at the Canadian

Bringing Him Home for the Holidays on The

time around in 2009, when the docs

Institute for Theatre Technology’s annual

Today Show, The Huffington Post, and

‘grilled my guts for garters’ (my apologies

conference held in Ottawa. Ongoing

numerous other sites and shows. It’s a

to the Bard), the process of trial and error

retirement projects include teaching

video piece produced by Glamour

to understanding stage four treatment

(production management and Canadian

magazine. For Roger Simon’s ’67

damage/side effects was a huge invest-

theatre studies) at National Theatre School

celebration of Tennessee Williams’ 104th

ment with quite a positive ROI. Who knew

in Montreal, and volunteering for the

birthday at The Drama Bookshop’s Arthur

that all of that misery six years ago and all

Montreal English Theatre Awards organiz-

Seelen Theatre in New York, William

of the adjustments made to minimize

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

85

Alumni Notes

18

19

20 18 Video still from Bringing Him Home for the Holidays, a comedic video produced by Glamour magazine, featuring William Otterson ’76 as the father.

19 Barnet Kellman ’72 right and Steven Robman ’73 (with John Krasinski in the background) toast Lloyd Richards MAH ’79 (Former Dean) and George C. White ’61, YC ’57 (Faculty) in honor of the publication of the book commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center.

Photo by Brian Hashimoto.

21

20 Christine Estabrook ’76 with Cloris Leachman on the set of, Is that a Gun in Your Pocket? (working title).

21 Michael Sheehan ’76 right and Sheehan Associates colleagues with President Barack Obama.

8 6

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

Alumni Notes collateral damage would make this first

(Gaylord) Lidji Lazar ’77 is still in Dallas.

month and chemo a walk in the park. Only

Her husband of 30 years, Albert Lidji,

was ashore, Jane and Charlie rented a car

one bad day out of 28 so far, and that was

passed away in 2011. In 2014, she

and drove to New Haven to attend a mini

just a reminder not to get cocky, but to

married Martin Lazar, a neurosurgeon. ●

TD&P reunion. This event, organized by

stay on top of things. I can say, without

Television continues to be an exciting

Ben Sammler ’74 (Faculty) and Jeff

qualification, that I feel better than I have

venue for doing good work. Recently,

Rank ’79 and Pam Rank ’78, included

in a long time, even with chemo. I’m

Dennie Gordon ’78 worked on the Netflix

lunch at Ben’s house and dinner at Mory’s

embarrassed to say that my biggest side

series Grace & Frankie with Jane Fonda,

with current TD&P students. ● This season

effect seems to be JOY. Any reports of my

Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen, and Sam

Dyanne Asimow ’67 and Walt Klap-

‘demise’ are greatly exaggerated, as I sit

Waterston. Dennie considered it a privilege

pert ’79 produced Dyanne’s play Day of

here at work writing to all. There are still

to direct that group of icons. ● Jay

the Dead at the Pico House and the Breed

lots of fun projects out there, and there are grandkids to play with. What better reason to thrive?” ● Michael Sheehan’s ’76 (Former Faculty) media & communications firm, Sheehan Associates, will be celebrating its 34th anniversary in business, a number only slightly overshadowed by a running total of six million miles in airline travel. Much of 2015 was focused on the race for prime minister in the United Kingdom, which didn’t quite work out the way Sheehan Associates wanted, but was a fascinating study in both a multi-party race and the dubious quality of polling in today’s electorate. 2016 may be just as unpredictable in the States. Michael’s personal life has gone through several changes. His older son, Ben, is now entrenched in Los Angeles working at the

Street Shul in Los Angeles. In doing so

“There are still lots of fun projects out there, and there are grandkids to play with. What better reason to thrive?”

Walt established an EMERGE project with the Pasadena Arts Council. Dyanne’s play was one of the plays read as part of Yale Cabaret Hollywood’s (YCH) recent seasons.

Walt and YCH discussed the future with other YSD alumni in June 2015. YCH had another play reading, The Tuskers by Barbara Bragg ’87, which included Bruce Katzman ’88, Obi Ndefo ’97, YC ’94, and Joe Reynolds ’97. ● Having just completed a three-year certificate graduate program at the New York Studio School, Adrianne Lobel ’79 writes: “Three years goes by a lot quicker in your 50s than it does in your 20s!” She feels she is now ready to take on the art world

— s t e v e p o l lock ’76

as a full-time painter. Adrianne takes it as

Parikh ’78 is the vice president of content

more and more like her stage designs. A

a good sign that theatre has reappeared in

entertainment website, funnyordie.com.

Michael’s younger son, Jonathan, is

the same route northward. While the boat

her paintings, which are getting to look

focused on public policy as manager of the

for Maryland Public Television. He

recent show of her work was at The Bowery

parent leadership team for the Department

supervises the creative, production, and

Gallery in Chelsea in October 2015.

of Education in New York City. Michael and

distribution efforts behind over 300 hours

his wife, Riki, are now in empty-nester

of original local and national public

mode and moving to a condominium in

television programming each year. Jay also

downtown Bethesda, MD. He still keeps in

manages the underwriting/sales team and

close touch with Mark Rosenthal ’76 and

the television programming group. He was

1980s James Gage ’80, YC ’78 recently

just had a visit with YSD Theatre Manage-

very pleased this year to be in touch with

designed The Kentucky Opera’s production

ment program founder Herman Krawitz

classmates Abby Franklin ’78, Liz

of Fidelio, directed by Lillian Groag. Jim will

(Former Faculty) who is well into his 90s,

MacKay ’78, and Ian Dickson ’77.

yet just as vibrant as ever. ● Edith

●

Jane Head ’79 and husband, Charlie

return in 2016 to design their production of Showboat. He recently completed an

Tarbescu’s ’76 one-woman play Suffer

Davidson, spent last winter on their

architectural design for the City of

Queen was performed at the Algonquin

40-foot Tartan sailboat “IBIS.” They left

Tallahassee, FL, creating an all LED design

Theater in New York. The play, set in Dublin,

from Milford, CT, traveled down the

for their exterior roundabout sculpture. The

Ireland, revolves around the mid-life crisis

Intracoastal Waterway to Miami, and from

20-foot-plus sculpture is on a signature

of Rosie Ahearn Keene. ● Martha

there crossed to the Bahamas and followed

corner at Florida State University. Jim just

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

87

Alumni Notes A career in theatre management was not

return to Los Angeles, venturing into audio

in her plans when Deneda Lynn “Shay”

recording and the public broadcasting of

Wafer ’89 graduated from Howard

plays, first with L.A. Theatre Works and

University in 1979 with a degree in early

then at Cornerstone Theater Company,

childhood education. But, an offer from her

where she further developed important

roommate’s mother, actress Marla Gibbs,

community engagement strategies.

Pursuing a Vision Shay Wafer ’89

star of The

These varied leadership experiences

Jeffersons,

prepared Shay to take on the role of found-

to join

ing vice president of programs for the

her newly

August Wilson Center for African American

founded

Culture, a multi-disciplinary performing

performing

arts center and museum in downtown Pittsburgh. “This was a legacy opportu-

arts school for children in South Central

nity,” Shay says, “and also a professional

Los Angeles (Crossroads Arts Academy and Theatre), completely altered her career trajectory. “Our mission was to provide

Shay Wafer ’89 Photo by Whitney Thomas

challenge. I had to step out of my comfort zone and take on the responsibility of a presenter, with all the artistic choices it en-

opportunities for young people in the arts as a way of empowering a community,”

aspects of the organization: fundraising,

tailed. It was a big change from my theatre

says Shay.

finance, marketing, board development,

management training but also an opportu-

programming, and education.”

nity to flex new muscles and exercise a new

Shay spent six years working at Crossroads Arts Academy and Theatre

After graduating from YSD, Shay pur-

part of my brain.”

Moved by a newly discovered interest in

before attending Yale School of Drama. As

sued opportunities that aligned with her

a single mother raising a young daugh-

goal to have the theatre serve as a means

artistic direction and her long-lasting pas-

ter, the academic curriculum at YSD was

to change and empower entire communi-

sion for community outreach, Shay left the

a challenge, and didn’t leave much time

ties. She worked at Crossroads Theatre

August Wilson Center to accept her current

for activities such as participating in Yale

Company in New Jersey for a few years

position as executive director of 651 ARTS,

and then at the Mark Taper Forum in Los

whose mission focuses on the develop-

Angeles, where she devised strategies to

ment of new work by artists of African de-

cultivate audiences and maintain a strong

scent who are exploring contemporary aes-

connection to the African American com-

thetics. “It just feels good,” she says. Still

munity. Over time, Shay became disen-

passionate about spectator engagement,

chanted with certain aspects of institu-

she is cultivating diverse intergenerational

tional theatre. She left the Taper to join

audiences while designing strategies to

the Black Filmmaker Foundation in New

bring artists closer to patrons: master

York, where she helped emerging African

classes, workshops, humanities programs,

American filmmakers develop their projects

interviews, and artistic residencies.

“Our mission was to provide opportunities for young people in the arts as a way of empowering a community.”

Cabaret productions. However, Shay found that juggling different responsibilities made

in Hollywood. However, she says, cinema is

Together with her partner and col-

“a different animal” from the theatre, and

league, Yvonne Joyner Levette ’90,

her strong sense of social justice influ-

Shay has commissioned three playwrights

enced her decision to return to the roots of

to write big theatre pieces that feature

her training.

multiple family generations. The plays have

She spent three years as managing

had workshops, but her goal now is to pro-

her a more focused person. “I left YSD

director of the St. Louis Black Reper-

duce and tour them around the country to

as a generalist,” she says, “knowing a lot

tory Theatre, navigating the challenges of

reach large African American communities,

about the various administrative functions

the stark racial divides in that city. Shay

and to touch the lives of young people.

of running a theatre, and it served me well

remembers her time there as one of the

Shay says: “I want them to remember one

in all of my career roles. Now, as executive

most stimulating professional experiences

of these plays as their first theatre experi-

director of 651 ARTS in Brooklyn, I lead all

she has ever had. She left that theatre to

ence.” — by Maria Ines Marques ’17

8 8

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

Alumni Notes finished his 28th year as resident lighting

corporate and foundation relations at

designer at Cincinnati’s Conservatory of

Fairleigh Dickinson University. One key

Ensemble about survival after a massive

Music. ● The chamber opera Lilith, by Allan

project that Jane will be involved in is a

earthquake. He also reprised his role of

the Sky, a new play by the Faultline

Havis ’80, with music by Anthony Davis

new School of the Arts, which will bring

Herod in Claire Willett’s adaptation of W. H.

YC ’73, will have a workshop at UC San

together, under one roof, a number of

Auden’s For the Time Being, and had a small speaking role in an episode of

Diego in November 2015, supported by

undergraduate and graduate fine and

the Qualcomm Institute. Also in November,

performing arts and writing departments,

Portlandia. John continues to take clown

Palgrave Macmillan will publish Referential-

as well as some new programs. Jane

and acting workshops and train in circus

ity and the Films of Woody Allen, co-edited

writes: “The creative and collaborative

aerial. His software consulting, which had

by Dianah Wynter ’84, which will include

possibilities are exciting!” ● After nine

been moribund for a while, has started to

Allan’s article on the use of music and

years as program director for the arts at

pick up. He has been doing some work

foreign culture in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ben

with LED lighting systems, which he hopes

Allan’s short play, Sister & Brother, which

Cameron ’81 will be leaving at the end of

to be able to brag about more openly next

was first performed at Yale School of

the calendar year to join the Jerome and

year. ● In addition to their teaching

Drama in 1977, is featured in the book The

Camargo Foundations in St. Paul, MN, as

assignments in the YSD TD&P department,

Best Scenes for Kids Ages 7-15, to be

their president. Jerome has a long history

Tony Forman ’83 (Faculty), Gene

published by Applause Books in December.

of supporting emerging artists, while

Leitermann ’82 (Faculty), and Matt

Julie Fulton ’84, YC ’81 and her spouse

Camargo, with a retreat facility in Cassis,

Welander ’09 (Faculty) celebrated one

gave a workshop on Babette-Story Time, a

France, supports artists and scholars for

year of theatre planning at Nextstage

play written by Julie and Allan for one actor

residencies and reflection. Ben is looking

Design. They enjoyed working on renova-

with a French accent, at North Coast

forward to all the new challenges this new

tion plans for the National Theatre with Executive Director Sarah Bartlo ’04, and

Repertory Theatre in August, with an eye to

role will bring, including re-acclimating

a fully mounted fringe run later in their

himself to Minnesota winters. ● Rick

Palmer Auditorium at Connecticut College

season. Babette-Story Time previously had

Davis ’83, DFA ’03 had a busy and

with Theatre Department Chair David

segments taped for broadcast on San

diverse artistic year, including directing an

Jaffe ’84. They are also working on a new

Diego’s Jazz 88.3 FM public radio station.

opera project in DC for the In Series,

performing arts building for the Brooks

Allan’s play, The Hypnotist, directed by Jen

publishing a chapter on Calderón de la

School with Arts Production Manager and

Wineman ’10, had a reading at the Lark

Barca in a new book on the Spanish

Technical Director Deanna Stuart ’94. ●

Play Development Center last November. ●

Golden Age, singing and narrating with the

Bill Buck ’84 recently retired after 31

Geoffrey Pierson ’80 co-stars with Tim

American Festival Pops Orchestra, helping

years of college teaching, 23 of those

Robbins and Jack Black in the new HBO

to produce a PBS pledge drive special at

years at James Madison University in

series The Brink, which premiered on June

the Hylton Performing Arts Center, and

Virginia. After Bill’s lengthy term as school

21, 2015. ● Queen for a Day, an off-Broad-

finally becoming dean of the College of

director, the program was named in one

way thriller directed by John Gould

Visual and Performing Arts at George

ranking’s poll as one of the 10 best liberal

Rubin ’80, opened at Theatre at St.

Mason University in May 2015. ● After 20

arts theatre programs in the country. Bill

Clement’s Church in New York on May 3.

years, Deborah Simon ’81 closed her

now lives in Newark, DE, and continues to

John also directed Outside Mullingar at the

business selling American crafts and is

freelance, consult, and occasionally

Dorset Theatre Festival in August, with

now doing consulting work with previous

undertake adjunct teaching. ● Serge

Michael Giannitti ’87 doing the lighting.

vendors and working for a friend selling

Ossorguine ’84 collaborated, via the

A project John created, Turn Me Loose,

Italian imports, including wine. ● It has

internet, with Andrew Carter ’84 on

about the comedy and activism of Dick

been a busy and eclectic year for Jon

recording a new song. It was as if the two

Gregory, with Joe Morton, opened at The

Farley ’83. He is now master electrician

had never left the basement studio in the

Apollo Theater in September 2014. Chris

for Imago Theatre in Portland, OR. This

Annex. Serge’s studio, Serge Audio, lives

Barreca ’83 designed the sets, Susan

provided John the opportunity to meet

on, doing more long-form work. An

Hilferty ’80 the costumes, and Steve

and work with Erik Flatmo ’02, who had

independent film, Please Be Normal,

Strawbridge ’83 (Faculty) the lighting. ●

designed Holcombe Waller’s show

directed by Haik Kocharian, with Sam

On April 1, 2015, Jane Savitt Ten-

Wayfinders. On the acting side, John

Waterston, for which Serge did the sound

nen ’80 became associate director of

originated the role of Bob in Holding onto

mix, was a New York Times Critics’ Pick in

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

89

Alumni Notes March. ● Laila Robins ’84 spent six

Sundance Theatre Lab. The first national

films recently, including Chronic starring

months in Cape Town, South Africa,

tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s

Tim Roth, directed by the young Mexican

shooting Season 4 of Homeland, playing

Cinderella soon enters its second year. ●

director Michel Franco. Peter’s short, The

the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan. The cast

Kenneth Lewis ’86 started his 23rd

Tracks, is making the festival rounds. Two features, Greater and Seattle Road, are in

was nominated for an ensemble Screen

season as production manager at Wolf

Actors Guild Award. Laila recently

Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.

post-production. Last May, Peter was back

completed work on TNT’s Murder in the

Kenneth’s wife, Denise, started her 13th

on the boards in Sci-Fest LA, produced by

First. ● This year Michael Engler ’85

year as production manager at the

his friend David Dean Bottrell, at the Acme

worked on Empire for FOX and Unbreakable

National Cancer Institute. Their son

Comedy Theatre in Hollywood. And he

Kimmy Schmidt for Netflix. Michael

Matthew is a junior at Penn State,

spent two weeks in Shanghai last summer

directed the pilot for Apocalypse Slough for

studying technical design in theatre. Their

directed three episodes of the final season of Downton Abbey, including the series finale. ● After almost 18 years stage managing Chicago, the musical, Terrence Witter ’85 left in the spring of 2014. He has since been stage managing Aladdin and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time on Broadway, and loves both shows. ● Amy Aquino ’86, Patrick Kerr ’87, and Tom McGowan ’88 had a

visiting his wife, Sook Jin Jo, who was completing a six-month artist’s residency

NBC and for Sky in the UK. He also

“The creative and collaborative possibilities are exciting!”

— ja n e s avit t t en n en ’80

at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel, as well as having an exhibition of her work at the Seoul Contemporary Art Museum. ● McCarter Theatre’s Resident Production Stage Manager Cheryl Mintz ’87 recently worked with director John Kani on Sizwe Banzi is Dead in McCarter Theatre’s co-production with The Market Theatre in Johannesburg. Additional highlights this past season were her continued collaborations with director Emily Mann on

wonderful time reuniting this summer, along with LeRoy McClain ’04 and

daughter Amy started Syracuse University

McCarter’s productions of Antony &

Manoel Felciano YC ’93, all performing in

this fall, studying ceramic arts and

Cleopatra and Rachel Bonds’s Five Mile

the Old Globe’s production of Twelfth Night,

Chinese, and their youngest, David, started

Lake. Cheryl conducts master classes,

directed by Rebecca Taichman ’00.

middle school; he plays soccer, baseball,

student hosting, and observations for various universities, and this season she is

Lighting design was by Christopher

basketball, and saxophone. ● Barbara

Akerlind ’89 and Riccardo Hernan-

Bragg ’87 is executive producer of the

teaching “Opera Stage Management Boot

dez ’92 designed the sets. ● Jan

second season of In the Room, a series of

Camp” for Rutgers’s Mason Gross School of the Arts MFA and BFA programs. ●

Breslauer ’86 practices arts and

interviews with show runners, writers, and

entertainment law in Southern California

actors about how to create in the new

Wendy MacLeod’s ’87 new play, Slow

and can be reached via BreslauerLaw.com.

media environment. Her fourth play,

Food, was selected for the 2015 O’Neill

Although many of her clients work in the

Tuskers, was produced by Walt Klap-

National Playwrights Conference, which

arts and in the entertainment industry in

pert ’79. Barbara is writing a series for

featured Jane Kaczmarek ’82, Michael

Los Angeles, others are based on the east

cable called Contested Territory, and is in

Berresse, and Reed Birney. Wendy has two

coast and in Europe. Jan is honored to be

development for another based on Edgar

plays running in LA: The Road Theatre’s

able to advocate for creatives, producers,

Allen Poe. She has just finished teaching at

Things Being What They Are and the Zephyr

and others, and proud to count YSD alumni

Cal State Poly, Pomona. ● Rick Butler ’88

Theatre’s 25th anniversary production of

among her clients. ● This past year Mark

continues for a fifth season as production

The House of Yes. ● David Moore Jr. ’87

Brokaw ’86 directed Gershwin’s Lady Be

designer for the CBS/Warner TV action

exhibited several dozen drawings at the

Good at City Center Encores!, Joanna

thriller Person of Interest. He also

University of Minnesota’s Quarter Gallery,

Murray-Smith’s Switzerland at the Geffen

continues to teach at Brooklyn College,

with artistic partner, Fred Larson. David

Playhouse (with Tony Fanning ’90 as set

and splits his time between Italy and his

continues to co-chair the producers’

designer), Simon Stephens’s Heisenberg at

home in Cape Cod, MA. His recent feature

council for Walker Art Center, on whose

Manhattan Theatre Club (with Donald

film releases include The Longest Week

board he serves. Now in his second year as

Holder ’86 as lighting designer), and

and A Case of You. ● Peter Lewis ’87 has

trustee of the Guthrie, David is sorry to see

Phillip Howze’s ’15 Abominable at

been busy shooting several independent

two-decade veteran Joe Dowling moving

9 0

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

Alumni Notes While most Technical Design and Production graduates

of other appointments on sustainability issues in live

choose to work backstage, Raymond Kent ’99 has

and performing arts: Commissioner for the Archi-

taken his training and his degree from Yale School

tecture Commission at the United States Institute

of Drama down a path which allows him to make a

for Theatre Technology (USITT), roles at InfoComm International and the Independent Consultants in

material difference (literally) to the industry.

Soon after graduating from YSD, Raymond worked as an associate architect and theatre consultant with

Sustaining the Theatre Raymond Kent ’99

work for the Center for Sustainable Practice in the

Westlake Reed

Arts out of Toronto and the Broadway Green Alliance,

Leskosky

as well as holding an adjunct position at the Center

(WRL), an

for Creative Arts at Cuyahoga Community College.

architecture

Raymond’s work has captured the attention and

firm whose

respect of the industry, and, in 2012, he was given

focus is on cultural and

the Sustainable Technology Award by InfoComm

preforming arts, and in

International.

2007 founded an in-house

Raymond Kent ’99

Audiovisual Technology (ICAT) council, and consultant

How did his experience at Yale School of Drama

technology group, where

take him here? “My theatre background provided

he developed an inter-

me with the requisite skills to look at the big picture

est in, and passion for,

in fast-paced environments and solve complex

sustainability. In 2010,

problems,” Raymond says. Anyone who has been part

he launched Sustainable

of the TD&P department at YSD will recognize this

Technologies Group, a

phenomenon, and the portfolio-type career that he

performing arts-focused

has accomplished seems to reflect the wide-ranging

architecture firm with, in

education the School has to offer. It also gave him

his words, “a vested com-

invaluable insight into the industry he now strives to

mitment to designing smart

better. “There are lots of ways theatre can be more

and sustainable buildings.”

sustainable,” he says. “The question is really what is

In addition to managing his company, Raymond also

right within the capabilities of the venue or organiza-

writes about sustainability, ethical consumerism, and

tion. Low hanging fruit is always the best and easiest

green policies in universities, among other topics, on

way to improve. A few examples are printing double-

his blog and as a feature columnist for rAVe Publica-

sided, not providing bottled water at concessions,

tions.

offering e-programs instead of printing, and recycling set materials.”

Raymond’s expertise recently earned him an invitation to join the Sustainable Technology Environments Program (STEP), where he co-authored a new

Raymond has some thoughts about the future of the planet that he hopes the next generation of the-

green rating system for technology. This non-profit’s

atre makers will keep in mind. “How does the theatre

goal is two-fold. First, it promotes ways to use infor-

community respond and get the message out? So-

mation communication technology (ICT) to track and

cially conscious plays and venues grab attention—and

reduce carbon footprints. Second, it discovers new

the arts are a traditional way to express major social

methods for reducing the environmental impact of

issues. We are also really good at crafting a message

ICT assets in performing arts venues, office buildings,

through art that has powerful implications and attrac-

universities, and more. After co-authoring the STEP

tion. The best way that we can start the conversation

rating system, Raymond served as the co-chair of

with theatres that are interested in this is to begin to

the Technology Task Force for the STEP Foundation,

have a conversation about their goals. Sustainability

where he is now the chair of the Technical Advisory

may be up there on the list but most likely isn’t at the

Committee. This work continues to offer him oppor-

top. Theatre people are great storytellers, but some-

tunities to positively influence the future of arts con-

times we need a firm foundation on which to build a

struction and the built performing arts environment.

compelling narrative.”

Somehow he fits all this in while juggling a series

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

91

Alumni Notes

22

23 22 Nicholas Rockefeller LAW ’87 and Bradford Wayne Smith ’87. Photo

by RRI. 23 The 20-foot, all-LED exterior roundabout sculpture in Florida State University, designed by James Gage ’80 for the city of Tallahassee, FL. 24 David Moore Jr. ’87 and his wife Leni.

25 Wendy Rolfe Evered ’89 with Garry Marshall at the Falcon Theatre.

24

26 Carol Gibson-Prugh’s ’89 daughter Megan and son Michael.

27 Terry Witter ’85 92

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

Alumni Notes on, and excited for his successor, Joe Haj.

25

26

27

Love Slaves of Helen Hadley Hall, will be

David’s wife, Leni, in her fifth year as

published in May 2016. Eighteen years in

trustee of the Minnesota Opera, success-

the making, the novel is set at Yale in

fully chaired a gala to reopen the Ordway

1983-1984. Many scenes are set at the

Center’s second concert hall in February.

Drama School and those with sharp eyes

She also continues as trustee of the

may recognize themselves in it. On other

Minneapolis Institute of Art. ● Kimberly

fronts, James and composer/lyricist Polly

Scott ’87 started 2015 by acting at Yale

Pen spent a week last May collaborating on

Rep in the world premiere of Familiar by

a new musical at the Westport Country

Danai Gurira, directed by Rebecca

Playhouse. Last spring, James taught a

Taichman ’00. She also worked at

dramaturgy seminar for the second time at

Berkeley Rep with Tarell McCraney ’07

Swarthmore. He calls it a Jean Brodie-

and Tina Landau on Head of Passes, which

Leon Katz (Former Faculty) “death

featured Brian Tyree Henry ’07. After

march” through the western canon from

that she went to Oregon Shakespeare

Seneca to Sarah Kane. Four plays a week,

Festival to create the role of Cynthia in

five hours every Thursday. He loves it more

Sweat by Lynn Nottage ’89 (Faculty),

than anything, except being a grandfather

directed by Kate Whoriskey. “Three new

to Rex and Sam. ● Stephanie Nash ’88

plays by three great playwrights at three

recently designed and taught a mindful-

great theatres,” Kimberly writes. “This is a

ness program for a Harvard Medical School

wonderful yearlong journey.” ● Bradford

brain study. She also recorded a stress

Wayne Smith ’87 is the director of

reduction app for a Carnegie Mellon

operations and the senior advisor to the

mindfulness stress-reduction study last

office of the chairman of the board at

fall; this 20-minutes-a-day-for-two-weeks

Rockefeller Resources International. The

app will be released on iTunes at the

private U.S. corporation promotes the

conclusion of the study later this year.

economic and environmentally correct

Stephanie, who also gives keynote

supply of energy, with particular attention

speeches/presentations on “Well-Being

to the appropriate role of liquefied natural

and Stress Management,” is a mindful-

gas, in the United States and China and

ness/performance coach for top execu-

other Asian countries. Additionally,

tives and artists, and had a recurring role

Bradford continues to partner with Dr.

on Fresh Off the Boat, as a comically

Winfried Hammacher in financing European

neurotic teacher. And, yeah, that was

films (most recent Libertador) through

probably her in whatever commercial you

WMG Films of Berlin, Germany. He resides

saw. She enjoyed seeing everyone at the

in Santa Monica, California, and has four

west coast YSD alumni party. ● Wendy

children. ● On May 18, 2015, Philip

(Rolfe) Evered’s ’89 family is healthy and

Stoller ’87 was awarded the Master of

thriving. She continues daily rehab for her

Sacred Theology degree from Yale Divinity

hip and legs, went paintballing with her

School where his long thesis, “Calvinist

kids, and climbed rocky stairs, all to prove

Theology and Its Effect on the Develop-

to herself that her balance and walking are

ment of Criminal Jurisprudence in the

improving since her car accident in 2008.

Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1630-1649”

Wendy now acts as production manager of

received an honors grade. In May 2012,

her family’s bi-coastal, complicated life. In

the Divinity School awarded him the

March, her theatre family was expanded to

Master of Divinity degree. ● James

include the Falcon Theatre in Burbank.

Magruder’s ’88, DFA ’92, GRD ’84

Many Yalies supported the production of

(Former Faculty) third book of fiction,

husband, Charles Evered’s ’91, Class.

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

93

Wendy re-instated her Screen Actors Guild

Kramer ’91 became artistic director of

membership. She still lives in Princeton,

Chester Theatre Company in September

performances for people with autism,

halfway between New York and Philadel-

2015, where he has been associate artistic

intellectual or developmental disabilities,

tions to begin presenting sensory-friendly

phia. She wishes all her YSD friends, old

director since 2011. His short film Recently,

or other sensory processing issues. Lisa

and new, health, rewarding work, and a

Long Ago premiered in June at the Palm

(Kelley) Carling ’72, the director of

sense of community wherever they are. ●

Springs International ShortFest. ● This

accessibility programs for Theatre

After many years in New York, Carol

spring, Jim van Bergen ’91 was

Development Fund, has been a great

Gibson-Prugh ’89 now lives in Provi-

nominated for a daytime Emmy Award for

resource. Highlights of 2015 for Lisa: seeing Tom Werder ’90 at the Associa-

dence, RI, with her husband, Mo, and their

Outstanding Sound Mixing-Live Action for

children. Michael, 14, just finished

the 88th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day

tion of Performing Arts Presenters

freshman year, and Megan, 10, is in the

Parade. During the last year Jim also did

conference in New York in January, and the

fourth grade. The family’s springer spaniel,

the sound design for Peter and the Wolf at

Denver visit by her classmate and former

Brady, just turned eight. ● For the past 10

Brooklyn Academy of Music and Four

housemate Jamie Anderson ’93. ● In

years Vicky Peterson ’89 has been

Seasons: A Spinning Planet at City Center.

October 2015, Laura (Witts) Perlow ’93

building her arts-focused mediation and

He mixed broadcasts for the 9/11

left the Lyric Opera of Chicago after more

conflict resolution communication practice,

Memorial and Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl

than seven years, and joined the Chicago

Collaborative Action, and in January 2015

XI, airing on Super Bowl Sunday. He also

Humanities Festival as managing director

she taught workshops to both staff and

mixed special events for NBC, Clair Global,

of development. The Humanities Festival

students at YSD. ● Robert Russell ’89 is

and Production Glue for Tom Bussey ’94

produces and presents year-round

now in his 10th year as artistic director of

and Jack Hilley ’08, including the Nike

programs and its signature fall festival,

the Yeshiva University/Stern College for

Zoom Arena, which garnered the Grand Clio

bringing the world’s best and brightest

Women Theatre Deptartment. Arsenic and

award. Most recently, Jim did the sound

humanists together to examine and

Old Lace marked the ninth time he’s

mixing for the Broadway production of Wolf

celebrate the humanities, theatre, dance,

directed an all-female cast.

Hall, Parts 1 and 2 for Chris Cronin ’96. ●

opera, music, visual art, literature, history,

1990s

Loni Berry ’92 is celebrating the opening

politics, and science. They foster

of Culture Collective Studio and the

collaboration, cooperation, and dialogue

premiere of her new play, The Death of

among the artistic, cultural, and educa-

Miss America, in Bangkok, Thailand. ●

tional organizations of Chicago. ● Just

Doug Gary ’92 is helping to end

after closing her first Broadway play, The

Cheng ’90, DFA ’93 co-edited with

homelessness at Delivering Innovation in

Violet Hour, directed by Evan Yionou-

Gabrielle Cody ’89, DFA ’92, Reading

Supportive Housing (www.dishsf.org), a

lis ’85, YC ’82 (Faculty) in 2004, Robin

Contemporary Performance: Theatricality

nonprofit he and his business partner

Miles ’94, YC ’86 fell ill with a mystery

Across Genres, will be published by

started nearly nine years ago in San

illness that prevented her from working as an actor for three years, but turned out to

A critical anthology that Meiling

Routledge Press in September 2015.

Francisco. Doug’s husband, Johnny, has a

Meiling’s second book, Beijing Xingwei:

psychotherapy practice. ● Lisa (Rigsby)

be a career re-router into audiobook

Contemporary Chinese Time-Based Art, was

Peterson ’92 is in her fifth year as the

direction. (Luckily the diagnosis was an

published in November 2013. ● Joshua

first executive director of the Lone Tree

auto-immune problem; she was prescribed

Fardon’s ’91 new play, The Condition,

Arts Center (LTAC), a 500-seat, multi-

medication, changed her diet, and was

received a fully staged Angels in Progress

disciplinary theatre in the southern part of

able to narrate books again, while raising

workshop by the Naked Angels in Los

the Denver metropolitan area. LTAC is both

her daughter.) She has become a director

Angeles in March-April 2015. Joshua’s play

a presenting and producing house, bringing

and producer for some iconic titles,

Rise was produced by Theatre of NOTE in

in touring artists from across the country

including Roots and Midnight in the Garden

May 2014 and extended into the Holly-

while at the same time self-producing two

of Good and Evil. It has been good to win

wood Fringe. He moved to Chicago in

to four productions a year. This is no small

awards and hire friends whenever she can,

January. ● Sarahbeth Grossman ’91 is

feat considering that LTAC’s shop consists

for example Nathan Hinton ’95, Dylan

proud to be a producer on the Broadway

of a couple of table saws in the loading

Baker ’85, Michael Early ’91, and

musical An American in Paris, winner of

dock area. Their latest area of emphasis is

Sigourney Weaver ’74. Robin caught

four 2015 Tony Awards. ● Daniel Elihu

the rallying of fellow regional arts organiza-

Kaia Calhoun ’95 when she had a free

9 4

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Alumni Notes

28

29 28 Katherine Profeta ’99, DFA ’10, YC ’91 with her husband, Steve, and daughters, Nina and Veronica, on the coast of Oregon in 2014.

29 Al Espinoza ’94, Michael Gabriel Goodfriend ’96, and Elijah Alexander ’96 at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2015 Season Opening Party.

30 Jennie Israel ’96 as Queen Margaret and Craig Mathers ’93 as the Duke of Suffolk in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s production of Henry VI, Part 2.

30

31

31 James Shanklin ’97 as The Agent in Charge in The Twenty-Seventh Man at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Photo by Jim Cox. 32 Robert Schneider ’94 at Ginza Kabuki-za in Tokyo, Japan.

32

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Alumni Notes

33 34 33 Loni Berry ’92 fifth from left celebrating with colleagues at the Opening Night of his play, The Death of Miss America, Culture Collective Studio, Bangkok, Thailand.

34 Olusegun Ojewuji ’98 at the Habima National Theater, Tel Aviv, Israel.

35 back row Yale alumni Joe Reyn-

olds ’97 red shirt, Gabriel Olds YC ’94 blue t-shirt, Obi Ndefo ’97, YC ’94 on end; middle row Barbara Bragg ’87 [blue blazer]; bottom row Bruce Katzman ’87 kneeling far right and the cast of the first Arts Alliance for Humanity television production, Juice Bar. Arts Alliance for Humanity is a new non-profit foundation created by Yale School of Drama Alumni in Los Angeles, which supports arts education in schools.

35

36 9 6

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

36 Sarabeth Grossman ’92

Alumni Notes week and they worked together to record

Dublin. While attending other meetings in

Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black) as

New York, Flora spoke to Laura Brown-

head of development for Tangerine

the Lady Chablis in Midnight. Robin is just

Mackinnon’s ’93 (Faculty) students at

Entertainment and, with the women’s film

development for stage and screen. She is

finishing up her year as 2014 Voice of

Columbia, and attended the opening of

collective called IRIS, she is launching a

Choice and enjoying the fruits of selection

Wolf Hall on Broadway. Outside of work,

screenwriting lab for women over 40

as an Audiofile Magazine Golden Voice.

Flora is still practicing Bikram Yoga. ● Anne

funded by Meryl Streep ’75, DFAH ’83.

Playing all the characters in a book is

García-Romero’s ’95 Paloma received its

Elizabeth is also watching a lot of baseball

thrilling, as she gets a chance to use a

west coast premiere at the Los Angeles

with Leah Gardiner ’96. ● Robert

multitude of accents. ● Jean Randich ’94

Theatre Center, produced by the Latino

Murphy ’96 is in the midst of a scary-yet-

directed David Harrower’s adaptation of

Theatre Company in 2015. Paloma is

exciting career transition. At his age, one could say that diving into playwriting and

Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an

included in the anthology, Best Plays of

Author at the Nevada Conservatory Theatre

2013, published by Smith & Kraus. ●

producing indicates a complete break from

in February 2015, and a multimedia hybrid

Mercedes Herrero ’95 booked her first

sanity. Robert’s explanation: major events

of Don Juan/Don Giovanni at Bennington

Broadway show, The Curious Incident of the

in his life compelled him to write a play.

College in May. ● Jean and Robert

Dog in the Night-Time, and had a recurring

Efforts towards producing that play led to

Murphy ’96 co-founded Collider Theatre

role on the Netflix show House of Cards. ●

the creation of a theatre company.

whose mission is to tell stories that

Chris Weida ’95 and family still live in

Regarding the major life events: Ronaldo

celebrate life in the collision of cultures

the Milwaukee, WI, area. In his ninth year at

Mussauer de Lima (his partner of eight

that is contemporary America. They

Derse, an exhibit and event production

years) was diagnosed in January 2009 with

gravitate towards points of creative

agency, Chris manages contract negotia-

acute myeloid leukemia. He fought his

tension that generate sparks of under-

tions for all divisions and the corporate

illness every step of the way, but the

standing. Their first production debuts in

office. His wife, Rosanne, manages their

cancer was too aggressive and he passed

the fall of 2015 at the Paradise Factory in

busy family schedule. Alex, 15, just

away in March of 2011. Ronaldo ran a

New York: Love, Sex, and Death in the Ama-

finished his freshman year of high school,

major AIDS advocacy organization in Rio,

zon, written by Robert, directed by Jean,

spending a lot time with the band and the

and was IT director for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. He was a major

with set and lights by Ji-Youn Chang ’08,

baseball team; Connor, 13, is finishing up

and projection design by Sue Rees. ●

eighth grade and plays a sport every

force in the AIDS community in the U.S.

Robert Schneider ’94, DFA ’97 is

season (soccer, basketball, track, baseball);

and Brazil, and his absence is felt by many

taking a year-long sabbatical to adapt his

Emily, 11, completed fifth grade and loves

people. Robert was his primary caregiver

play, Special Love, into a mini-series. The

choir and played the part of “Goldengirl,” in

throughout his illness and his experiences of helping him, and dealing with his mother

play shows the first cracks appearing in the

her class play; Danny, eight, finished

Oneida Community during their production

second grade and will perform for anybody

in Brazil, led to the inspiration for Love, Sex

of H.M.S. Pinafore in 1880. The mini-series

who will watch and loves to draw his own

and Death in the Amazon. (Two of his

will look at the whole history of Oneida, a

comic books. ● Michael Gabriel Good-

writing teachers who gave valuable advice

community of Christian socialists that

friend ’96 recently performed in Pericles

on the script over the years were Julie

morphed into a private company and

at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

McKee ’96 and Karen Hartman ’97

became a market-leader in tableware. Rob-

Among the his daily encounters were Alys

YC ’92). After submitting the play to many

ert received a small grant to go to Japan

Holden ’97, Barret O’Brien ’09, Erica

theatres, Robert finally decided to produce

and study taishŪ engeki, a form of kabuki

Sullivan ’09, Ted DeLong ’07, Al

it himself. Jean Randich ’94 is the

vaudeville. ● Flora Stamatiades ’94

Espinosa ’94, and his classmate and dear

director as well as Robert’s producing

spent a week in Paris after participating in

friend Elijah Alexander ’96. Jennie

partner for their new theatre company. ●

the International Federation of Actors (FIA)

Israel ’96 most recently played Queen

Elizabeth Greer ’97 had a blast shooting

Executive Committee meetings. After the

Margaret in Henry VI, Part 2, directed by

a recurring role of Judy Hoffman on Showtime’s Ray Donovan. She writes: “It

●

holidays, Flora travelled again, mainly to

Tina Packer, with the Actors’ Shakespeare

the west coast, as well as to London to

Project. The production also featured

was thrilling to table read next to our very

attend the Olivier Awards. Next up was the

Craig Mathers ’93, who played the Duke

own Liev Schreiber ’92!” Elizabeth has

FIA Executive Committee Meetings and

of Suffolk. ● Elizabeth (Ackerman)

been on a 30-plus person web series

World Live Performance Conference in

Kaiden ’96 is currently doing script

called The Reveal, which has received six

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

97

Alumni Notes

37 38 37 Several YSD alumni on the creative team of UConn/ Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s Nutmeg Summer Series, shown here during tech of Les Miserables. back row Timothy Brown ’10, James Mountcastle ’90, John Pike, and Vincent Cardinal ’90. front row Lisa Loen ’10, Chuan-Chi Chan ’10, and Michael Skinner ’11. Photo by Matt Pugliese.

38 Kai Calhoun ’95 and Robin Miles ’94 in the studio recording the audio drama Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

39 Amy (Cronise) Mead ’97 and Michael Port have cofounded Heroic Public Speaking.

39

40 Julius Galacki ’98 standing, second from right with actors from the first reading of his full-length film script, Limping Towards Babylon.

41 Actors Equity UK General Secretary Christine Payne, George Maguire, Olivier Award winner for Best Supporting Actor 2015, and Flora Stamatiades ’94, at the 2015 Olivier Awards in London.

42 Chris Weida’s ’95 children left to right: Connor, Danny, Alex, and Emily.

40

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YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

Alumni Notes Best Series nominations, and she recently

teach, write, and act in North Carolina. Paul

received an Award of Merit for Best

is slated to do Barbecue, by Robert O’Hara,

Supporting Actress from the Indie Film

at The Public Theater this fall. ● James

Fest. In her local school district Malia

Shanklin ’97 worked with Katherine Heigl

Lewis ’97 has been leading a working

on NBC’s State of Affairs. He also worked

●

41

42

group on career and technical education.

with Hal Linden in The Twenty-Seventh

Her long-term goal is to turn the after-

Man at The Old Globe Theatre in San

school stage crew club into an academic

Diego and is beginning his third season on

program which would provide graduating

the AMC network show Hell on Wheels. ●

seniors with both college credits in

After teaching in Los Angeles for the last

technical theatre and some sort of

16 years, Gregory Berger-Sobeck ’98

industry-recognized certification. In order

joined the acting faculty at YSD, teaching

to determine whether local high school

acting for film. When he is not teaching at

students are adequately prepared, she sat

Yale (spring semester) Gregory is back

in on the IATSE hiring hall exam for Local

home in Los Angeles teaching at the Berg

48 in Akron. She also helped hang several

Studios, which has received accolades

operas at the Cleveland Institute of

from Backstage Magazine for best scene

Music and taught the lyric sopranos the

class and classical class. He is also back in

importance of wearing shoes during

New York once a month to teach an

load-in. ● Amy (Cronise) Mead ’97 and

ongoing class. ● All Things Chicken, a

Michael Port have co-founded Heroic

29-minute film written, directed, and

Public Speaking. They teach the art of

produced by Julius Galacki ’98, based on

performance—from stagecraft to

a play that he wrote at YSD, had its world

content creation to rehearsal and

premiere at the Green Bay Film Festival on

performance in the context of public

March 8, 2015. The film was also an

speaking—to individuals, small teams, and

official selection of the 300 Minutes

corporations. Amy and Michael are building

International Film Festival in Karlsruhe,

a team of other exceptionally well trained

Germany, the Tenerife International Film

performers (including Yalies and NYU Tisch

Festival, the ReelHeart in Toronto,

faculty members.) ● Obi Ndefo ’97,

and the Columbia Gorge International Film

YC ’94 is currently working with other YSD

Festival. The script won Best Short

graduates in the Los Angeles area on the

Screenplay at the Firereel Film Festival and

development of the arts foundation Arts

took third place at Vail; and the score by

Alliance for Humanity, which ties together

Ben Wise took third in the Global Music

the efforts of individual arts educators and

Awards. Julius just finished a full-length

artists in the entertainment industry

script called Limping Towards Babylon that

under one nonprofit collective. Arts Alliance

he’s developing with an ensemble of actors

for Humanity supports arts education in

for a future production. ● Mahayana

schools and independently produces

Landowne ’98 performed an interactive

new works for theater, film, and television.

piece called Red Carpet at the Edinburgh

The first production for the nonprofit

Fringe Festival last summer where

collective is the television series Juice Bar

she asks strangers if they want to be

(Spring 2016). ● Paul Niebanck ’97

interviewed. People loved participating.

played Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s

Mahayana also worked as a Drama

Dream with the North Carolina Symphony:

Desk nominator and watched over 255

orchestra, choir, actors, and 1,600 people

plays in 10 months. She saw lots of work

on their feet. Paul got to see Janet

produced by YSD alumni. ● In June and

Allard ’97 and Josh Foldy ’98 who live,

July 2015, Olusegun (Segun)

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

99

Alumni Notes Ojewuyi ’98 directed A Dance of the

else entirely. He paid his rent, monthly bills,

James won two awards at the United

Forests by Wole Soyinka at the Habima

and even ate solely from his acting income

States Association for Small Business and

National Theatre in Tel Aviv. Produced by

for years. What he didn’t know was that

Entrepreneurship conference: first prize for

the African-Israeli Stage and the Israeli

his Yale degree would enrich his life in

entrepreneurial classroom exercises (for his original game Speed Dating Market

Division of Cultural Affairs, rehearsals were

ways that he never imagined, and take him

often disrupted by

the world over doing wealth and leadership

Feedback) and first place for best

Hamas rockets as the war raged on

coaching in Greece, Israel, South Africa,

workshop (in collaboration with Texas A&M

between Israel and the Palestinians. The

Australia, Singapore, Hawaii, Thailand,

and Millikin University). James has

creative process became a directorial

and the U.S. ● For Esther Chae ’99, 2015

developed a blog that features his

vortex of aesthetic and existential choices.

turned out to be a major year. Her play

original arts entrepreneurship games and

The rules of performance and the agency

So the Arrow Flies, which had its U.S. debut

exercises. Several of his games are being

of a director as performer, would be

used by entrepreneurship and arts

redefined by a transformative interaction

Getting rich and famous, and becoming a star, was something else entirely.

entrepreneurship programs in colleges and

between play and spirituality. With a diverse cast of Israeli nationalities, including Jews, Africans, and Palestinians, the production drew new attention to how theatre is inscribed with social significance, highlighting the deep paradox between creativity and war, between rational thought and cultural/ethnic irrationality. In November 2014 Olusegun received a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship. ● Recent credits for Kris

— e d b l un t ’99

Stone ’98 include Hundred Days, a new

universities around the country. In April, he gave a TEDx talk at SMU, which can be viewed by Googling “TEDx, Jim Hart.” ● Since graduation, Katherine Profeta ’99, DFA ’10, YC ’91 has continued to work in dance and theatre and points in-between, mostly with Elevator Repair Service and Ralph Lemon. She has also just completed five years as assistant professor in the Department of Drama, Theatre, and Dance at Queens College, CUNY. Her book on dance dramaturgy, entitled Dramaturgy in Motion, comes out in fall 2015 from

musical by The Bengsons, directed by

in 2014, will have its first international

Anne Kauffman; Dog And Pony at the Old

publication by Dong-in Press (Korea).

University of Wisconsin Press. She sees

Globe; Elmer Gantry (winner of two

Esther’s TEDxPhoenix talk, where she

fellow YSD alumni such as Annie

Grammys) with costumes by Camille

conversed with 75-year-old Master Bruce

Dorsen ’00, YC ’96, Kimberly

Assaf ’04; and The Other Thing at Second

titled “WIBLDD-What if Bruce Lee Didn’t

Jannarone ’96, DFA ’00, Becca

Stage with Matthew Richards ’01 and

Die” is available online. ● James

Rugg ’00, DFA ’05 (Faculty), and Lisa

Daniel Baker ’04. Upcoming projects

Hart’s ’99 article, “Entrepreneurship and

Channer ’00 as often as she can, and

include: A Little More Alive, a new musical

the Hero Adventure” was published in the

crossed paths with many more

for Disney Theatricals with Executive

Journal of Arts Entrepreneurship Research.

classmates at the recent retirement party

Producer Kraig Blythe ’00; Night Kitchen,

He contributed to two co-authored

for much-beloved Elinor Fuchs (Faculty).

a new opera by Philip Glass and Maurice

essays for two books, one published by

She was also thrilled to collaborate and

Sendak; Dublin by Lamplight at the Abbey

Theatre Communications Group and the

catch up with Terri Ciofalo ’00 in 2015,

Theatre and The Corn Exchange with

other by Edward Elgar Publishing. James

as part of a dance dramaturgy residency

lighting by Matt Frey ’96 (Faculty); and

hosted the inaugural conference of the

Terri organized at the Krannert Center.

Sister Carrie, a new opera for the

Society for Arts Entrepreneurship

On that trip she also had the opportunity

Florentine Opera. Kris was recently named

Education, which took place at Meadows

to go out for dinner and catch up with

the first recipient of the Sendak Fellowship

School of the Arts, Southern Methodist

Rob Perry ’99 and Cindy Kocher ’00.

for 2015-2016, which includes a

University. He is a co-founder of this

Katherine recently moved from Jackson

six-week residency at the American

academic society (with 97 universities and

Heights to Brooklyn Heights, where

Academy in Rome. ● Coming out of Yale,

colleges represented), which seeks to

she now lives with her husband, Steve, and daughters, Nina, 9, and Veronica, 7,

Ed Blunt ’99 knew that he could be a

organize the field of arts entrepreneurship

working actor. Getting rich and famous,

and eventually lead towards a new

and attempts to tend a postage stamp-

and becoming a star, was something

discipline in arts education. In January,

sized garden.

10 0

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Alumni Notes Career paths are not always predictable for those who choose to

steady assignments followed, including three seasons casting Law

pursue perhaps the most multifaceted of theatre arts: dramaturgy.

& Order: Criminal Intent. In 2007, she began working as a casting

While at Yale School of Drama, Anne Davison ’01 developed a

associate at Cindy Tolan Casting for film, television, and theatre

deep love of production dramaturgy after working as a stage

projects, and, in 2011, she moved to work with Kathleen Chopin

manager and light board operator for various projects at Yale

Casting, where she helped cast X-Men: First Class and Amazon’s

Cabaret, as well as three assignments at Yale Repertory Theatre.

Alpha House, among others. Anne is now a full-time casting

Casting a Wide Net Anne Davison ’01

Early on, Anne had thought that

director, and has worked on many short films and plays, including,

she might pursue writing

most recently, Ruby Rae Spiegel’s YC ’15 Dry Land in the fall of

criticism, go into academia, or

2014 at HERE Arts Center and the upcoming web series Sugar.

work in a regional literary office.

While forging a career in casting, Anne managed simultaneously

But, by the time she graduated,

to develop a career as a dramaturg. She is an artistic associate of

she knew she wanted to focus

the Obie Award-winning theatre company Les Freres Corbusier, known for Love’s Labour’s Lost at Shakespeare in the Park 2013, Heddatron, and the Broadway hit Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (BBAJ), all of which she dramaturged. She cites BBAJ as one of the highlights of her career. “I don’t think it gets better than Alex

“One of the most exciting things about studying dramaturgy is that it can lead to many professional areas.”

Timbers YC ’01 and Michael Friedman,” says Anne, referring to the playwright/director and lyricist/composer of the piece, respectively.

Anne Davison ’01

In addition to dramaturgy for the stage, she has also served as dramaturg for several modern dance productions, including nearly 10 years of collaboration with Doug Elkins on his celebrated piece Mo(or)town/Redux, synthesizing Shakespeare’s Othello and Jose

her career on freelance production dramaturgy. Realizing that it

Limon’s modern dance classic The Moor’s Pavane with a Motown

would be difficult to support herself with such a career choice,

score, as well as his most recent piece, Hapless Bizarre. Anne is

Anne considered taking a supplementary job that would allow her to

looking forward to being the dramaturg on several new projects,

sustain a creative connection to the theatre.

including clown Mark Gindick’s one-man show, Wing-Man. “Yes,

Anne had a hunch that the skills she possessed as a dramaturg

clown dramaturgy happens,” she says with a laugh.

might serve her well in the world of casting. “One of the most

Anne calls both of her jobs “no-blame, no-glory professions.”

exciting things about studying dramaturgy is that it can lead to

But it’s clear she doesn’t mind. “When working as a dramaturg, it is

many professional areas,” says Anne. “Casting requires the ability

ultimately the writer or director who makes the final decision,” she

to read a script and formulate ideas and questions about the

says. It’s her job to ask questions, and to do whatever she can to

individual characters and overall tone of the piece very quickly. It’s

make the writer and director’s vision come to life. “With casting,

a collaborative process involving discussions with the writers,

it’s a similar thing,” she explains. “You’re bringing choices to the

directors, producers, the production team, and wardrobe depart-

director or producer. ‘Here I am offering this to you, and, ultimately,

ment.” Soon after moving to New York City in August of 2001, she

it’s your decision.’ I still think there’s something very exciting about

secured an internship at Binder Casting, which quickly turned into

that.”

an assistant position. After a few freelance assistant jobs, more

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

101

Alumni Notes 2000s

Lucci ’03, Amanda Cobb ’05 and

Goodman Theatre and Manhattan Theatre

Jedediah Schultz ’05. ● Elena Mal-

Club. ● Sarah Bierenbaum ’05, YC ’99

tese ’03 graduated from Leadership New

and husband, Kurt Uy, welcomed their new

Jenny Mannis ’02, YC ’96 is living in

Hampshire in May 2015. She is still

daughter, Annabel Mae, on November 12,

Chicago with her husband, Henry, and two

director of communications at the Peter T.

2013. They have spent the last two years

kids, Nina and Cy. Projects in the past year

Paul College of Business and Economics at

getting to know her and discovering the

included The Little Foxes at the Goodman

the University of New Hampshire. ● This

ups and downs of parenthood. They are

Theatre, and The World of Extreme

was a year of anniversaries for Suzen

still living in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and

Happiness at both the Goodman and

Bria ’04: June marked her tenth year at

run into fellow alumni around New York,

Manhattan Theatre Club. ● Last spring,

Playwrights Horizons, where she serves as

including Kate Cusack ’06, Burke

Kate Bredeson ’02, DFA ’06, was

director of human resources, and in

Brown ’07, Cat Tate ’06, John

awarded tenure at Reed College in Portland,

December, Suzen and Nick Bria ’04 will

Starmer ’06, and Nelson Eusebio ’07.

OR, where she is department chair, directs

celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. ●

Kurt also regularly runs into Pun Band-

students in mainstage productions, and

David Howson ’04 is completing his

hu ’01 and Peter Kim ’04 on the

continues to teach dramaturgy, playwriting,

second year as president of the board of

audition circuit. After four years in general

theatre history, and gender and theatre.

The Depot Theatre on Lake Champlain in

management at BAM in Brooklyn, Sarah

Kate also works as a freelance dramaturg

the Adirondacks. The board was able to

shifted gears to work as a director of

in Portland, and continues to write and

rescue the organization from a financial

account management at Olo, an internet

publish about 1960s performance and

crisis and is about to enter its 37th season

startup based in the financial district. She

contemporary theatre. This year she is

of professional theatre in a historic and

enjoyed spending the 10 years since YSD

working with Chloe Chapin ’05, a visiting

still-functioning train station. ● 2014 was

finding ways to apply her stage manage-

assistant professor in the theatre

full of action, both on stage and off, for

ment skills to any number of situations,

department at Reed. ● In her hometown of

John Hanlon ’04. In February, he played

and is pushing those boundaries even

Oklahoma City, OK, Courtney (Todd)

Ernst Ludwig in Cabaret at Off Square

further at this new job. ● Last year,

DiBello ’02 directed Oklahoma City

Theatre Company, where he also continued

Amanda Cobb ’05 was an understudy in

Bombing Project for TheatreOCU (Okla-

to lead Playwriting Lab 47, a workshop for

The River on Broadway with Hugh Jackman.

homa City University). It is a new theatrical

local playwrights, adapters, and translators.

She also played Desdemona in Othello at

production which uses interviews and

In May, John directed a high school theatre

the Pittsburgh Public Theater. ● Bradlee

historical records from people who

production of Lisa Loomer’s Living Out. His

Ward ’05 moved back to New York, where

experienced the bombing to create a new

translation of Aleksey Scherbak’s Colonel

he is living in Park Slope and working in

work that commemorates the tragedy and

Pilate received the Brave New Works Award

Manhattan as an audiovisual/theatre

celebrates the tenacity, recovery, and

from Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga,

systems designer for Westlake Reed

healing process of Oklahoma City.

where it was produced in November. That

Leskosky. He has also created sound and

Courtney is also the resident stage

same month, John’s translation of Maksym

composed original music for productions

manager for the Oklahoma City Ballet and

Kurochkin’s Vodka, F**king, and Television

of Lost in Yonkers and An Enemy of the

Canterbury Choral Society. Husband, Joe,

played in the New Orleans Fringe Festival.

People at Bristol Riverside Theatre in

and children, Waverly and Weston, keep

Lastly, after six years in Jackson Hole, WY,

Pennsylvania. He attended InfoComm in

Courtney balanced. ● Karron Graves ’03

John headed back to San Francisco to take

Orlando, FL, in June. ● Susanna Gel-

and Rolando Briceno celebrated the birth

a teaching position at a Waldorf school. ●

lert ’06 is working as associate producer

of their second child, Jude, a little brother

In the spring of 2014, Jennifer Lim ’04

at Theatre for a New Audience. Her

for their daughter, Jackie Jo. Jackie

was in The Most Deserving at the Women’s

husband Scott Zielinski ’90 travels the

actually made her own “in utero” screen

Project Theater. In the summer of 2014,

world creating lighting designs for plays,

debut in the film Late Phases, in which

she worked on Caught by Christopher Chen,

most recently Genet’s Splendid’s at Centre

Karron worked with fellow alum Pun

directed by Mark Brokaw ’86 at the

Dramatique National Orléans/Loiret/

Bandhu ’01. She is scheduled to shoot

Sundance Theatre Lab. In the fall of 2014

Centre, alongside set designer Riccardo

the feature She Dreams of Fireflies in the

and the winter of 2015, Jennifer starred in

Hernandez ’92. ● Amy Altadonna ’07

fall. Karron is also a faculty member in the

The World of Extreme Happiness by Frances

continues to build her sound design

acting program at NYU, along with Derek

Ya-Chu Cowhig, a co-production of the

program at UMass Amherst, collaborating

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Alumni Notes 43 Amanda Cobb ‘05 as Desdemona, with Jeremy Kushnier as Iago, in Othello at the Pittsburgh Public Theater. Photo by The Pittsburgh Public Theater.

44 Rachel (Tillman) Cornish ’08 and Matthew Cornish ’09, DFA ’13 were married at dawn on the top of West Rock overlooking New Haven in August 2014. They both work for the College of Fine Arts at Ohio University where Matt is an assistant professor of Theater History and Rachel is director of External Relations.

43

45 Kate Bredeson ’02, DFA ’06

45

46 David Howson ’04, director of the Arts Administration Program at Skidmore College, hosted a talk with Ben Cameron ’81 at The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, NY, where David serves on the board. Photo by Charlie Samuels.

47 Jennifer Lim ’04 in The World of Extreme Happiness, a co-production by the Goodman Theatre and Manhattan Theatre Club. Photo by Liz Lauren.

44

46

47

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

10 3

Alumni Notes with her colleagues and students. She bought a new home in the area, and is designing locally at Shakespeare & Company and New Century Theatre. ● Nelson Eusebio ’07 shot his first short film using visual effects (VFX) in Los Angeles. Back east, Nelson directed It’s a

49

Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at Center Stage with a group of artists including Pun Bandhu ’01, Burke Brown ’07, Michael Locher ’08, Sarah Pickett ’08, and Alixandra Gage Englund ’06. Nelson was also selected as one of the 10 inaugural SPARK Leaders of Theatre Communications Group, joining Jacob Padron ’08, Snehal Desai ’08, and Karena Fiorenza Ingersoll ’12. ● This

50 48 48 Karron Graves ’03 with her husband, Rolando Briceno, daughter, Jackie Jo, and son, Jude, born in January 2015.

year IndigoH2O, the bottled water company founded by Yuri Cataldo ’08, was selected to be in the gift bags at the Oscars, won the Gold Medal at the 25th annual Berkley Springs International Water tasting, making it the best tasting water in the world, and was featured on CNN, CNBC, ESPN, and PBS, and in INC Magazine and 30 other articles and new stories. ● In May 2015, Joseph Cermatori ’08 hosted and

51

dramaturged a workshop presentation of a

50 Chris Russo ’12

new play, Ruzzante, at Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA). Based on the plays of 16th-century Italian comedian Angelo

51 Paola Allais Acree ’08, SOM ’08 and Alex Acree, along with their children, Achilles, Martyn, and baby Seren, who was born on March 5, 2015.

Beolco, Ruzzante was previously workshopped at Yale, with the text adapted by Christopher Bayes (Faculty), who also directed, in collaboration with Steve Epp. Also involved were Carter Gill ’09 as assistant director, Gabe Levey ’14 and

52 Mike Donahue ’08

Liz Wisan ’10 as performers, and Susanna Gellert ’06 as TFANA associate producer. ● Life has brought Jason Fitzgerald ’08 back to New Haven, where his partner has completed his first year of coursework in Yale’s PhD American Studies program. Being ensconced in Madison Towers is a very different New Haven

52

experience than Jason had in his time at 70 Howe Street. He is enjoying the city on his own terms, without the demanding 10 4

49 Sarah Bierenbaum ’05, her husband, Kurt Uy, and their daughter, Annabel Mae.

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Alumni Notes

54

55

53

56 53 YSD graduates attend beatification of El Salvador Archbishop Oscar Romero: back row, left to right Pierre Bourgeois, Justin Meadows, Kay Perdue Meadows ’09, Andrew Kelsey ’11. front row, left to right Jenna Bourgeois, Miriam Estupinián (former secretary to Archbishop Oscar Romero), Stephanie Hayes ’11, and Robert Bourgeois.

54 Samuel Robert Epstein was born March 10, 2015, in Los Angeles to Rebecca (Phillips) Epstein ’09 and Aaron Epstein.

55 Amanda Spooner ’09 married Jeff Saracco on December 15, 2014, at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

56 Artists performing in a workshop presentation of Lauren Feldman’s ’08 circus theatre show, Tinder & Ash, at École Nationale de Cirque in Montreal, January 18, 2015. Photo by Alexis Vigneault.

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

10 5

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-

10 6

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

Alumni Notes nish ’09, DFA ’13), and the American

West End debut with the set and projec-

works with Gorilla Rep in New York, and will

College Theater Festival at the Kennedy

tion design of The Elephant Man, starring

direct A Midsummer Night’s Dream in

Center (fourth year running). In the summer,

Bradley Cooper. Tim designed the world

Washington Square Park in summer 2015.

he flew out to Omaha as a guest drama-

premiere of the new Rajiv Joseph play,

turg at the Great Plains Theatre Confer-

Guards at the Taj, directed by Amy Morton

ence. Last winter, Drew was formally

at Atlantic Theater Company, the world

2010s

readmitted to the DFA program at the

premiere of Nick Jones’s Important Hats of

Drama School (originally expected 2016,

the Twentieth Century for Manhattan

now 2017). His doctorate on the Piscator-

Theatre Club, the world premiere of

ton’s ’11 official founding of the outdoor

bühne of Erwin Piscator, Bertolt Brecht,

Vietgone, directed by May Adrales ’06

classical theatre company Shakespeare on the Vine. The company produces during

Summer of 2015 marked Tara Kay-

and company is forthcoming. ● Sarah

(Faculty) for South Coast Repertory, and

Olivieri ’08 and Vincent Olivieri ’01

the world premiere of Fade for the Denver

the summer months on Brice Station Vine-

welcomed their little girl, Hallie Maria

Center Theatre Company. Tim also did the

yards in Northern California. The inaugural

Olivieri, in February. Vinnie is the head of

set and costumes for the upcoming world

production of The Taming of the Shrew

design at University of California, Irvine,

premiere musical The Band’s Visit, directed

included YSD alumni and staff: Janet Cunningham, Laura J. Eckelman ’11, Ryan

and Sarah wrapped up her work on the final

by Hal Prince and designed Amy Schumer’s

season of the FOX television series Glee

upcoming Stand Up comedy special for

Davis ’11, DFA cand., and Summer

shortly before Hallie’s arrival. ● Lisa

HBO, directed by Chris Rock. ● Kay Perdue

Lee Jack ’11. ● It’s been a busy year for

Shuster O’Malley ’08, and her husband

Meadows ’09, Stephanie Hayes ’11,

Jesse Jou ’10. In January, he directed a

welcomed their daughter, Adelaide Shuster

and Andrew Kelsey ’11 traveled to El

new play by Y York at the Rose Theater in

O’Malley, in January 2015. The family lives

Salvador in May to recognize the beatifica-

Omaha, NE, where Matt Gutschick ’12 is

in San Francisco, CA, where Lisa works as

tion of Archbishop Oscar Romero.

artistic director. After that, Jesse was a fel-

a stage manager with San Francisco Opera.

Stephanie and Andrew had a baby girl born

low at the Cherry Lane Mentor Project, led

in July. ● Amanda Spooner ’09 married

by Stephanie Ybarra ’08, collaborating

Jeff Saracco on December 15 at the

on his own four-person adaptation of King

their son, Samuel Robert Epstein, born

Bellagio in Las Vegas. She continues her

Lear with several beloved YSD family mem-

March 10, 2015 in Los Angeles. He is a

work as a stage manager in the Off-Broad-

bers: Brenna Palughi ’10, Shannon Sul-

very happy boy whose current interests

way community, most recently for An

livan ’11, Carmen Maria Martinez ’13,

include ceiling fans, plants, and anything

Octoroon at Theatre for a New Audience,

Matt Otto ’13, Alan Edwards ’11, and

he can get into his mouth. Rebecca is still

and 10 Out of 12 at Soho Rep. Amanda

working full-time for a comedy writer under

returns to Yale Rep with Indecent and

●

Rebecca (Phillips) Epstein ’09 and her

husband, Aaron, announce the arrival of

Moria Sine Clinton ’09. Jesse writes, “Carving out an artistic life is a struggle, as

her deal at Sony Pictures TV. ● Most

maintains an ongoing staff position with

we all know, and it is so wonderful to have

recently, Lauren Feldman ’08 co-created

Transport Group Theatre Company in New

friends and collaborators along for the ride.” ● Ali Pour Issa ’11 has taught in a

the full-length ensemble circus-theatre

York. ● Alex Teicheira ’09 has recently

show Tinder and Ash, through a TOHU

worked with directors Christopher

number of institutions and written essays

residency in Montreal, workshopped it at

Mirto ’10, (New York Fringe, and readings

for such journals as Encyclopædia Iranica

the Orchard Project, and performed it at

of two new plays by Charles Borkuis) and

and The Journal of the Anthropology of

SummerStage in New York last August

with Jesse Jou ’10 (JOHN 8, by Tabia

the Contemporary Middle East and Central

15–16. Last winter Lauren was surprise-

Lau for Columbia Stages at the Signature

Eurasia. He lectured at the International

awarded an artist grant from the Boomer-

Theatre). After teaching high school math

Shakespeare Conference: Translation,

ang Fund. Currently she is performing

in the Bronx, Alex is now teaching theatre

Adaptation, and Performance, at the

theatrical circus around the country,

with Stages on the Sound at Catholic

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and

offering workshops in theatrical tools and

schools in Brooklyn and Queens. ●

at a colloquium, “Performativity and Trans-

dramaturgy for contemporary circus,

Christopher Sanderson ’05 joins SUNY

lation” at Hong Kong Baptist University.

teaching playwriting at Bryn Mawr College,

Oswego as an associate professor in the

His films Bahar (Spring) and Cold Ground

leading workshops at PlayPenn and

fall, teaching directing, acting, voice and

were privately screened in Milad Tower in

McCarter Theatre, and writing two new

speech, and directing for the department

Tehran. Bahar was officially selected for

plays. ● Tim Mackabee ’09 made his

and professional co-production. Chris

The Festival of Nations in Austria and was

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

107

Alumni Notes

57

58

59

60

57 Paul Giamatti ’94, YC ’89 and Marissa Neitling ’13 in the 2015 action thriller San Andreas, produced

by New Line Cinema and Village Roadshow Pictures, and released

by Warner Bros. Pictures. Photo by Jasin Boland.

59 Maree Barbara Tan-Tiongco ’13 (right) with children at a day care center in Manila, Phillipines, part of the Yale Day of Service on May 19, 2015, in which Yale graduates spent the day reading, playing, and doing arts and crafts with children.

58 Kat Sirico ’08 and Marcus Doshi ’00 on the set of the Court Theatre’s production of The Secret Garden in May 2015.

60 Adina Verson ’12 and Michael McQuilken ’11 were married on June 9th, 2014, at sunrise in the pouring rain.

10 8

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

Alumni Notes awarded the Lenzer Award, and was also screened at Mykonos Biennale in Greece in 2015. ● Blake Segal ’11 and Liz Wisan ’10 played a total of 28 characters in the west coast premiere of Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville at The Old Globe. ● Michael Skinner ’11 is an assistant professor of technical theatre and design at Southern Connecticut State University, father of Lily-

62

63

62 Ali Pour Issa ’11 left with Christian Gaigg, director of the Festival of Nations in Austria, upon receiving the Lenzing Award for his film Bahar (Spring).

63 Palmer Hefferan ’13 and Margot Bordelon ’13

“Carving out an artistic life is a struggle, as we all know, and it is so wonderful to have friends and collaborators along for the ride.”

— j es s e j ou ’10

64 Shane Hudson ’14 and his husband Mikkel Brogger at the home of Edward Morris ’13.

Photo by Matthew Brown.

64

Ann and Jeremy, and husband to Andrea. ● Emily Trask ’11 joined the Tony Awardwinning Alley Theatre this past summer as the newest member of one of the few remaining resident companies in the

65 Heidi Hanson Barker ’09 and Michael Barker ’10, SOM ’10 not pictured welcomed Lawrence Glen Barker into the world on October 27, 2014. He has already spent many hours in theatres, administrative offices, and fitting rooms. The dapper New England-style threads were a gift from Ann (Hamada) McLaughlin ’03.

country. ● Karena Fiorenza Ingersoll ’12 currently serves as the general manager for the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. She also functions as the general manager for the multi-disciplinary ensemble company UNIVERSES. Karena was invited in 2014

by Theatre Communications Group to be part of its SPARK Leadership Program’s inaugural class. ● After two seasons running JCC Theatreworks in New Haven, DeDe Jacobs-Komisar ’12 moved with

65

husband Yaakov and their children, Nani, 5, and Itai, 1, to Sharon, CT. DeDe is developYA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

10 9

Alumni Notes ment manager at Mayyim Hayyim, a Jewish

also performed live sound design at Ars

to begin their new life together! ● Marissa

education center in Newton, MA, and was

Nova as a part of ANT Fest, in the produc-

Neitling ’13 starred in the 2015 action

recently general manager for ArtsEmer-

tion of Ermyntrude and Esmeralda, collabo-

thriller San Andreas. ● Barbara Tan-Tion-

son’s production of Ulysses on Bottles by

rating with Margot Bordelon ’13, Solo-

gco ’13 writes: “May 9, 2015: Yale Day of

Israeli Stage. ● Martyna Majok’s ’12

mon Weisbard ’13, Ceci Fernandez ’14,

Service in Parola Area 1 in Manila. Together

Ironbound won a number of awards this

Hunter Kaczorowski ’14, and Kate

with Yalies in Manila, it was a day of read

year, including Marin Theatre Company’s

Noll ’14. In the 2014-15 theatre season,

along, play, and arts and crafts activities

David Calicchio Emerging American Play-

she opened Bad Jews at Studio Theatre

with the kids. We also made a donation for

wright Prize, Aurora Theatre Company’s

in Washington, DC, Cherokee at Woolly

the renovation of a daycare center in the

Global Age Project Prize, and the National

Mammoth, Camp Kappawanna at Atlantic

Parola community so the kids may enjoy a

New Play Network’s Smith Prize for Politi-

Theater for Kids, The Call at Theatre J,

safe place to learn and play.” ● Unblinking

cal Theater. Martyna was also awarded the

Eye, Justin Taylor’s ’13 staged concert

2015-2016 PoNY Fellowship at the Lark

about a teenage woman who has a crisis of

Play Development Center, an award valued at $100,000. Ironbound was presented at Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s First Look Repertory of New Work in August 2014, received its world premiere production in Washington, DC, in September 2015 and will receive its New York premiere in 2016. ●

Chris Russo ’12 is currently the scene

shop supervisor and instructor of scenic technology at Virginia Tech during the academic year and has worked there for three semesters. Chris has also finished 15 seasons—that’s 82 shows—at Totem Pole Playhouse this past summer where he has worn many hats, and continues to do so as associate producer. ● Jennifer Timms ’12 received her MFA in sound design in May 2015 from Boston University. During her final year there, she wrote and published a

“We also made a donation for the renovation of a daycare center in the Parola community so the kids may enjoy a safe place to learn and play.”

— b a rba r a ta n -t ion gco ’13

book on acoustics for theatre professionals and also taught the class on acoustics

and Peerless at Cherry Lane, as a part of

created to go with the book. ● Ethan

Mentor Project, collaborating with Moria

Heard ’13, YC ’07, Reid Thompson ’14,

Clinton ’09, Margot Bordelon ’13, Ed-

Oliver Wason ’14, Steve Brush ’14,

ward Morris ’13, and Oliver Wason ’14.

Hannah Sullivan ’14, Tyler Keiffer ’15,

She ended the season assisting Nevin

and Shannon Gaughf ’15 collaborated on

Steinberg on the world premiere of Ever

Bells are Ringing at the Berkshire Theatre

After at Paper Mill Playhouse. ● In the spring

in July. ● In the summer of 2014, Palmer

of 2015, Katie Liberman ’13, SOM ’13

Hefferan ’13 relocated to Brooklyn, mak-

joined Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival

ing her home in Prospect Heights with fel-

as the new managing director. She is

low alumna Margot Bordelon ’13. That

thrilled to have completed her first season

summer she assisted Nevin Steinberg on

with this organization and to return to the

This American Life: Live at BAM, and Fitz

east coast. Additionally, Katie and Eric

Patton ’01 on the New York premiere of

Gershman ’15, SOM ’15 got engaged

Sex with Strangers at Second Stage. She

in December of 2014. They are so excited

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YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

conscience at the controls of an Air Force drone piloting cockpit, had readings in New York and San Francisco in 2015. Michael McQuilken ’11 shot and edited a music video of one of the scenes. The full score

by Paul Kerekes YC ’14 will be complete in time for a full production in New York next year. ● Elevator Repair Service’s Director of Development Shane D. Hudson ’14, married Brooklyn-based Danish jewelry designer Mikkel Erik Brogger on July 27 in New York City.

Alumni Notes Yale School of Drama Legacy Partners We invited you to join fellow alumni and friends who have included YSD in their estate plans or made other planned gifts to The School. Through Yale School of Drama Legacy Partners you can directly influence the future of Yale. You are eligible for membership if you have named YSD 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 Yale School of Drama, please contact Deborah S. Berman, director of Development and Alumni Affairs, at 203 432 0289 or deborah.berman@yale.edu.

2015-2016 YSD Legacy Partners Cynthia Kellogg Barrington* Donald I. Cairns ’63 Raymond Carver ’61 Elizabeth S. Clark ’41* David M. Conte ’72 Converse Converse YC ’57 Sue Anne Converse ’55 Eldon J. Elder ’58* Peter Entin ’71 Joseph Gantman ’53 Albert R. Gurney ’58 Robert L. Hurtgen Joseph E. Kleno* 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*

Joan Pape ’68 Mary B. Reynold ’55 Mark Richard ’57* Barbara Richter ’60* William Rothwell, Jr. ’53* Forrest E. Sears ’58 Eugene Shewmaker ’49 Kenneth J. Stein ’59 G. Erwin Steward ’60 Edward Trach ’58 Carol Waaser ’70 Phyllis C. Warfel ’55 William B. Warfel ’57, YC ’55 Wendy Wasserstein ’76* Zelma H. Weisfeld ’56 Edwin Wilson ’57 Albert J. Zuckerman ‘61, DFA ‘62

Save the Dates!

Yale School of Drama 2015–16 Alumni Events new york holiday party Monday December 7, 2015 The Yale Club of New York City 6–9PM west coast alumni party Sunday March 13, 2016 At the home of Stephen Zuckerman ’74 & Darlene Kaplan YC ’78 1–4PM

* deceased

Stay in Touch Please remember to send us your current email to ensure you receive invitations to alumni events as well as our e-newsletter.

Visit drama.yale.edu/alumni to read past issues.

Contact the Development and Alumni Affairs office at ysd.alumni@yale.edu or 203 432 1559.

YA L E S C H O O L O F D R A M A A N N UA L 2 014

111

Donors YS D C ONTRI BUTORS JU LY 2014– JU NE 2015

1940s Lawrence D. Amick ’49 Robert Ellis ’44 Patricia F. Gilchrist ’44 Joan Kron ’48 Mildred C. Kuner ’47 Eugene F. Shewmaker ’49

1950s

Robert M. Barr ’52 Gloria B. Beckerman ’53 Ezekial H. Berlin ’53 Warwick Brown ’53 Ian W. Cadenhead ’58 Joy G. Carlin ’54 Sami Joan Casler ’59 Patricia J. Collins ’58 Forrest S. Compton ’53 Sue Ann Gilgillan Converse ’55 John W. Cunningham ’59 Allen Davis III ’56 Jose A. Diaz ’52 Philip R. Eck ’59 Sonya G. Friedman ’55 Joseph Gantman ’53 Robert W. Goldsby ’53 Bigelow R. Green ’59 Albert R. Gurney ’58 David W. Hannegan ’53, YC ’50 Carol Thompson Hemingway ’55 Evelyn H. Huffman ’57 James Earl Jewell ’57 Geoffrey A. Johnson ’55 Marillyn B. Johnson ’50 Donald E. Jones, Jr. ’56 Amnon Kabatchnik ’57 Lloyd A. Kaplan ’58 James D. Karr ’54 Jay B. Keene ’55 Roger L. Kenvin ’59 Bernard Kukoff ’57 Marvin M. March ’55 Beverly W. May ’50 David Ross McNutt ’59 Ellen L. Moore ’52 George Morfogen ’57 Marion V. Myrick ’54 Franklin M. Nash ’59 Grace T. Noyes ’54 Kendric T. Packer ’52 Virginia F. Pils ’52 Gladys S. Powers ’57 Mary B. Reynolds ’55

112

Philip Rosenberg ’59 A. Raymond Rutan ’54 Raymond H. Sader ’58 Stephen O. Saxe ’54 Forrest E. Sears ’58 James A. Smith ’59 Kenneth J. Stein ’59 Pamela D. Strayer ’52 Edward Trach ’58 Fred Voelpel ’53 Phyllis C. Warfel ’55 William B. Warfel ’57, YC ’55 Ann B. Watson ’53 Zelma H. Weisfeld ’56

1960s

Richard Ambacher ’65 Leif E. Ancker ’62 Barbara B. Anderson ’60 Mary Ellen O’Brien Atkins ’65 Thomas R. Atkins ’64 Robert A. Auletta ’69 John M. Badham ’63, YC ’61 James R. Bakkom ’64 Philip J. Barrons ’65 Warren F. Bass ’67 John Beck ’63 Roderick L. Bladel ’61 Jeffrey A. Bleckner ’68 Carol Bretz Murray-Negron ’64 Arvin B. Brown ’67 Oscar L. Brownstein ’60 James Burrows ’65 Katherine D. Cline ’60 Patricia S. Cochrane ’62 Robert S. Cohen ’64 John Conklin ’66, YC ’59 Edward Cornell ’68 Kenneth T. Costigan ’60 Peggy Cowles ’65 Stephen C. Coy ’63 F. Mitchell Dana ’67 Michael S. David ’68 Mary L. DeBerry ’66 Ramon L. Delgado ’67 John A. Duran ’68 Robert H. Einenkel ’69 Bernard B. Engel ’60 David H. Epstein ’68 Leslie D. Epstein DFA ’67, YC ’60 Jerry N. Evans ’62 John D. Ezell ’60 Ann Farris ’63 Richard A. Feleppa ’60

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William H. Firestone ’69 Linda K. Fisher ’69 Hugh Fortmiller ’61 Keith F. Fowler ’69 David Freeman ’68 Richard D. Fuhrman ’64 Bernard L. Galm ’63 John E. Guare ’63 David A. Hale ’61 Ann T. Hanley ’61 Jerome R. Hanley ’60 Stephen J. Hendrickson ’67 Patricia Helwick ’65 Elizabeth Holloway ’66 John Robert Hood ’61* Linda Gulder Huett ’69 Derek Hunt ’62 Peter H. Hunt ’63, YC ’61 Laura Mae Jackson ’68 John W. Jacobsen ’69, YC ’67 Asaad N. Kelada ’64 Abby B. Kenigsberg ’63 Carol Soucek King ’67 Marna King ’64 William E. Kleb ’66, DFA ’70, YC ’61 Richard H. Klein ’67 Harriet W. Koch ’62 Robert W. Lawler ’67 Peter J. Leach ’61 Lance W. Lee ’67 Stephen R. Leventhal ’69 Bradford W. Lewis ’69 Irene Lewis ’66 Fredric A. Lindauer ’66 Janell M. MacArthur ’61 David Madden ’61 Richard E. Maltby, Jr. ’62, YC ’59 Frederick Marker ’67 B. Robert McCaw ’66 Margaret T. McCaw ’66 Robert A. McDonald, Jr. ’68 Banylou Mearin ’62 Donald Michaelis ’69 Ronald A. Mielech ’60 Karen H. Milliken ’64 Tom Moore ’68 Gayther L. Myers, Jr. ’65 David A. Nancarrow ’63 Ruth Hunt Newman ’62 Dwight R. Odle ’66 Janet Oetinger ’69 Sara Ormond ’66 John Osander ’62 Joan D. Pape ’68 Howard Pflanzer ’68 Michael B. Posnick ’69

Brett Prentiss ’68 * Carolyn L. Ross ’69 Janet G. Ruppert ’63 Clarence Salzer, Jr. ’60, YC ’55 Isaac H. Schambelan ’64 Georg Schreiber ’64 Talia Shire Schwartzman ’69 David W. Shookhoff ’69 Paul R. Shortt ’68 Carol M. Sica ’66 E. Gray Smith, Jr. ’65 Helena L. Sokoloff ’60 Leslie J. Stark ’62* Mary C. Stark ’61 Louise Stein ’66 John Wright Stevens ’66 G. Erwin Steward ’60 Douglas C. Taylor ’66 John Henry Thomas III ’62 David F. Toser ’64 Russell L. Treyz ’65 Richard B. Trousdell ’67 Joan Van Ark ’64 Stephen F. Van Benschoten ’69 Ruth L. Wallman ’68 Steven I. Waxler ’68 Gil Wechsler ’67 Charles R. Werner, Jr. ’67 George C. White ’61, YC ’57 J. Newton White ’62 Peter White ’62 Albert J. Zuckerman ’61

1970s

Sarah Jean Albertson ’71, ART ’75 John Lee Beatty ’73 Michael W. Cadden ’76, DFA ’79, YC ’71 Ian Calderon ’73 Victor P. Capecce ’75 Lisa Carling ’72 Cosmo A. Catalano, Jr. ’79 Lani L. Click ’73 William R. Conner ’79 David M. Conte ’72 Marycharlotte C. Cummings ’73 Charles Andrew Davis ’76 Dennis L. Dorn ’72 Christopher F. Durang ’74 Nancy Reeder El Bouhali ’70 Peter Entin ’71 Christine Estabrook ’76 Heidi Ettinger ’76 Femi Euba ’73 Douglass M. Everhart ’70

Donors Marc F. Flanagan ’70 Lewis A. Folden ’77 Robert Gainer ’73 Ralph R. Garrow, Jr. ’77 David Marshall Grant ’78 Michael E. Gross ’73 William B. Halbert ’70 Barbara B. Hauptman ’73 Jane C. Head ’79 Jennifer Hershey ’77 Nicholas A. Hormann ’73 Barnet K. Kellman ’72 Alan L. Kibbe ’73 Daniel L. Koetting ’74 Frances E. Kumin ’77 Mitchell L. Kurtz ’75 Michael John Lassell ’76 Stephen R. Lawson ’76 Charles E. Letts III ’76 Alan N. Lichtenstein ’76 Martha C. Lidji Lazar ’77 George N. Lindsay, Jr. ’74 Jennifer K. Lindstrom ’72 Robert Hamilton Long II ’76 Donald Lowy ’76 William Ludel ’73 Patrick F. Lynch ’71 Lizbeth P. Mackay ’75 Alan Mokler MacVey ’77 Brian R. Mann ’79 Jonathan E. Marks ’72, YC ’68 Barry E. Marshall ’75 Neil A. Mazzella ’78 John A. McAndrew ’72 Brian R. McEleney ’77 Caroline A. McGee ’78 Kate McGregor-Stewart ’74 Stephen W. Mendillo ’71 Jonathan Miller ’75 Lawrence S. Mirkin ’72, YC ’69, George Moredock III ’70 James Naughton ’70 Patricia C. Norcia ’78 Richard Ostreicher ’79 Jeffrey Pavek ’71 William M. Peters ’79 Stephen B. Pollock ’76 Daniel H. Proctor ’70 William Purves ’71 Jeff Rank ’79 Pamela Rank ’78 William J. Reynolds ’77 Peter S. Roberts ’75 Steven I. Robman ’73 Howard J. Rogut ’71 Robin Pearson Rose ’73

Mark C. Rosenthal ’76 John M. Rothman ’75 Bronislaw J. Sammler ’74 Robert Sandberg ’77 Suzanne M. Sato ’79 Joel R. Schechter ’72 Michael D. Sheehan ’76 Richard R. Silvestro ’76 Benjamin Slotznick ’73, YC ’70 Jeremy T. Smith ’76 Maura Beth Smolover ’76 Marshall S. Spiller ’71 Charles N. Steckler ’71 Jaroslaw Strzemien ’75 Russell Vandenbroucke ’77 Eva M. Vizy ’72 Carol M. Waaser ’70 David J. Ward ’75 Eugene D. Warner ’71 Lynda Lee Welch ’72 Carolyn Seely Wiener ’72 R. Scott Yuille, Jr. ’77 Stephen E. Zuckerman ’74

1980s

Christopher J. Akerlind ’89 Michael G. Albano ’82 Sandra L. Albers ’89 Amy L. Aquino ’86 Dylan Baker ’85 Robert James Barnett ’89 Christopher H. Barreca ’83 Robert P. Barron ’83 Michael Baumgarten ’81 James B. Bender ’85 Anders P. Bolang ’87 Mark Brokaw ’86 Claudia M. Brown ’85 William J. Buck ’84 Richard W. Butler ’88 Benjamin Cameron ’81 Jon E. Carlson ’88 Anna T. Cascio ’83 Joan Channick ’89 Patricia Clarkson ’85 Geoffrey Merrill Cohen ’83 Donato J. D’Albis ’88 Richard Sutton Davis ’83 Kathleen K. Dimmick ’85 Merle G. Dowling ’81 Polly Draper ’80, YC ’77 Charles S. Dutton ’83 Terrence W. Dwyer ’88 Sasha Emerson ’84 Michael D. Fain ’82

Eileen Fischer ’80 Terry Fitzpatrick ’83 Walter M. Frankenberger III ’88 Randy R. Fullerton ’82 James H. Gage ’80 Judy Gailen ’89 James T. Gardner ’84 Steven J. Gefroh ’85 Michael J. Giannitti ’87 Jeffrey Ginsberg ’81 Charles F. Grammer ’86 Rob Greenberg ’89 John E. Harnagel ’83 Donald A. Harvey ’85 Allan Havis ’80 James W. Hazen ’83 Catherine Hazlehurst ’83 Mona Heinze-Barreca ’88 Roderick L. Hickey III ’89 Donald S. Holder ’86 Catherine MacNeil Hollinger ’86 Kathleen A. Houle ’88 Charles R. Hughes ’83 David Henry Hwang ’83 Thomas K. Isbell ’84 Chris P. Jaehnig ’85 Michael D. James ’89 Walker Jones ’89 Jane Kaczmarek ’82 Jonathan F. Kalb ’85 Carol M. Kaplan ’89 Bruce Katzman ’88 Edward A. Kaye ’86 Richard Kaye ’80 David K. Kriebs ’82 William Kux ’83 Wing Lee ’83 Kenneth J. Lewis ’86 Jerry J. Limoncelli, Jr. ’84 Mark D. London ’89 Mark E. Lord ’87 Andi Lyons ’80 Wendy MacLeod ’87 Peter A. Maradudin ’84 Peter Marshall ’89, YC ’83 Thomas J. McGowan ’88 Katherine Mendeloff ’80 Isabell M. Monk-O’connor ’81 David E. Moore ’87 Stephanie B. Nash ’88 Tina C. Navarro ’86 Regina L. Neville ’88 Thomas J. Neville ’86 Christopher D. Noth ’85 Arthur E. Oliner ’86 Erik Onate ’89

Carol Ostrow ’80 Robert J. Provenza ’86 Carol Anne Prugh ’89 Joan E. Robbins ’86 Laila V. Robins ’84 Lori Robishaw ’88 Constance Romero ’88 Russ Rosensweig ’83 John J.G. Rubin ’80 Cecilia M. Rubino ’82 Steven A. Saklad ’81 Frank Sarmiento ’81 Kenneth Schlesinger ’84 Alexander Scribner ’80 Charlotte A. Sheffield ’87 William P. Skipper ’83 Bradford W. Smith ’87 Neal Ann Stephens ’80 Nausica C. Stergiou ’85 Mark Stevens ’89 Marsha Beach Stewart ’85 Mark L. Sullivan ’83 Thomas P. Sullivan ’88 Bernard J. Sundstedt ’81 John M. Turturro ’83 Leslie Urdang ’81 Courtney Vance ’86 Rosa V. Weissman ’80 Craig F. Volk ’88 Jaylene Graham Wallace ’86 Clifford L. Warner ’87 Darryl S. Waskow ’86 Geoffrey J. Webb ’88 Susan West ’87 Dana B. Westberg ’81 Karen A. White ’84 Alexandra R. Witchel ’82 Carl Wittenberg ’85 Steven A. Wolff ’81 Donald R. Youngberg ’83

1990s

Narda E. Alcorn ’95 Angelina Avallone ’94 Edward L. Blunt ’99 Debra Booth ’91 Tom J. Broecker ’92 Laura Brown MacKinnon ’93 James Bundy ’95 Katherine D. Burgueno ’90 Kathryn A. Calnan ’99 Aaron M. Copp ’98 Robert C. Cotnoir ’94 Susan Cremin ’95 Sean P. Cullen ’94

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Donors Sheldon Deckelbaum ’92 Michael Diamond ’90 Alexander T. Dodge ’99 Frances L. Egler ’95 Cornelia A. Evans ’93 Matthew A. Everett ’91 Glen R. Fasman ’92 Nicole J. Fix ’98 Stephen L. Godchaux ’93 Naomi S. Grabel ’91 Constance M. Grappo ’95 Elisa R. Griego ’98 Regina S. Guggenheim ’93 Corin L. Gutteridge ’96 Jessica Gutteridge ’94 Alexander Hammond ’96 Scott Hansen ’99 Douglas R. Harvey ’95 Jeffrey C. Herrmann ’99 Christopher B. Higgins ’90 John C. Huntington ’90 Clark Jackson, Jr. ’97 Ann Johnson ’90 Elizabeth A. Kaiden ’96 Samuel L. Kelley ’90 Daphne C. Klein ’95 L. Azan Kung ’91 Mark S. Kupferman ’96 Malia R. Lewis ’97 Patricia A. Lewis ’98 Chih-Lung Liu ’94 Mary Rose Lloyd ’96 Sarah Long ’92, YC ’85 Elizabeth S. Margid ’91, YC ’82 Craig P. Mathers ’93 Lisa A. McGahey Veglahn ’91 Charles McNulty ’93 Robert A. Melrose ’96 Richard R. Mone ’91 Laura E. Naramore ’95 Martha J. New ’92 Jennifer T. Palmer ’95, MED ’03 Dw Phineas Perkins ’90 Amy Povich ’92 James W. Quinn ’94 Sarah Rafferty ’96 Reginald Rogers ’93 Melina W. Root ’90, YC ’83, Peggy Sasso ’96 Liev Schreiber ’92 Paul F. Selfa ’92 Thomas W. Sellar ’97 James Shanklin Jr. ’97 Jeremy M. Shapira ’97 Jane M. Shaw ’98 Vladimir Shpitalnik ’92 Douglas Spitz ’91

114

Kris E. Stone ’98 Erich W. Stratmann ’94, YC ’93 Deanna J. Stuart ’94 David Loy Sword ’90 Patti W. Thorp ’91 Paul C. Tigue III ’99 Deborah L. Trout ’94 Erik W. Walstad ’95 Lisa A. Wilde ’91 Marshall B. Williams ’95

2000s

Paola Allais Acree ’08, SOM ’08 Liz S. Alsina ’06 Alexander G. Bagnall ’00 Michael Banta ’03 Sarah K. Bartlo ’04 Sarah Bierenbaum ’05, YC ’99, Ashley E. Bishop ’02 Joshua Borenstein ’02 Madeline K. Brickman ’09 Michael S. Broh ’00 Jonathan Busky ’02, SOM ’00, YC ’94 David Calica ’08 Joseph P. Cermatori ’08 James Q. Chen ’08 Aurelia F. Cohen ’09 Edgar (Trip) Cullman III ’02, YC ’97 Greg Param Derelian ’01 Derek DiGregorio ’07 Michael M. Donahue ’08 Janann B. Eldredge ’06 Kyoung-Jun Eo ’09 Miriam R. Epstein ’02 Dustin Eshenroder ’07 Alexandra Fischer ’00 Sarah M. Fornia ’04 Marcus Dean Fuller ’04 Carter Pierce Gill ’09 Sandra Goldmark ’04 Hannah A. Grannemann ’08, SOM ’08 John J. Hanlon ’04 Judith Ann Hansen ’04 Amy S. Holzapfel ’01 James Guerry Hood ’05 Melissa Huber ’01 Heide L. Janssen ’08 Rolin Jones ’04 Caitlin Kemp ’07 Peter Young Hoon Kim ’04 Timothy Mackabee ’09 Tarell Alvin McCraney ’07 Beth Morrison ’05 Matthew Moses ’09

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Rachel S. Myers ’07 Arthur F. Nacht ’06 Erica R. O’Brien ’09 John Barret O’Brien ’09 Phillip Owen ’09 Jacob G. Padron ’08 Gamal J. Palmer ’08 Maulik Pancholy ’03 Michael K. Parrella ’00 Laura E. Patterson ’03 Jonathan A. Reed ’07 Kevin M. Rich ’04 Joanna Romberg-Blatchley ’07 Thomas E. Russell ’07 Shawn B. Senavinin ’06 Amanda Spooner ’09 Frances A. Strauss ’09 Carrie Van Hallgren ’06 Arthur T. Vitello III ’05 Elaine M. Wackerly ’03 Bradlee M. Ward ’05 Elena Whittaker ’03 Jennifer Mannis Wishcamper ’02, YC ’96 Barbara J. Wohlsen ’00 Amanda Wallace Woods ’03

2010s

Emika S. Abe ’16, SOM ’16 Shaminda R. Amarakoon ’12 Zachary S. Appelman ’10 Michael Barker ’10, SOM ’10 Matthew Biagini ’11 Christopher P. Brown ’10 David M. Clauson ’16 William Connolly ’10 Prema R. Cruz ’14 Katherine Akiko Day ’10 Lauren E. Dubowski ’14 Laura J. Eckelman ’11 Whitney A. Estrin ’10 Hugh D. Farrell ’15 Eric R. Gershman ’15, SOM ’15 Robert D. Grant ’13 Amanda J. Haley ’10 Ethan Heard ’13, YC ’06 Ashton S. Heyl ’14 Kevin Hourigan ’17 Shane D. Hudson ’14 Jake Jeppson ’12 Jean Kim ’16 Anh M. Le ’15 Kate E. Liberman ’12, SOM ’13 Lisa C. Loen ’10 Elizabeth Y. Y. Mak ’16

Peter Malbuisson ’10 Meg Miroshnik ’11 Fisher Neal ’12 Lupita Nyong’o ’12 Dan O’Brien ’14 Lisa O’Reilly ’15 Meghan Pressman ’10, SOM ’10 Art Priromprintr ’11 Nathan A. Roberts ’10 Alyssa C. L. Simmons ’14, YC ’09 Yu Shen ’15, SOM ’15 Solomon Weisbard ’13 Gretchen T. Wright ’16

friends** Nina R. Adams GRD ’69, NUR ’77 and Moreson Kaplan The Josef & Anni Albers Foundation Emily Altman Americana Arts Foundation Ameriprise Financial Philip Andraos SOM ’15 Deborah M. Applegate GRD ’98 and Bruce Tulgan Anna Fitch Ardenghi Trust, Bank of America, Trustee Kirk Baird, Jr. YC ’66 Paul F. Balser, Sr. YC ’64 Russell Barbour FES ’02 Dr. Robert L. Barth YC ’66 John B. Beinecke YC ’69 Sonja Berggren and Patrick T. Seaver YC ’72 Deborah and Bruce M. Berman LAW ’79 Debbie Bisno and David Goldman LAW ’76 Carmine Boccuzzi YC ’90, LAW ’94 and Bernard Lumpkin YC ’91 Lynne and Roger Bolton Shirley Brandman YC ’83, LAW ’86 and Howard Shapiro LAW ’85 Clare Brinkley and Sterling Brinkley YC ’74 Carole and Arthur Broadus HON ’87 Donald and Mary Brown Mary L. Bundy Stephen Bundy The Carolyn Foundation Jim Chervenak Lois Chiles and Richard Gilder YC ’54, LHDH ’07 Nicholas Ciriello YC ’59 Audrey Conrad Converse M. Converse YC ’57

Donors The Noel Coward Foundation Edgar Cullman YC ’68 Janet Cunningham Priscilla and Bob Dannies HON ’90 Scott M. Delman YC ’82 The Educational Foundation of America Charles Felix SOM ’14 Deborah Freedman YC ’82 and Ben Ledbetter Priscilla Furth MED ’79 Anita Pamintuan Fusco YC ’90 and Dino Fusco YC ’88 Eugénie Gentry Lauren and Paul Ghaffari Bruce W. Graham Donald Granger ’85 Betty J. Goldberg The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Eduardo Groisman HON ’11 Katherine Haskins Lane Heard YC ’73, LAW ’78 and Margaret Bauer Ruth and Stephen Hendel YC ’73 Dr. Lothar Hennighausen Stephen J. Hoffman YC ’64 John Holdren S. Roger Horchow YC ’50, HON ’99 Arthur and Mary Hunt Sarah and William Hyman YC ’80 Ellen M. Iseman YC ’76 Frederick J. Iseman YC ’75 Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven David G. Johnson YC ’78 Adrian YC ’87 and Nina Jones YC ’87 Anne Simone Kleinman POLI ’02 Hedda and Gary Kopf HON 91 Richard Lalli MUS ’80 and Michael O. Rigsby MED ’88 Stephanie Lamassa The Frederick Loewe Foundation George A & Grace L Long Foundation Lucille Lortel Foundation Jane Marcher Foundation Sally McCauley Deborah McGraw Roz Meyer YC ’71, ’77 PHD and Jerry Meyer MED ’72 Dawn G. Miller George I. Miller GRD ’83 and Virginia Fallon David and Leni Moore Family Foundation Susan Morris

Barbara Moss and Aziz Dehkan James C. Munson YC ’66 Janice L. Muirhead Eileen and Jim Mydosh Merle Nacht NewAlliance Foundation Victoria Nolan and Clark Crolius Jane Nowosadko F. Richard Pappas YC ’76 James M. Perlotto YC ’78 and Thomas Masse MUS ’91 Alan Poul YC ’76 Bennett Pudlin LAW ’78 and Ann Judd Robert W. Riordan YC ’66 Jon Roberts Robina Foundation Larry and Linda Frank Rodman YC ’73, GRD ’75 Abigail Roth YC ’90, LAW ’94 Ruth Hein Schmitt Tracy Chutorian Semler YC ’86 Sandra Shaner Theodore P. Shen YC ’66, MAH ’01 The Shubert Foundation, Inc. Anna Deavere Smith HON ’14 Matthew Specter and Marjan Mashadi Carol and Arthur Spinner Daniel Sterlace R. Lee Stump Matthew Suttor Patricia Thurston Stephen Timbers YC ’66 Jennifer Tipton Andrew and Nesrin Tisdale Trust for Mutual Understanding Suzanne Tucker Marguerite and Gregory Tumminio Kara J. Unterberg YC ’87 Esme Usdan YC ’77 Susan Venturi Patricia and Charles Walkup Paul Walsh Keahnan Washington Vera F. Wells YC ’71 David Willson Wendy Zimmermann and Stephen Cutler YC ’82, LAW ’85

* Deceased

in kind Sasha Emerson ’84 Ruth Hendel David Johnson YC ’78 Jane Kaczmarek ’82 Esme Usdan YC ’77

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A Year in the Life of YSD 01 Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ’15, Matthew Raich ’15 02 Kate Marvin ’16, Kelly Montgomery ’16, Jean Kim ’16, Christopher Thompson ’16 03 Christopher Ross-Ewart ’17, Sinan Zafar ’16, Tyler Kieffer ’15 04 Kelly Fayton ’17, Sean Walters ’16, Kat Wepler ’16 05 Emily Reeder ’17 06 Kristen Fergusen ’15, David Clauson ’16, Joey Moro ’15, Molly Hennighausen ’15 07 Will Rucker ’15, Hugh Farrell ’15, Tyler Kieffer ’15, Sydney Lemmon ’17 08 Anita Shastri ’15, Emily DeNardo ’15 09 Jean Kim ’16, Avery Trunko ’16 10 Christopher Geary ’15 11 Hugh Farrell ’15, Emily Baldasarra ‘15 12 Kate Marvin ’16, Sara Holdren ’15 13 Kristen Ferguson ’15, Adrian Martinez Frausto ’15 14 Julian Elijah Martinez ’16 15 Andrew Knauff ’15, Alexandra Reynolds ’17 16 Maura Hooper ’15 17 Stephanie Rolland ’15, James Lanius ’15

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2015 ANNUAL MAGAZINE YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA P.O. BOX 208244 NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT 06520

NON-PROFIT ORG

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

NEW HAVEN, CT

PERMIT NO. 167