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'Yale School of Drama' traces its roots to the Yale Dramatic Association, the second oldest college theatre association in the country, founded in 1900. The "Dramat," which produced the American premieres of Albert Camus's ''Caligula'' and Shakespeare's ''Troilus and Cressida'', and also produced original works by Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Vincent Benet, and Thornton Wilder written when they were students.
This lively dramatic tradition led to the funding, in 1924, by Yale benefactor Edward S. Harkness, to establish the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, and for the construction of a theater. George Pierce Baker, a teacher of playwriting, was the first chairman of the department. The first Master of Fine Arts in Drama was granted in 1931.
In 1955, the department was organized as a separate professional school, the first such in the Ivy League.
In 1966, the Yale Repertory Theatre was formed to establish further ties between the professional and academic communities. Today, Yale Drama students perform at both the Yale Rep and the Yale Cabaret, which mounts fully-student productions.

Contents

Notable alumni

Notable Yalies in film (not Drama School alumni)

Notable Yalies in television (some Drama School alumni)

References

External links

Notable alumni

★ Amy Aquino

★ Angela Bassett (1983)

★ Lewis Black (1977)

★ James Burrows

★ Kate Burton (actress)

★ Vincent J. Cardinal

★ Caitlin Clarke

★ Patricia Clarkson

★ Enrico Colantoni

★ Dan Colman

★ Polly Draper

★ Christopher Durang

★ Charles S. Dutton (1983)

★ Erik Ehn

★ Jill Eikenberry

★ Charles Evered

★ Richard Foreman

★ Malcolm Gets

★ Paul Giamatti (1989)

★ David Alan Grier

★ Joe Grifasi

★ John Guare (1963)

★ A.R. Gurney

★ Kathryn Hahn

★ Julie Harris (1947)

★ David Henry Hwang

★ David Ives

★ Elia Kazan

★ James Keach

★ Stacey Keach

★ Joseph (Jody) Kovalick

★ Sanaa Lathan

★ C.S. Lee

★ Romulus Linney

★ Santo Loquasto

★ Wendy MacLeod

★ William Marchant

★ Frances McDormand (1982)

★ Richard Masur

★ Lynne Meadow

★ Paul Newman

★ Lynn Nottage

★ Chris Noth

★ David Hyde Pierce

★ Laila Robins

★ Liev Schreiber

★ Tony Shalhoub

★ Anna Shapiro

★ Milan Stitt

★ Meryl Streep (1976)

★ Ted Tally (1977)

★ John Turturro (1983)

★ Joan Van Ark

★ Courtney B. Vance

★ Wendy Wasserstein (1976)

★ Sigourney Weaver

★ Mac Wellman

★ Henry Winkler

★ D.B. Woodside

★ Christian Clemenson

Notable Yalies in film (not Drama School alumni)

★ Jennifer Beals, (B.A. 1987 American Literature) actress, best known for ''Flashdance'' and ''The L Word''.

★ Henry Bean, screenwriter/director ''The Believer''

★ Jordana Brewster, actress, plays Mia in ''The Fast and the Furious''

★ Bruce Cohen, film producer, won an Academy Award for ''American Beauty''

★ Michael Cimino, Academy Award-winning director

★ Jennifer Connelly (Class of 1992
★ ), Academy Award-winning actress

★ Claire Danes (Class of 2002
★ ), actress

★ Noah Emmerich (B.A. 1992), actor

★ Jodie Foster (B.A. in literature, magna cum laude), Academy Award-winning actress and director

★ George Roy Hill, Academy Award-winning director

★ Daniel Lewis James Jr. (Class of 1933) screenwriter, playwright, & novelist. Collaborated with Charlie Chaplin on the film ''The Great Dictator''. Blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Collaborator with wife Lillith Stanwood on Broadway Musical Bloomer Girl. Authored the novel ''Famous All Over Town'' under the pseudonym Danny Santago. First cousin of Jesse James.

★ Phil LaMarr (B.A. 1989), actor, comedian.

★ Ron Livingston, actor. Best known for ''Office Space''

★ Edward Norton (B.A. 1991), actor

★ Mills Pierre (B.A. 1999), actor. UK Screen Awards, nominated best supporting actor for the Quiet Storm.

★ Bronson Pinchot (B.A. 1981), actor

★ Vincent Price, actor

★ Gene Siskel (B.A. 1967), movie critic

★ Todd Solondz, director ''Welcome to the Dollhouse'' & ''Happiness''

★ Oliver Stone
★ , Academy Award-winning director

★ Ted Tally (B.A., 1974), Academy Award-winning screenwriter (Also Drama School)

★ Sam Waterston, (B.A. 1961), actor

★ Jennifer Westfeldt, actress, screenwriter (''Kissing Jessica Stein'')

Notable Yalies in television (some Drama School alumni)

★ John Hodgman, comedian who often appears in ''The Daily Show'' and in the Get a Mac ad campaigns, representing a humanized PC.

★ Mark Linn-Baker (B.A. 1976, M.F.A. 1979)

★ James Bohanek (B.A. 1991), Broadway and television actor

★ Dick Cavett, TV personality, nominated eleven times for the Emmy Award, and won three times.^[1]

★ Akhil Conner (B.A. 2004), actor in ''The Uninvited'' and contestant on ''Off The Wall'', a Vin Di Bona production.^[2]

★ Anderson Cooper (B.A. 1989), CNN anchor of ''Anderson Cooper 360°''

★ Bill Corbett (DRA 1989), actor, writer, played Crow T. Robot in ''Mystery Science Theater 3000''

★ David Duchovny actor in ''The X-Files''

★ Dick Ebersol, president of NBC Sports division, helped launch ''Saturday Night Live''

★ John Gidding (B.A. 1999), architect, one of the designers on the ABC Family show Knock First

★ Sara Gilbert, actress, best known for her portrayal as the daughter "Darlene Conner" on the sit-com ''Roseanne Barr''^[3] by Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide at the New York Times

★ Felipe Gozon, Philippine television executive

★ Michael Gross (DRA 1973), actor, best known as "Steven Keaton" (the father of Michael J. Fox's character) on ''Family Ties''^[4]

★ Leo Laporte(YCcl1977)
★ , host of ''The Screen Savers'' on TechTV

★ C.S. Lee (M.F.A. 1998) (actor) plays Vincent Masuka on the hit Showtime series, "Dexter".

★ Demetri Martin (1995) stand-up comedian who often appears on ''The Daily Show''

★ Crystal McKellar (B.A. 1999), played "Becky Slater" in ''The Wonder Years'' in her youth; now an attorney.

★ Anne Meacham (B.A. 1947), Broadway and television actress (''Another World'')

★ Ari Meyers (B.A. 1991), actress, played Emma McArdle on ''Kate & Allie''

★ Stone Phillips, television anchor for NBC

★ Robert Picardo, the holographic doctor on the television show ''^[5]

★ David Hyde Pierce, actor, best known as "Dr. Niles Crane" on ''Frasier''; winner of four Emmy Awards^[6]

★ Steve Skrovan (B.A. 1979), executive producer of ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' and ''An Unreasonable Man''

★ Ben Stein (J.D.), economist, host of ''Win Ben Stein's Money''

★ Ming Tsai (B.A. 1986), chef on ''East Meets West with Ming Tsai'' on PBS

★ Margaret Warner, co-anchor on ''The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer'', PBS' weekday news program

★ Sam Waterston (B.A. 1962), best known for his portrayal of A.D.A. Jack McCoy in ''Law & Order''

References

1. "Dick Cavett" profile by Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide at the New York Times
2. "Vin Di Bona"
3. Sara Gilbert
4. Michael Gross by Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide at the New York Times
5. Robert Picardo by Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide at the New York Times
6. "The Junger Brother" in Financial Times Magazine, March 31, 2001,by Nicholas Kralev; online version at homepage of Kralev

External links

★ Official website

★ History of the Yale Dramatic Association