Since 1925, the teaching of drama at Yale has sought to marry the principles of artistry with the practice of craft across every discipline of the dramatic arts and has done so within the context of a larger university dedicated to the highest aspirations of scholarship and discovery. The professional school, established in 1955, now David Geffen School of Drama, prepares its students for work in the field through a curriculum founded on the mutually enriching interplay between classroom and production experience. In 1966, Yale Repertory Theatre was established as a professional theater that, while contributing to student learning by providing inspirational artistic models and valuable opportunities for collaboration, employs exceptional professional artists and offers meaningful programming that serves its audiences and advances the art form.
Cultivating an environment where the next generation of theater artists, managers, and technicians can develop their potential, expand their imaginations, sharpen their points of view, and increase their capacity to work in concert with others towards a common goal is at the center of the mission of the School and the Rep. We believe that because a thriving theater is vital to the health of the culture and because the arts, in offering insights into the human condition, have a vital role to play in civic discourse, the work we do here is an act of citizenship and of service. To practice at the highest levels, we seek to do so in an inclusive community founded on mutual respect in which each of its members leads with conviction, humility, and generosity of spirit.
This bulletin sets forth the policies of the School and university which guide our work together and outlines the curricular and cocurricular courses and activities which compose the student journey under the mentorship of an exemplary and dedicated faculty and with the support of an expert and committed staff.
Evan Yionoulis
Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean and Professor of Drama, David Geffen School of Drama
Artistic Director, Yale Repertory Theatre