School Notes: David Geffen School of Drama
January/February 2009

Schools collaborate to establish music theater institute

The School of Drama has teamed up with the School of Music to create the Yale Institute for Music Theatre, which seeks to identify distinctive and original music theater works by emerging writers and composers and match those writers with directors, music directors, and actors/singers who can help them further develop their work. Under the leadership of artistic director Mark Brokaw ’86MFA and producer Beth Morrison ’05MFA, the Yale Institute for Music Theatre will review applications to the institute and will select three original music theater works to receive a two-week workshop in New Haven in June.

Faculty named Theatre Arts fellows

Jennifer Tipton, professor (adjunct) of lighting design, and Bill Rauch, associate artist at the Yale Repertory Theatre, have been named 2008 Theater Arts USA fellows by United States Artists, a grant-making artist advocacy organization dedicated to supporting America's finest artists working across diverse disciplines. Each will receive an unrestricted award of $50,000.

Tipton, who has won two Tony awards, has designed lighting for numerous dance performances and theatrical productions. In 2008, she was named a MacArthur Fellow by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Rauch has directed numerous productions at theaters across the country, and is the recipient of an assortment of theater awards. He currently serves as artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.