The Play's the Thing: 50 Years of Yale Repertory Theatre

New Plays, Broadway, and Beyond

Advertisement for 'Death of a Salesman'

New plays and reinterpreted classics

A few months before his death in 2006, Lloyd Richards advised Charles S. Dutton (DRA ‘83) to “play the great roles.” James Bundy directed an all-African-American cast in Arthur Miller’s classic play Death of a Salesman, with School of Drama alumni Dutton and Kimberly Scott (DRA ‘87) as Willy and Linda Loman. 

After its 2009 production at Yale Rep, Danai Gurira’s Eclipsed had a critically-acclaimed 2015 production starring Lupita Nyong’o (DRA ’12) at the Public Theater, in the role she understudied while a student at the School of Drama. The 2016 Broadway transfer was the first Broadway production in which playwright, director, and cast were all African and African-American women. Two of Gurira’s other plays have been produced at Yale Rep: In the Continuum (2006-07, written with Nikkole Salter) and Familiar (2015-16, world premiere).

Charles S. Dutton in 'Death of a Salesman'

Program for 'Eclipsed'

Scene from 'Eclipsed'

Scene from 'Notes from the Underground'

Program for 'Indecent'

Yale Rep on Broadway and beyond
 
Many Yale Rep premieres have gone on to successful productions at theaters around the country, including Off-Broadway and Broadway runs. Will Eno’s The Realistic Joneses received multiple Drama League and Drama Desk awards for its 2014 Broadway production.
 
These Paper Bullets!, Rolin Jones’ mashup of a Beatles-esque rock band with Much Ado about Nothing, played the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles in the fall of 2015, soon after its premiere at Yale Rep.
 
Indecent, created by Paula Vogel and Rebecca Taichman (DRA ’01), will make its Broadway debut at the Cort Theatre in April 2017 after opening the 2015-16 Yale Rep season and running at the Vineyard Theatre in New York in spring 2016.

Program for 'These Paper Bullets'

Scene from 'Indecent'

Vineyard Theatre program for 'Indecent'