Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of the Yale School of Drama in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented students. It has become in the process one of the first distinguished regional theatres.
As head of "the Rep" from 1966 to 1979, Brustein brought professional actors to Yale each year to form a repertory company, and nurtured notable new authors including August Wilson and Athol Fugard. The more successful works were regularly transferred to commercial theaters.
The dean of the Yale School of Drama is the artistic director of the Yale Repertory Theatre, with Lloyd Richards serving in this capacity 1979-1991, Stan Wojewodski, Jr., 1991-2002, and James Bundy since 2002.
Of the ninety world premieres the Rep has produced, four have won Pulitzer Prizes; ten productions have received Tony Awards after being transferred to Broadway, and the Yale Repertory Theatre was given a Tony for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1991.
In 2002, the Yale School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theatre received the Governor's Arts Award from Governor John Rowland for artistic achievement and contribution to the arts in the state of Connecticut.
YaleRepertoryTheatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of the Yale School of Drama in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented students.
The dean of the Yale School of Drama is the artistic director of the YaleRepertoryTheatre, with Lloyd Richards serving in this capacity 1979-1991, Stan Wojewodski, Jr., 1991-2002, and James Bundy since 2002.
In 2002, the Yale School of Drama and YaleRepertoryTheatre received the Governor's Arts Award from Governor John Rowland for artistic achievement and contribution to the arts in the state of Connecticut.
Robert Brustein founded YaleRepertoryTheatre in 1966 as the “Master Teacher” of the Yale School of Drama.
Yale Rep was one of the first theatres to regularly transfer serious work to the commercial theatre, developing a model of professional producing that changed the course of new play development in the American theatre.
YaleRepertoryTheatre itself received the Tony® for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1991, and it has been recognized for its outstanding contribution to the development of creative talent with the Jujamcyn Theaters Award.