Thursday, April 24, 2025
Dear Members of David Geffen School of Drama at Yale and Yale Repertory Theatre Communities,
As we announced at the end of February, James Bundy has decided to step down from his positions as Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean of David Geffen School of Drama at Yale (DGSD) and artistic director of Yale Repertory Theatre (Yale Rep) on June 30, 2026. We are grateful for James’s dedicated leadership and pleased that he will continue to teach at Yale after his tenure as dean and artistic director concludes.
To advise us about potential candidates who can succeed James as dean of DGSD and artistic director of Yale Rep, we have formed a search advisory committee, and we will engage a search firm to assist the committee in its work. We are thankful to Marc Robinson, Professor in the Practice of Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism at DGSD and Malcolm G. Chace ’56 Professor of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies and of English and Professor of American Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), for agreeing to serve as chair. We also extend our gratitude to the other members of the committee, listed below, for committing their time and expertise to this process.
- Shaminda Amarakoon, Professor in the Practice of Technical Design and Production, DGSD; Director of Production, Yale Rep
- Emily Bakemeier, Vice Provost for Arts and Faculty Affairs
- Liz Diamond, Professor in the Practice of Directing, DGSD; Resident Director, Yale Rep
- José García-Léon, Henry L. and Lucy G. Moses Dean and Professor, Yale School of Music
- Anna Glover, Assistant Professor (Adjunct) of Technical Design and Production and Theater Management, DGSD; Director of Theater Safety and Occupational Health, Yale Rep
- Riccardo Hernández, Professor in the Practice of Design, DGSD; Set Design Advisor, Yale Rep
- Konrad Kaczmarek, Associate Professor (Adjunct), Department of Music, FAS
- Kate Krier, Associate Dean for the Arts, Yale College
- Shane Vogel, Chair of Theater, Performance, and Dance Studies and Professor of African American Studies and English, FAS
- Tamilla Woodard, Associate Professor (Adjunct) of Acting, DGSD
As part of its charge, the committee will solicit input from the DGSD and Yale Rep communities—as well as from the wider university community. In the coming months, the committee will provide opportunities to engage in meetings, group discussions, and individual conversations. In the meantime, the committee has created a webform as one method for collecting your feedback. We encourage you to submit recommendations regarding potential candidates or the qualities and qualifications that should be considered in the search for the next dean of DGSD and artistic director of Yale Rep.
Thank you for offering your input and perspective. Your insights will help us identify a new dean and artistic director who will honor and advance the work that each of you contributes to the world-class dramatic arts at Yale.
Sincerely,
Maurie McInnis
President
Professor of the History of Art
Scott Strobel
Provost
Henry Ford II Professor of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry