Yale Bulletin and Calendar

March 18, 2005|Volume 33, Number 22

Nelson to head playwriting department

Award-winning author Richard Nelson has been named professor (adjunct) of playwriting and chair of the Department of Playwriting at the School of Drama.

Nelson's appointment was announced jointly by Provost Andrew Hamilton and School of Drama Dean James Bundy.

"Yale School of Drama's leadership role in theater training is a source of pride and celebration for the entire University, and the field," said Hamilton. "The appointment of Mr. Nelson reflects our commitment to attracting not only the most talented students, but also the world's leading practitioners to serve as their teachers."

"Richard Nelson has distinguished himself as a preeminent voice in modern drama," said Bundy. "His extraordinary professional achievements and especially his enthusiasm to train and mentor the next generation of young playwrights will only add luster to the program upon which Yale School of Drama was founded."

Nelson is one of the most widely produced and published playwrights writing in the English language. His works include "Franny's Way," Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Play; "James Joyce's The Dead" (with Shaun Davey), Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical; "Goodnight Children Everywhere," Olivier Award for Best Play; "Two Shakespearean Actors," Tony Award nomination for Best Play; "Some Americans Abroad," Olivier Award nomination for Best Comedy; and "Principia Scriptoriae," London Time Out Award. Nelson's adaptation of August Strindberg's "Miss Julie" premieres at the Yale Repertory Theatre this month. (See related story.)

Nelson received a B.A. from Hamilton College. His other honors include the Lila Wallace-Readers Digest Writing Award, the Guggenheim Fellowship, and playwriting fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. He is an honorary associate artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

"Playwriting in America is at a crossroads," said Nelson. "As chair of Yale School of Drama's distinguished Department of Playwriting and as a working playwright, I not only hope to identify and encourage talented young writers, but also generate a serious discussion about the place of the playwright in the theater today."

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