Stage Blue: Stars Celebrate Three Theater Milestones

Yale Today

From left: Actors Dylan Baker ’85 MFAD, Chris Noth ’85 CDR, Liev Schreiber ’92 MFAD, and John Turturro ’83 MFAD join President Levin in New York City

March 3, 2001
Hollywood, Broadway, and the entertainment world in general got a big dose of blue, as Yale theater alumni, faculty, and students gathered simultaneously in Los Angeles, New York, and New Haven on November 14 to celebrate three anniversaries in the history of theater education at Yale. The evening of parties and performance brought together Yale-affiliated entertainment elite from across America for “Stage Blue,” a gala fete marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the School of Drama, the centennial of the Dramatic Association (The Dramat), and the University’s Tercentennial.

Talent to Spare

More than 1,000 guests came to see the performance of “I Get a Kick Out of Blue,” a collection of elements from works by Yale graduates across the country and over the century. The first half of the performance was staged in New York, while the second was broadcast to the theater from a simultaneous gathering in Los Angeles. The whole event was also broadcast to a packed University Theatre in New Haven. Meryl Streep ’75 MFAD and Sam Waterston ’62 served as honorary chairs.

In a segment honoring Cole Porter ’13, the Muppets joined James Naughton ’70 MFAD to sing some of the composer’s greatest hits. There were video montages that included famous screen moments featuring Yale alumni. The performance closed with “Our Time,” performed by the undergraduate cast of “Merrily We Roll Along” to thunderous applause.

The evening also featured performances of scenes by award-winning playwrights Christopher Durang ’74 MFAD, A.R. Gurney ’58 MFAD, Wendy Wasserstein ’76 MFAD, August Wilson ’88 LITT. D.H., and John Guare ’63 MFAD, with appearances by Charles Dutton ’83 CDR, Sigourney Weaver ’74 MFAD, and other well-known actors.

“Some of my happiest memories as an actor are at Yale, actually,” Sex and the City star Christopher Noth ’85 CDR said.

“[Yale] had a huge effect on my life and my career as well,” actor Liev Schreiber ’92 MFAD said. “Yale has solidified my love of text.”

Weaver said Yale is still a part of all of her acting experiences today. “It’s actually more meaningful when you’ve left.”

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