Three members of the Yale School of Drama community and a Yale College alumnus were honored with Tony Awards during the June 8 ceremony at New York City’s Radio City Musical Hall.
Veteran costume designer Jane Greenwood, who teachers her craft at the School of Drama, was honored with the 2014 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater. Linda Cho, a 1998 graduate of the School of Drama, won the award for Best Costume Design for a Musical for “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder,” and 1983 School of Drama graduate Christopher Barreca won for Best Scenic Design for a Musical for “Rocky.” Joey Parnes, a 1977 Yale College graduate, is the lead producer of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder,” which won the Tony for Best Musical (and also stars Yale College graduate Jefferson Mays), and is a producer of “Raisin in the Sun,” a Tony winner for Best Revival of Play.
“It’s always cause for celebration when members of our community are recognized for their work, and we’re thrilled for Christopher Barreca, Linda Cho, and Jane Greenwood,” says James Bundy, dean of Yale School of Drama. “Jane’s award for Lifetime Achievement is especially meaningful in a year when five designers she taught at Yale School of Drama were also recognized.”
Of the Tony Award win for “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder,” Parnes remarked in his acceptance speech, “The little engine that could, did.” He added that audience members should see all of the nominated works.
Alumni and faculty of the School of Drama received a total of 14 Tony nominations for the awards, and several Yale College alumni also received nominations.
Bryce Pinkham ’08 M.F.A. was nominated in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” (see the Vanity Fair article he wrote about his nomination) and two Yale College graduates — Lauren Worsham Jarrow ’05 (in “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”) and Anika Larsen ’95 (in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) — were nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical. Tony Shalhoub ’80 M.F.A. was nominated as Best Actor in a Play for “Act One.” Producer Lynne Meadow ’71 DRA was nominated in in the Best Play category for both “Casa Valentina” and “Outside Mullingar,” and Roberta Pereira ’08 M.F.A. was nominated in the same category for “Mothers and Sons.” Alexander Dodge ’99 M.F.A. and Santo Loquasto ’72 M.F.A. were also nominated for best scenic design for “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” and “Bullets Over Broadway,” respectively. Christopher Akerlind ’89 M.F.A. and Donald Holder ’86 M.F.A. garnered nominations for Best Lighting Design of a Musical for “Rocky” and “The Bridges of Madison County,” respectively. Also nominated for best costume design were Rita Ryack ’80 DRA for “Casa Valentina” and William Ivey Long ’75 M.F.A. for “Bullets Over Broadway.”
In addition to her special Tony, Greenwood was nominated for her costume design work on “Act One,” her 18th Tony nomination.
We’re sure there are other nominees with Yale affiliations that YaleNews has yet to confirm; stay tuned for updates.
