Juilliard Dean Evan Yonolis has been named the new dean of the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University.
Yonolis, who has been dean and director of the drama department at the Juilliard School since 2018, will assume her position at Yale effective July 1. She succeeds James Bundy, who has been in the position for nearly 25 years and announced his retirement last year.
The move represents a major change in the world of drama schools, both of which have long been seen as premier institutions for actors. During her tenure at Juilliard, Yonolis launched a tuition-free MFA program, pushed for more waivers, helped graduating actors better prepare for film roles and oversaw a multimillion-dollar renovation of the school.
She joins Yale University, which also offers a tuition-free Master of Fine Arts degree, as well as acting opportunities at Yale Repertory Theater, where Ionolis will be artistic director. Notable alumni of the program include Meryl Streep, Angela Bassett, Brian Tyree Henry, Paul Giamatti and others.
Yionoulis is herself a graduate of Yale University and a former faculty member at the David Geffen School of Drama. From 1998 to 2003, she was the Lloyd Richards Chair of the Acting Program at the Geffen School, and later served as Professor of Acting and Directing Practice. She was resident director at Yale Rep from 1998 to 2018, where she directed 14 productions.
In addition to her duties as dean at Juilliard, Yonolis has made a name for herself as an Obie Award-winning director, with credits that include the film Adrienne Kennedy. Murders in Ohiowhich was honored with a Lortel Award for Best Revival, and Kennedy’s world premiere He put her heart back in a box.
“A widely influential leader in acting education, Yonolis has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the student and faculty experience,” Yale President Maury McInnis and Dean Scott Strobel wrote in a joint letter to the university community.
“Evan Yonolis will be a visionary dean and artistic director – and a leader with an inspiring commitment to the value of arts education and art-making,” said Mark Robinson, chair of the Search Advisory Committee. “Her profound and profound teaching and her many indelible productions promise an amazing future at Yale. It will be an honor to be her colleague again.”
