Yale School of Drama, the only graduate-level professional conservatory in the English-speaking world to offer training in every theatrical discipline, announces newly promoted and newly appointed faculty members, effective for the 2020–21 academic year.

“It is a great honor to congratulate the current faculty members whose contributions to the training at Yale School of Drama are recognized with well-deserved promotions this fall. And it is thrilling to welcome more than a dozen field-leading professionals to our community in service to our mission of raising the standard of global professional practice,” Dean James Bundy said.

Alan C. Edwards

Design and Technical Production Faculty Promotions
Alan C. Edwards, who has been teaching part-time at the School since 2016, has become a full-time Lecturer and the Lighting Design Advisor at Yale Repertory Theatre (where he designed A Delicate Balance in 2010). Alan completed his M.F.A. at the School of Drama in 2011, and has taught at Yale College, Adelphi University, University of New Haven, and DeSales University. His design credits include the world premiere musical Stagger Lee at Dallas Theatre Center, The Tempest and Macbeth at Classical Theatre of Harlem, and Carnaval and Dead & Breathing at the National Black Theatre, among others.

Alan Hendrickson

Alan Hendrickson has been named the Henry McCormick Professor in the Practice of Technical Design and Production. Alan began teaching in 1979 and he graduated from the program in 1983. He also works as an independent consultant in scenery mechanization and control, with credits including hydraulic system design, control system design, and mechanical design for several Broadway shows, including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast (national tour), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Aladdin.

Riccardo Hernandez

Riccardo Hernandez, who has been teaching full-time at the School since 2017, has been promoted to Associate Professor Adjunct and will continue in his role as Set Design Advisor at Yale Repertory Theatre. Riccardo graduated from the School in 1992, and has designed scenery for more than 250 productions around the world, including, on Broadway, Jagged Little Pill; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess; Caroline, or Change; Topdog/Underdog; and Indecent, following its world premiere at Yale Rep.

Michael Yeargan has been named the Donald M. Oenslager Professor in the Practice of Design. Michael arrived at the School as a student in the fall of 1969 and was taught by Oenslager and Ming Cho Lee. Michael was recruited to the faculty after his graduation, and he succeeded Ming as co-Chair with Stephen Strawbridge in 2012. A two-time Tony Award winner (for South Pacific and The Light in the Piazza), he has designed sets for hundreds of plays, musicals, and operas on and off Broadway, in theaters throughout the United States, and internationally. At Yale Rep alone, he has designed more than 50 productions.

Newly Appointed Design Faculty
Emily Tappan (Lecturer) is a costume designer, technician, illustrator, and adjunct lecturer at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she earned her M.F.A. in costume design. She has assisted Toni-Leslie James at Arena Stage, Hartford Stage, and Portland Center Stage, and has designed costumes for productions at Virginia Repertory Theatre, Hodges Theatre, and Lexington Children’s Theatre, among others.

Joshua Weisberg (Lecturer) is the president of Navolo Audio-Video, an independent consultancy providing design and planning resources for AV projects of all types. He is the co-founder and former president and chief operating officer of WorldStage, Inc.

Newly Appointed Technical Design and Production Faculty
Nicola Rossini (Lecturer) is a 2007 graduate of the Stage Management program who has lectured at DePaul University, University of San Diego, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of North Carolina School of the Arts, among others. She is the Executive Producer and owner of Riding Chaos, LLC, and the co-founder of Harriet B’s Daughters, a collective of creative professionals dedicated to strengthening access, equity, representation, and inclusion of all Folx in the Entertainment Industry through active mentoring, coaching, and inclusion.

View the complete roster of Yale School of Drama faculty members by department here.