Directing: "It's Alive!"

What this episode covers

What makes a good director? Bringing a play to life from the page to the stage is the spiritual work of a lifetime. Follow Yale directors as they unearth life in a text, inspire and guide actors’ performances, and translate visions from imagination to reality. Plus, hear the story of a subversive take on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew starring a young Lupita Nyong'o (‘12). ***This episode features Lileana Blain-Cruz (‘12, Former Faculty), Jasmine Brooks (‘26), Tess Cruz (‘28), Liz Diamond (Faculty), Ethan Heard (‘13, YC ‘07, Former Faculty), and incoming dean Evan Yionoulis.***Oh, the Drama! is written, produced, and edited by Zachary Goldberg and Isabel Robertson.Executive producers are Jill BC Du Boff and James Bundy.Episode art by Kiki Gordon.Original music by James Harrison Monaco.Additional music from Uppbeat.Live recordings from the Yale Repertory Theatre productions of Zora Neale Hurston’s Spunk (2025) and Jasmine Brooks's Directors’ Thesis Production of Aleshea Harris’s Is God Is (2026).

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