David Geffen School of Drama

The Yale School of Drama began in 1924 when benefactor Edward S. Harkness funded a new Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts as well as construction of the University Theatre, completed in 1931.  Designed by architect Clarence H. Blackall and later renovated by James Gamble Rogers, the theatre became the school’s primary facility, housing performance spaces, classrooms, and the administrative offices of what was then Yale’s Department of Drama. The building replaced earlier structures on York Street and quickly became a landmark for both student productions and the emerging professional partnership with the Yale Repertory Theatre. Over the decades, additional spaces—including the former Calvary Baptist Church (now the Yale Rep), the Iseman Theater, and the School of Drama Annex—expanded the school’s footprint, but the University Theatre has remained its historic and symbolic core. Today, these interconnected buildings support one of the most influential drama conservatories in the country.  And in 2021, with a transformative gift that made the School of Drama tuition free for all students, it adopted its current name: the David Geffen School of Drama.