Yale School of Drama Now Tuition Free (New Haven, Plymouth: 2013, credit)

CTartist · 07-01-2021, 06:18 AM

Calling all aspiring actors, filmmakers, writers etc.............

David Geffen Gifts Yale Drama School $150M, Making Tuition Free
https://patch.com/connecticut/newhav...g-tuition-free

"NEW HAVEN, CT —In a letter to students, Yale University School of Drama announced Wednesday that the David Geffen Foundation has gifted the school $150 million to ensure that in perpetuity, all drama school degree and certificate students will attend for free."

I am thinking this should be a big boost for New Haven. It will also attract lots of creative people to the area.

nico7 · 07-01-2021, 06:28 AM

Definitely great news. The same was done at Yale School of Music a while back, by an anonymous donor. It's a great way to give hope to artists whose chosen fields don't usually set them up with high-paying jobs out of the gate. Maybe it will convince fewer aspiring dramatists to give up and major in economics.

Strange days when my first thought is, "Wow, $150 million is all it took? Why didn't someone do this before..."

CTartist · 07-01-2021, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nico7

Definitely great news. The same was done at Yale School of Music a while back, by an anonymous donor. It's a great way to give hope to artists whose chosen fields don't usually set them up with high-paying jobs out of the gate. Maybe it will convince fewer aspiring dramatists to give up and major in economics.

Strange days when my first thought is, "Wow, $150 million is all it took? Why didn't someone do this before..."

"The same was done at Yale School of Music a while back"

I did not know that. Here it is.

"In 2005, billionaire couple Stephen Adams ’59 and Denise Adams donated $100 million to the Yale School of Music, enabling the school to provide a full tuition award and fellowship to all students."
https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2012/...m-free-tuition

nico7 · 07-01-2021, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTartist

"In 2005, billionaire couple Stephen Adams ’59 and Denise Adams donated $100 million to the Yale School of Music, enabling the school to provide a full tuition award and fellowship to all students."
https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2012/...m-free-tuition

I had always held out hope that it was Paul McCartney or Mick Jagger who donated the money. But I guess the Adams folks deserve some credit.

mdovell · 07-01-2021, 09:09 AM

It would be nice to see more TV and movie production in the area. I remember way back before the Great Recession they were planning for a film studio in Plymouth Mass. I'm not sure why they never Revisited the plans. There's plenty of places New England to film on location. Does Connecticut have film tax credits?

JGBigGreen · 07-01-2021, 09:43 AM

I’m a huge fan of New Haven and YSD but I don’t see this being an appreciable boost for the city. It’s amazing news for the school but it’s unlikely the school will increase class sizes at all so not sure it will pass on any large benefit to the city.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTartist

Calling all aspiring actors, filmmakers, writers etc.............

David Geffen Gifts Yale Drama School $150M, Making Tuition Free
https://patch.com/connecticut/newhav...g-tuition-free

"NEW HAVEN, CT —In a letter to students, Yale University School of Drama announced Wednesday that the David Geffen Foundation has gifted the school $150 million to ensure that in perpetuity, all drama school degree and certificate students will attend for free."

I am thinking this should be a big boost for New Haven. It will also attract lots of creative people to the area.

CTartist · 07-01-2021, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JGBigGreen

I’m a huge fan of New Haven and YSD but I don’t see this being an appreciable boost for the city. It’s amazing news for the school but it’s unlikely the school will increase class sizes at all so not sure it will pass on any large benefit to the city.

Here is how I am looking at it.

In previous years if you had to pay full tuition to get into the Yale school of Drama it's not all about the talent level but who has the most money. Now the YSD can be more picky and get more talented students who apply. It's always a good thing to have more creative (or the most talented) individuals coming into your city/state/area. When the creative class comes......money follows.

"Geffen once taught a music industry seminar at Yale in the late 1970s"
https://deadline.com/2021/06/david-g...nts-1234784679

How many future moguls or wealthy actors, playwrights, producers etc. could be graduating out of the YSD because of this gift? I bet a lot would donate to the YSD also. That will always benefit New Haven.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The payoffs are already starting before the students come.

“I am incredibly excited for what’s to come,” Salovey said. “We would also like to be able to build a new home for the School, including a state-of-the-art facility for theater education and production. I am committed to making sure the students David Geffen will help us attract and support have the facilities they need for the full expression of their creativity.”
https://news.yale.edu/2021/06/30/gif...s-tuition-free

Without the burden of student debt I could see some of the students starting little experimental theatre companies or other things similar in New Haven

Now we just need a mogul to give the Yale School of Art a big endowment.

JGBigGreen · 07-01-2021, 12:35 PM

Again, it's definitely a boon for the School. Also, YSD has long been one of the premier drama schools in the world so it was already getting the most talented applicants and offering substantial financial aid awards to those who needed it. This will attract more applicants and allow for more economic diversity in the student body but you can't get too much more picky than a 5.4% acceptance rate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTartist

Here is how I am looking at it.

In previous years if you had to pay full tuition to get into the Yale school of Drama it's not all about the talent level but who has the most money. Now the YSD can be more picky and get more talented students who apply. It's always a good thing to have more creative (or the most talented) individuals coming into your city/state/area. When the creative class comes......money follows.

"Geffen once taught a music industry seminar at Yale in the late 1970s"
https://deadline.com/2021/06/david-g...nts-1234784679

How many future moguls or wealthy actors, playwrights, producers etc. could be graduating out of the YSD because of this gift? I bet a lot would donate to the YSD also. That will always benefit New Haven.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The payoffs are already starting before the students come.

“I am incredibly excited for what’s to come,” Salovey said. “We would also like to be able to build a new home for the School, including a state-of-the-art facility for theater education and production. I am committed to making sure the students David Geffen will help us attract and support have the facilities they need for the full expression of their creativity.”
https://news.yale.edu/2021/06/30/gif...s-tuition-free

Without the burden of student debt I could see some of the students starting little experimental theatre companies or other things similar in New Haven

Now we just need a mogul to give the Yale School of Art a big endowment.

Stepfordct · 07-01-2021, 03:56 PM

Unless they increase class size it won't have much effect, other than for the few students

robr2 · 07-01-2021, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdovell

It would be nice to see more TV and movie production in the area. I remember way back before the Great Recession they were planning for a film studio in Plymouth Mass. I'm not sure why they never Revisited the plans. There's plenty of places New England to film on location. Does Connecticut have film tax credits?

Plymouth Rock Studios was proposed for Plymouth, MA in 2008 and never got off the ground.

Southfield Studios was proposed for the South Weymouth Naval Air Station around 2009 and never materialized.

New England Studios opened in 2013 in Devens, MA on a portion of the old Ft. Devens. It has (4) 18,000 sq. ft. sound stages, 50,000 sq. ft. of support space, and full lighting and grip equipment.

CT does have film tax credits.