Juilliard has named an interim leadership team for its school of drama, including former faculty members and artistic advisor Laura Linney.

This interim plan, which will take effect at the end of this academic year, comes as Evan Yionoulis is ending her eight-year tenure as Richard Rodgers Dean and Director of the Drama Division and moving to head up the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. A search committee is currently being established to find the next permanent dean. 

Ara Guzelimian, who was provost at Juilliard from 2007 to 2020 and previously senior director and artistic advisor at Carnegie Hall, will take over her post and return as the interim Richard Rodgers Dean and Director of the Drama Division.

Faculty members Richard Feldman, Jenny Lord and alum Jimonn Cole will work together as interim co-associate dean and directors, working with students on the first three years of scene study and providing artistic support and student mentorship for the next academic year.

Linney, a Juilliard trustee and drama alum, will serve as an artistic advisor to the drama division. 

“As we begin the search for a new Richard Rodgers Dean and Director of the Drama Division, I am greatly appreciative of each of our interim leaders for their dedication, expertise, and shared commitment to advancing the division’s legacy of artistic excellence,” said provost Adam Meyer. “Ara brings deep knowledge of the division and the school at large to this unique moment of transition; Richard, Jenny, and Jimonn each possess a profound understanding of their craft and clear focus on the needs of the students; and Laura will provide critical artistic guidance to the interim leadership.”

Subscribe Sign Up