Entering the Workforce During Times of Crisis: Yale Entertainment Professionals Respond

Yale School of Drama Alumni Stephanie Ybarra, Rachel Rusch, Snehal Desai, Bess Wohl and Pun Bandhu will speak to the graduating class about lessons they learned while navigating a major national crisis as artists.

In 2001, Yale School of Drama students graduated into a country that would soon experience the attack on the World Trade Center. In 2008 they crossed the stage into a financial meltdown. Now, in 2020, students are graduating into a global health and economic crisis. How can they respond?

Join us for the inaugural webinar of DRAMA: Community for YSD Alum - an event facilitated by Pun Bandhu and Regina Bain.

Rachel Rusch Rich is EVP of Television at Bad Robot, JJ Abrams’s production company. At Bad Robot she has produced CASTLE ROCK for Hulu, and the forthcoming LITTLE VOICE on Apple and LOVECRAFT COUNTRY on HBO. She was previously Head of Event Series for Fox Broadcasting Company, where she oversaw limited series and live events, including the highly-rated live musical Grease: Live. Prior to this, she has also overseen production for Amazon’s hit drama series, Bosch, FX’s The Americans, The Killing for AMC/Netflix, and USA’s White Collar and Sirens.

Pun Bandhu is an award-winning actor and producer. In Theatre, he has acted on and off Broadway as well as across the regions; guest starred on numerous TV shows such as FBI, BLINDSPOT, and GOTHAM; and appeared in Oscar nominated films including MICHAEL CLAYTON, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? and THE REPORT. As an advocate, Pun co-founded the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) which publishes the only publicly available statistics on racial representation on NYC stages. He also produces theatre and film through his company, ZenDog Productions, and serves on the Yale School of Drama Board of Advisors.

Stephanie Ybarra is the Artistic Director of Baltimore Center Stage. Stephanie Ybarra began her tenure as Artistic Director of Baltimore Center Stage in 2018 after serving seven years as Director of Special Artistic Projects for The Public Theater in New York. Recent awards and honors include the 2018 Nation Builder Award from the National Black Caucus of State Legislators as well as being counted among the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 2019 YBCA 100. She is on faculty at The Juilliard School and serves on the boards of The Make Believe Association and Citizen University.

Snehal Desai is the Producing Artistic Director of East West Players, the nation's largest Asian-American theater company. He serves on the boards of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA) and Theater Communications Group (TCG). As an artistic leader, he has sought to raise awareness on social issues that affect Angelenos by personalizing them through storytelling. A Soros Fellow and the recipient of a Tanne Award, Snehal is on the faculty of USC's graduate program in Arts Leadership.

Regina Bain is on the Yale Board of Governors and a founding member of DRAMA: Community for YSD Alum. She graduated from Yale College and the Yale School of Drama as an actress and is now the Associate Vice President of The Posse Foundation. She is the host of The DRAMA Podcast - profiles about Yale School of Drama Alumni and discussions about art, politics, identity, entrepreneurship, education and the stories that make up a life.