On the Musical Theatre majors forum, there is a discussion about the ‘Big 10’ colleges that performers currently (as of 9/15) on Broadway attended. Someone said it would be good to have a similar list for plays.
So, I looked for the current Broadway PLAYS (I went back to the fall of 2015 and forward by a couple of months–if the casting has been announced) and here’s what I found. Several got their MFAs so I indicated whether it was an MFA or bachelor’s degree when I could, since we’re focused on our kids’ bachelor degrees right now. Also, there were a number of them who didn’t list colleges in their bios. I googled them and when there wasn’t a quick link to say which college, I put them on a ‘no college/none listed’ list.
NYU
Ben Horner (Curious Incident; BFA Stella Adler/Experimental Group; MFA Yale School of Drama)
Kathryn Erbe (The Father)
Brian Avers (The Father; BFA Marymount Manhattan, MFA NYU)
Rosie Benton (Curious Incident; MFA NYU)
Frank Wood (Hughie; BA Wesleyan; MFA NYU)
Pascale Armand (Eclipsed; BA Georgetown University, MFA NYU)
Jeremy Shamos (Noises Off ; MFA NYU)
Pippa Pearthree (Noises Off)
Greg Keller (Our Mother’s Brief Affair; BA Connecticut College, MFA NYU)
Yale School of Drama
Mercedes Herrero (Curious Incident; MFA Yale)
Ben Horner (Curious Incident; BFA NYU, MFA Yale)
Tiffany Rachelle Stewart (Curious Incident; MFA Yale)
Lupita N’yongo (Eclipsed; BA Hampshire College; MFA Yale)
Liz Wisan (The Father; BA Skidmore, MFA Yale)
Juilliard
Enid Graham (Curious Incident)
Charles Borland (The Father)
Steven Boyer (Hand to God)
Alex Sharp (Curious Incident)
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Ben Whishaw (The Crucible)
Sophie Okonedo (The Crucible)
UNCSA
Tyler Lea (Curious Incident)
Mary-Louise Parker (Heisenberg)
Northwestern
Meredith Forlenza (Noises Off)
Kate Arrington (Our Mother’s Brief Affair)
Connecticut college
Greg Keller (Our Mother’s Brief Affair; BA Connecticut, MFA NYU)
Georgetown University
Pascale Armand (Eclipsed; BA Georgetown; MFA NYU)
Marymount Manhattan
Brian Avers (The Father; Bachelor’s Marymount; MFA NYU)
National Theatre School of Canada
Benjamin Wheelwright (Curious Incident)
College of William and Mary
Linda Lavin (Our Mother’s Brief Affair)
Columbia College
Michael Oberholtzer (Hand to God)
Mount Holyoke College
Geneva Carr (Hand to God)
Oberlin College
Hannah Cabell (The Father)
Skidmore
Liz Wisan (The Father; BA, Skidmore, MFA Yale)
Florida Atlantic University
Marc Kudisch (Hand to God)
SUNY Purchase
Keren Dukes (Curious Incident)
Hampshire College
Lupita N’yongo (Eclipsed; BA Hampshire; MFA Yale)
WA Academy of Performing Arts
Tim Wright (Curious Incident)
Wesleyan University
Frank Wood (Hughie)
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Akosua Busia (Eclipsed)
American Conservatory Theatre—San Francisco
Lauren Klein (The Humans; MFA)
Columbia University
Sarah Steele (The Humans)
St. Malachy’s College
Ciaran Hinds (The Crucible)
University of Minnesota
Jessica Lange (did not graduate; Long Day’s Journey Into Night)
University College Dublin
Gabriel Byrne (Long Day’s Journey into Night)
CUNY Macauley Honors College
Colby Minifie (Long Day’s Journey Into Night)
American Musical and Dramatic Academy
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Fully Committed)
Emerson College
Andrea Martin (Noises Off)
Salem State College
Tracee Chimo (Noises Off)
Appalachian State University
David Furr (Noises Off)
Lawrence University
Campbell Scott (Noises Off)
Arkansas Arts Center
Daniel Davis (Noises Off)
University of Pennsylvania
Kate Jennings Grant (Noises Off)
Carnegie Mellon University
Megan Hilty (Noises Off)
Montclair State University
Rob McClure (did not graduate; Noises Off)
Rutgers Mason Gross
Jonathan Fielding (Noises Off; BFA TCU, MFA RMG)
Texas Christian University
Jonathan Fielding (Noises Off; BFA TCU, MFA RMG)
Syracuse University
Frank Langella (The Father)
No college (or no college found)
Andrew Long (Curious Incident)
Saoirse Ronan (The Crucible)
Michael Shannon (Long Day’s Journey into Night)
John Gallagher, Jr. (Long Day’s Journey into Night)
Bill Buell (Noises Off)
John Procaccino (Our Mother’s Brief Affair)
Denis Arnt (Heisenberg)
Sarah Stiles (Hand to God)
Nancy Robinette (Curious Incident)
Richard Hollis (Curious Incident)
David Manis (Curious Incident)
Stephanie Roth Haberle (Curious Incident)
Tom Patrick Stephens (Curious Incident)
Forest Whitaker (Hughie)
Peter Bradbury (Hughie)
Zainab Jah (Eclipsed)
Saycon Sengbloh (Eclipsed)
Jeff Daniels (Blackbird)
Michelle Williams (Blackbird)
Cassie Beck (The Humans)
Reed Birney (The Humans)
Jayne Houdyshell (The Humans)
Arian Moayed (The Humans)
That being said, for the rest of this season, there are two Bway plays and four musicals opening (season ends at the end of this month for Tony consideration)–and one of those plays has only one cast member! I’ll post as they open (American Psycho opens tonight, but that’s for the musicals forum)