Many of our classmates were and are involved in live theater. For the last seven years Kelly Fowler Hunter has served as board president of New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW), an off-Broadway theater known for sending shows to Broadway and Tony- and Pulitzer-winning fame. NYTW is where Rent originated and shows such as Hadestown and others had their N.Y.C. premieres. Fun fact: Hadestown was workshopped at Dartmouth during a NYTW summer residency. Kelly became involved with NYTW through Dartmouth; she is also a trustee of the Hopkins Center and in the summer of 2011 the Hop’s director introduced her to the NYTW team in Hanover for its annual residency. Kelly writes that leading a theater during the pandemic has been a monumental challenge. She and her board have worked to preserve staff jobs without one single furlough and support artists and engage donors. They have also navigated the industry-wide social justice reckoning. Kelly writes that NYTW has survived and is stronger and more inclusive, producing exciting seasons once again. One of their more anticipated upcoming productions—Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along—will appear on NYTW’s stage in December and January and star none other than Daniel Radcliffe. Classmates should keep an eye out for a special Dartmouth-on-location event: Seats have been blocked for the January 7, 2023, evening performance and a pre-performance talk by Dartmouth’s professor of music and Sondheim expert Steve Swayne. I (Elliot) can vouch for Kelly’s experience, as I am a board member of Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago. The pandemic has seriously challenged theater companies, but it has also pushed them to embrace new technology. Virtual performances and programming have expanded audiences exponentially and made theater available to previously unserved and underserved audiences. Beth Wagshul Besen was very happy to see N.Y.C. theater re-open. In early 2020 she and her daughter had tickets for Six: The Musical, but before they could see it theaters everywhere closed due to the pandemic. After the lights of Broadway turned on again, Beth and her daughter repurchased tickets and enjoyed the show and appreciated on many levels being able to see theater in-person again. Connie Craig enjoyed her theater experience at Dartmouth and was saddened to hear about the recent passing of Dartmouth alum David Birney ’61, with whom she worked in Richard III at the Dartmouth summer repertory program our freshman summer. Connie describes David as passionate about theater—he frequently returned to the stage between television roles. Connie also writes that professor Errol Hill’s discipline, respect, and professional approach to play production has served her well. One of Connie’s favorite college memories was a drama department trip to see Othello at the Boston Conservatory Theatre because it was a compelling, riveting production, and Professor Hill arranged for a private backstage meeting with stars James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer. Susie Donovan and her sisters (also Dartmouth grads) recently took their parents to see A Beautiful Noise, the new musical about Neil Diamond, for their mother’s 90th birthday.

—Elliot Stultz, 421 West Melrose St., #8A, Chicago, IL 60657; elliotstultz@yahoo.com; Shanta Sullivan, 1541 North Sierra Bonita Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046; shantaesullivan@gmail.com