Washington Square News: Grad Acting professor embraces ‘radical joy’ for Broadway directorial debut

The Grad Acting department is pleased to share a recent profile from the Washington Square News, written by Deputy Managing Editor Ethan Li, highlighting Grad Acting co-head Brandon J. Dirden and students from the Class of 2027. 

"Tisch professor Brandon J. Dirden has had a busy year. In May, he received a Tony Award nomination for his role in the play “Waiting for Godot” alongside Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. But Dirden, who is the co-head of acting at the Tisch School of the Arts’ Graduate Acting program, still hasn’t had time to fully process the honor. Since last fall, he has been involved with directing a new adaptation of “The Imaginary Invalid,” an over 300-year-old French farce which he workshopped at NYU in April."

"Last October, Irwin brought up “The Imaginary Invalid” and asked Dirden if his students could read it aloud. Dirden had to decline due to a lack of time, but promised to direct a full production in the spring at NYU’s Shubert Theatre.

Staging “The Imaginary Invalid” with a group of second-year Grad Acting students who had already developed a tight friendship allowed Dirden to fully play with Molière’s ensemble comedy. Dirden felt that the cast of eight all had to be equally important and committed to telling this story. He aimed to continue that sense of community on a much larger stage.

“The spirit of the play is still true, from the NYU production to the Broadway production,” Dirden said."

Read the full article at the link below.