The "Dramat" produced the American premieres of Albert Camus's Caligula and Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida, as well as original works by Cole Porter, Stephen Vincent Benét, and Thornton Wilder written when they were students.

In 1966, under Dean Robert Brustein, the Yale Repertory Theatre was formed to establish further ties between the professional and academic communities.

Lloyd Richards, dean and artistic director from 1979 to 1991, increased the theatre's emphasis on new plays, premiering works by Athol Fugard, Lee Blessing, and August Wilson.

Richards' successor as dean and artistic director, Stan Wojewodski Jr., continued to emphasize the production of new plays, including several important works by Suzan-Lori Parks and Theatre de la Jeune Lune.

Additional facilities include the Iseman Theater in Holcombe T. Green Jr. Hall, the School of Drama Annex, and the Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library.

[6] In June 2021, Yale announced a $150 million donation from David Geffen that would permanently cover the costs of tuition for all admitted students.

[12] Patricia Clarkson, Tony Shalhoub, Kate Burton, David Alan Grier, Christopher Durang, and Wendy Wasserstein, among countless others, all performed at the Cabaret.

[15] Acting department faculty include Gregory Wallace, Ron Van Lieu, Erica Fae, Christopher Bayes, Cynthia Santos-DeCure, Tlaloc Rivas, Walton Wilson, and Tamilla Woodard, who also serves as chair of the program.

Playwrights include John Guare, Michael Korie, Lisa Kron, Tina Landau, Richard Nelson, Lynn Nottage, Peter Parnell, Adam Rapp, Paula Vogel, and Derek Walcott.

[16] Former faculty includes dancer/choreographer Carmen de Lavallade, set designer Ming Cho Lee, actor Earle Gister and directors Robert Brustein, F. Curtis Canfield, Keith Fowler, and Nikos Psacharopoulos.