Paulus Gets Tony Nomination for ‘Hair’

Diane Paulus ’87—the recently-appointed Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theatre, which operates out of Harvard’s Loeb Drama Center— was nominated Wednesday for a prestigious Tony Award for her direction of the musical “Hair.”

“I had always been a ‘Hair’ fanatic. I had grown up listening to the cast album and always wanted to work on the show,” Paulus said.

When asked by the Public Theater in New York City to direct the musical, Paulus said she “was totally excited about taking on the project.”

“Hair” was written in the 1960s by James Rado and George Ragne, with musical composition by Galt MacDermot. It follows the story of “The Tribe,” a group of politically active, long-haired Greenwich Village friends whose rebellion against the conservatism of their parents’ generation leads to struggles with racism, sex, and war.

After its debut, the show morphed from an off-Broadway avant-garde production to Broadway’s first rock musical that invited audiences on-stage for the finale.

“‘Hair’ exemplifies what I believe theater should be. It’s about a true community of performers and audiences,” Paulus said. “I would look at what I’m doing with ‘Hair’ as the general vision that I want to bring to the A.R.T.”

The sense of communication between actors and audience shines throughout the Broadway performance, said Jordan A. Reddout ’10, one of 50 students who traveled to New York City in March on an Office of Fine Arts-sponsored trip to see “Hair.”

“Every five or 10 minutes, the actors on stage would sing or yell or direct some of their lines at us,” Reddout said. “At one point, I think they even stole an [audience member’s] hat.”

According to former president of the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club Alison B. Kline ’09, Paulus’ tenure at the A.R.T. has thus far reflected a similar emphasis on interactivity.

“She cares a lot about the community and the audience. For her, it’s not just about staging a play and bringing an audience,” Kline said. “It’s about connecting with the people that the play’s trying to bring in.”

Prior to her Tony nomination for this musical, Paulus’ productions have garnered several Off-Broadway Theater (“Obie”) Awards.

Paulus graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard with a B.A. in Social Studies.

As an undergraduate, Paulus said that she was very involved in the drama scene and regularly attended productions at the A.R.T., an experience that she called “deeply inspiring.”

“Hair” has been nominated for a total of eight Tony awards this year, including Best Actor and Best Revivals of a Musical. The 2009 ceremony will be held on June 7.

—Staff writer Manning Ding can be reached at ding3@fas.harvard.edu.