News Category: Community News

By Shannon Musgrave

Megan Hilty knew it was going to take a special project to get her back to Broadway. Between raising a young family in Los Angeles and understanding the grueling eight-shows-a-week schedule, she knew she wouldn’t go back for just anything. Enter “Death Becomes Her” — the musical remake of the 1992 cult classic film that starred Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn.

“When this show came along,” Hilty said, “my husband and I looked at each other and went, ‘Oh, I think this is it!’”

Her starring role as Madeline Ashton (Streep’s role in the film) has indeed been a triumphant Broadway return for Hilty, a 2004 graduate of the School of Drama. She has earned a Tony nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical and a Drama League Award nomination for Distinguished Performance. The show racked up 10 Tony nominations in all, including Best Musical, and is being hailed by critics and audiences alike as musical comedy at its finest. 

But as Hilty will attest, comedy is hard. The only time she has during the show’s two and a half hour run to actually sit down and breathe is at intermission for a whopping three and half minutes. 

Yes, she timed it. 

If she’s not on stage singing and dancing, she’s just offstage, frantically changing costumes, wigs and makeup. With the help of two dressers and a hair supervisor (Team Mad as they call themselves), Hilty describes the business backstage as a show all its own. She estimates she wears over 20 costumes throughout the show — designed by former School of Drama faculty Paul Tazewell, a Tony and Oscar-winning costume designer.

So, what was it about this particular project that lured Hilty back from the West Coast? She recognized right away how great the material was, but as importantly, she was immediately won over by the kindness and respect shown by the entire creative team — to her, and to each other. 

“We spend such an intense time together in building these shows that at my age, that has become the most important thing,” Hilty said, “making sure that I’m surrounded by people who are kind and respectful on top of their talent.”

One of those people is Kaleigh Cronin, a member of the show’s ensemble and an understudy for both Hilty’s and co-star Jennifer Simard’s leading-lady roles. Cronin is a 2011 graduate of the School of Drama, and “Death Becomes Her” marks her first time working professionally with Hilty, but not the first time they’ve crossed paths. When Cronin was a student, Hilty came back to campus as a guest artist and Cronin sang for her. 

“I remember she was incredible,” Hilty said. “I don’t remember exactly what I said, but it was something like, ‘I have nothing to say. I can’t wait to see you in New York!’ And here we are, working very closely together.”

Cronin remembers her younger self being quite star struck in that moment.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, the Megan Hilty!’ I just totally worshipped her,” she said. “And now, here I am getting to hang out with her on a daily basis, admiring her from 2 feet away on stage, and sometimes getting to step into her shoes.”

Stepping into Hilty’s shoes is no small feat. Cronin went on in the Madeline Ashton role for the show’s second and third preview performances and said it was one of the most difficult things she has ever done.

“The fact that Megan does that eight times a week,” Cronin said, “… she’s superhuman. She’s incredible.”

And the feeling is mutual. Hilty knows firsthand the heavy lift of understudies and standbys. Her first job after graduating CMU was standing by for the role of Glinda in “Wicked” on Broadway (written by fellow alumnus Stephen Schwartz). 

“It’s a really tough job to be an understudy or a standby, feeling like you’re stepping into someone else’s shoes, but also honoring who you are and what you bring to the role,” Hilty said. “Kaleigh does it with a grace that not many have. I’m deeply grateful for not only how prepared and talented she is, but how she conducts herself on the human side of it, too. She’s extraordinary.”

Hilty even posted a tribute on her Instagram the first time Cronin went on as Madeline, writing: “To anyone heading to the Lunt-Fontanne for this evening’s performance of ‘Death Becomes Her,’ you are in for a very special night. The incredibly talented Kaleigh Cronin will be making her debut as Madeline Ashton and tonight’s audience will have the distinct pleasure of witnessing this brilliant star shine.”

“It was the classiest, most lovely, wonderful thing,” Cronin said. “She did not have to do that, but she did and it brought tears to my eyes. It made me feel so safe to know that I had her support.”

That kind of support runs deep among School of Drama alumni. One of the hallmarks of the program is its vast and closely connected alumni community. East Coast to West Coast, on stage and behind the scenes, they continue to champion each other and give back to current students. 

In her time at CMU, Hilty recalls visits from alumni such as Schwartz, Zachary Quinto and Billy Porter. 

“It was so impactful to hear from them, so I always want to come back, any time I’m asked,” she said.

Cronin was in New York City with her father when she found out she had been accepted to Carnegie Mellon. They had tickets to see “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” featuring CMU alumnus Josh Gad. After the performance, they waited to say hello to him at the stage door, where Cronin’s father told him she had just been accepted to Carnegie Mellon. Gad talked with them for 20 minutes all about the School of Drama and its incredible training. This past April, when Gad saw “Death Becomes Her,” Cronin got the chance to recount that story, telling him of the impact he had on her decision to attend CMU.

Hilty and Cronin are not the only talented Tartans working on “Death Becomes Her.” The design team boasts several more alumni, including sound designer (and Tony nominee) Peter Hylenski, associate sound designer Dan Miele, associate scenic designer Erica Hemminger, and costume coordinator Evan Riley. 

“Our alumni are not only the most talented people I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching or working with, but they’re also so kind and so generous with their time,” Cronin said. “When I think of my favorite people in this business, a lot of them went to Carnegie Mellon.”

By Shannon Musgrave

During his freshman year in the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University, Josh Gad took the “Freshman Curse Challenge” and signed his name to a wall backstage in the Kresge Theater. Legend had it that those who signed the wall in their freshman year would not make it through the (now extinct) “cut system,” in which certain students were cut from the program if professors didn’t think they were making enough progress. Fortunately, the cut system was eventually cut, and fortunately, Josh Gad was not. He graduated in 2003 and went on to build a prolific and eclectic career on stage and in film and television, as an actor, writer and producer. 

Gad recently returned to campus to work with current acting students and to take a stroll down memory lane. His newly released memoir, “In Gad We Trust,” details his time as a student at CMU and his experience grappling with the famously (or, infamously?) rigorous conservatory training within the School of Drama. And while times have changed, and some faculty have come and gone, the rigor and discipline of the training are alive and well.

“CMU has the best actors on the planet,” Gad emphatically stated after watching a classroom scene from “The Importance of Being Earnest” starring junior actors Greyson Taylor and Grant Pace. He spent two hours coaching six comedy scenes on the morning of his visit, helping students extract every bit of humor from the page. 

“Never leave one second of a scene unmined for potential comedy,” he told them. 

Gad works with juniors Greyson Taylor (center) and Grant Pace (right) on a scene from “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde.

Gad gives notes to junior actor Darrion Brown on his scene from “Time Flies” by David Ives.

Gad helps juniors Lily Cline (left) and Kylie Edwards (right) find every laugh in their scene from “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde.

It’s clear that comedy is in his veins. With just a slight pause or sidewise glance, he had the room in stitches. In his book, Gad attributes this proclivity for making people laugh to a difficult time in his childhood, when his father left the family. The only way he could think to help his grieving mother was to make her laugh. “Comedy equals tragedy plus time,” as the old adage goes. 

In the afternoon, Gad worked with the senior acting class on their filmed scenes for Showcase, which is an annual opportunity for graduating students to be seen by agents, managers and casting directors in New York and Los Angeles. Acting for the Camera is a class taught by Randy Kovitz, who also taught Gad when he was a student, though this specific class did not yet exist. Gad was delighted to know that students are now learning the art and craft of acting on camera, as it was something he had to learn “on the job.” 

Josh Gad works with senior Sean Hodges in Acting for the Camera class.

Photo by Louis Stein

L to R: Edward Patrick, Sean Hodges, Randy Kovitz, Josh Gad, Jack Ducat, Ella Noriega, Evan Vines, Reynaldo Quintana

Josh Gad and Randy Kovitz watch students’ work in Acting for the Camera class.

Photo by Louis Stein

Jack Ducat, a current senior in the acting program, said the time Gad spent with them was invaluable. 

“Getting to work with and observe Josh Gad in the classroom was the most inspired I have felt during my time at Carnegie Mellon,” Ducat said. “He has always been someone I have looked up to, and someone whose career I would dream of having.” 

But it wasn’t just the hard skills and industry tips that had an impact on Ducat; even more meaningful was the humanity and authenticity that Gad brought to the work. 

“He spoke about experiences that he had at my age,” said Ducat. “I had very deep connections to some of what he spoke about, and it made me feel that there was a place for me in this industry.”

Gad ended his campus visit with an onstage Q&A facilitated by School of Drama professor and chair of the acting and music theater program, Rick Edinger. Gad was open and honest about his own mental health struggles during his time as a student, and the challenge of being true to himself as an artist and a human being. So many of the anecdotes he shared from his own life came back to that lesson: know thyself, and to thine own self be true.

He talked about battling imposter syndrome and said that only now, at age 44, does he feel like he’s really figuring out how to act. His lived experiences are becoming deeper and more authentic and he is still always learning.

“Every time I’m on set, I’m back at Carnegie Mellon,” Gad said. “I’m always learning and studying.”

The School of Drama’s alumni network is one of its hallmarks and greatest strengths. It’s something that prospective and current students consistently point to as a reason for choosing CMU. There is a deep connection and bond among those who have gone through this program, and alumni play a large and impactful role in nurturing the next generation of Tartan talent. 

“When given the opportunity to build alumni relationships, it begins to take the mindset out of the classroom and into the real world,” said Ducat. “As I am about to graduate, getting to work with and hear perspectives from someone who has experienced both this program and the world far beyond, reminds me how close and accessible the professional world is. When I meet alumni, I’m reminded of how possible this career really could be.” 

Gad is a shining example of how talent, training and truth make for a thriving – and hilarious – career. Read more about his life and work in “In Gad We Trust,” available now at your favorite bookstore. 

By Shannon Musgrave

Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama alumnus Stephen Schwartz has earned his ninth Academy Award nomination, this time for the original score of the box office smash “Wicked,” based on the musical written by Schwartz and Winnie Holzman. Schwartz shares the nomination with John Powell, with whom he composed the score for the film.

Schwartz graduated from the School of Drama in 1968 and received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from CMU in 2015. His distinguished career, composing for film and stage, has garnered three Academy Awards, four Grammys, four Drama Desk Awards, the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award, and many more. Through it all, Schwartz has continued to be a champion and mentor for students and alumni of the School of Drama. He has often returned to lead master classes in music theater and auditioning, and in 2013, 2018 and 2023, he was the featured composer for the school’s annual cabaret.

“Wicked” has not only been a box office success on the big screen. In its more than 21 years on Broadway, it has grossed $1.7 billion and played to nearly 15 million audience members, according to BroadwayWorld. Many alumni from the School of Drama have been part of “Wicked” on Broadway and in touring productions over the years, and it continues to have strong Tartan ties.

“Wicked” racked up a total of 10 nominations, including Best Picture; the only film to receive more nominations is “Emilia Pérez” with a total of 13. It was also recognized for the performances of Cynthia Erivo (Actress in a Leading Role) and Ariana Grande (Actress in a Supporting Role), costume design by Paul Tazewell (former faculty in the School of Drama’s costume design program), production design, film editing, sound, visual effects, and makeup and hairstyling.

The 97th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025. The show will be broadcast on ABC, and for the first time, it will also be available to stream live on Hulu.