Juilliard and Yale Acting Experts Will Discuss AI and the Art of Acting in April

Three theater specialists and authors, Evan Yionoulis, Bill Connington, and Ron Carlos, will take part in a panel discussion at the New York Society Library on Thursday, April 23rd, 2026. This lively discussion will feature topics on the current state of theater and film, the acting profession, and how AI will never be able to replace humanity in the arts. All three panelists have taught in the prestigious graduate acting program at Yale University, and Evan is currently the Richard Rogers Dean and Director of the Drama Division at the Juilliard School.

For hundreds of years, audiences have been fascinated by actors and acting. Whether in a Broadway musical, Shakespearean tragedy, or the latest satiric comedy, audiences have marveled at how actors do what they do. The process by which actors act remains mysterious to many. At the heart of that mystery lies one essential element: actor training. The NY Society Library panelists will talk in depth about that training and about the discipline of professional performance.

All three panelists have written books for the Acting Essentials book series, published by Methuen Drama/Bloomsbury. Their Acting Essentials books will be offered for sale: Listening and Talking: A Pathway to Acting by Evan Yionoulis, Introduction to the Alexander Technique: A Practical Guide for Actors by Bill Connington, and Speechwork for Actors: An Inclusive Approach by Ron Carlos.

The event will be held on Thursday April 23rd, at 6pm at the New York Society Library. Register for the event HERE.

Biographies

Ron Carlos is a voice, speech, dialect coach, and former lecturer in acting at the graduate acting school at Yale University. He is a graduate of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. Ron's work has been seen at The Public Theater, MCC, New York Theater Workshop, Yale Repertory Theater, Hartford Stage, The American Repertory Theater, Alley Theater, and on CBS, Fox, HBO/Max, Showtime, and Starz.

Bill Connington is an award-winning actor, filmmaker, and writer. He is the book series editor for Acting Essentials (Methuen Drama/Bloomsbury) and the recipient of the George Pierce Baker Award from the graduate school of acting at Yale University, where he is a lecturer in acting. Bill has produced and acted in the films Love, Repeat, and Poughkeepsie is for Lovers. He is the former Chairman of the Board of the American Center for the Alexander Technique, and is a graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Evan Yionoulis, an Obie award-winning director and nationally recognized teacher of acting, is Juilliard's Richard Rodgers Dean and Director of the Drama Division. She came to Juilliard after 20 years on the faculty of Yale School of Drama and as resident director at Yale Repertory Theatre. She is a Princess Grace Award recipient and has served as the president of the executive board of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.