Brustein then decided to pursue a Ph.D in Jacobian Drama at Columbia. During this time, he travelled to England on a Fulbright Scholarship where he directed and began work as a critic.

Upon finishing his Ph.D, Brustein taught at Cornell University and Vassar College and finally returned to Yale in 1966 as Dean of the drama school that he had left years earlier.

"I had no intention of doing it, but my wife talked me into it," Brustein says. "It changed my life and my career."

At Yale, Brustein had more opportunities to act, mainly as an understudy.

As a professor, Brustein worked with students who have since become famous Hollywood stars. He taught Sigourney Weaver, Jane Fonda and Meryl Streep.

"I didn't think Jane Fonda had much of a future," Brustein says. "She was not able to tap into her emotions." Brustein says he called her "Frigid Jane."

In 1979, Brustein's term as Dean ended. He moved to Harvard with some members of the Yale Repertory, planning to start the ART.

"I love the Charles River," Brustein says "Harvard is a beautiful, glorious place."

He adds that the challenge of starting a theater in a city which had no major professional theater company enticed him to move to Boston.

Brustein says Bostonians are not generally receptive to theater. According to Brustein, Puritan severity and intolerance of the arts are still alive and well in the city.

Brustein praises Harvard undergraduates, however, for their commitment to the theater.

"Harvard undergraduates are incredibly active in the theater and energized by the theater," Brustein says.

Shaw, an anthropology concentrator, works with Brustein for her research tutorial, 91r.

"He's unbelievably easy to talk to," Shaw says. "He has been a great mentor to me."

Daniel Brustein said his father feels passionately about teaching and enjoys talking with students.

"Passing on his knowledge is one of the things that keeps him going," he says.