Discover the vibrant arts and cultural scene of New Haven during the Yale Innovation Summit. Explore local galleries, performances, and special events that are taking place during the Yale Innovation Summit that celebrate the city’s creative energy and rich cultural landscape.

Yale University Art Gallery 

May 29, 10 am to 8 pm

The Gallery will remain open until 8 pm. During our extended evening hours, we encourage you to join one of our Highlights Tours conducted by our undergraduate Gallery Guides from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. These conversational tours focus on a selection of objects from the Gallery’s global collection, and no two students’ tours are the same. Additionally, you can explore our special exhibitions: David Goldblatt: No Ulterior Motive and Romney: Brilliant Contrasts in Georgian England.

Founded in 1832, the Gallery is the oldest university art museum in America. Today, it serves as a center for teaching, learning, and scholarship and is a preeminent cultural asset for Yale University, the wider academic community, and the public. The museum is open to all, free of charge, and is committed to engaging audiences through thoughtful, creative, and relevant exhibitions, programs, and publications.

Copenhagen

Yale Schwarzman Center |  May 29, 7 to 9 pm

Join us for a captivating presentation of Michael Frayn's Tony Award-winning play Copenhagen, the culminating event of the 2025 Yale Innovation Summit

Set in 1941, Copenhagen explores the enigmatic meeting between German physicist Werner Heisenberg and his Danish counterpart, Niels Bohr, amidst the backdrop of World War II. As former collaborators now on opposing sides, they grapple with the mysteries of quantum physics and the complexities of human relationships.

Sponsored by the Yale Quantum Institute (YQI) in recognition of the 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology this production marks the centennial of Heisenberg's Matrix Mechanics. Through the YQI Artist-in-Residence program, producer Florian Carle collaborates with director Vince Tycer and talented artists from Yale and UConn to bring this profound story to life.

For more information and to register, visit: Copenhagen

Unbecoming Tragedy by Long Wharf Theater 

 Yale Off-Broadway Theater @ 41 Broadway  | Run Dates: May 11 – June 1

What does it mean to reclaim your narrative? Stripped of everything but his imagination, a struggling actor transforms his prison cell into an unexpected stage. Unbecoming Tragedy: A Ritual Journey Toward Destiny is a gripping, poetic exploration of resilience, identity, and the redemptive power of storytelling. When all that remains is you—how do you rewrite your fate?

This groundbreaking world premiere is the culminating production of Long Wharf Theatre’s 60th Season and was developed through our New Works Initiative. Written and performed by New Haven artist Terrence Riggins, the piece draws from his lived experience as an artist in prison, where imagination became survival and storytelling became a form of liberation.
Presented in partnership with Collective Consciousness Theatre, Unbecoming Tragedy invites audiences into a transformative ritual—where theatre becomes a tool for reckoning, healing, and reclaiming power.

Creative Arts Workshop: At the Creative Arts Workshop, there is a special exhibition that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creative journey of Unbecoming Tragedy. It’s on view now through June 2.

A Personal Narrative Workshop (also in partnership with CAW) on May 27 from 6:30–8:30pm. Sign up at creativeartsworkshop.org.
  
Tickets Available Now:  Use code YALE35 at check-out for $35 tickets!