Dear Dartmouth community members,
I’m delighted to announce that Tony-nominated actor, comedian, and writer Rachel Dratch, Class of 1988, will be the speaker at this year’s Commencement on June 14.
Rachel is best known for her seven seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, where she wrote and performed from 1999 to 2006 alongside Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon, Fred Armisen, and many others.
Following formative experiences at Dartmouth with the improv comedy group Said and Done, Rachel first earned a place at Chicago’s famed Second City Theater, where she co-wrote and performed in four mainstage reviews. Her numerous television roles include 10 cameos on NBC's 30 Rock and appearances on Parks and Recreation, Inside Amy Schumer, Portlandia, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, King of Queens, Shameless, and And Just Like That. Among her film credits are Down with Love, Sisters, and the Hallmark movie parody A Clüsterfünke Christmas, which she co-wrote with Ana Gasteyer.
Rachel has acted in the New York stage productions Love’s Labour’s Lost at Shakespeare in the Park and Privacy at The Public Theater with Daniel Radcliffe. She was nominated for a Tony for her role as Stephanie in the 2022 Broadway production of POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, a farce about a White House public relations fiasco. She currently plays the narrator in a production of The Rocky Horror Show at Broadway's Studio 54.
Rachel will receive an honorary degree at Commencement, along with a number of other outstanding individuals whom we will announce later this week.
Best,
Sian Leah Beilock
President