Northwestern celebrates 22 years as a top Fulbright producer
February 4, 2026
In the nearly 50 years since actor Richard Kind graduated from Northwestern, his voice has become unmistakable.
Now, the man who gave voice to characters in hit animated films such as “Inside Out” and “A Bug’s Life” will bring that signature sound back to the Evanston campus as the voice of “The Book” in the Wirtz Center’s production of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
For Kind, this role marks a meaningful homecoming. His theatrical journey began at Northwestern in the mid-1970s, where he performed in off-campus productions and found early encouragement from the late Frank Galati, a renowned director and professor of performance studies.
In the winter issue of Northwestern Magazine, Kind says when he expressed doubts about his future as an actor, Galati told him not to quit and give theater a try.
Kind recalls Galati telling him, “Maybe you’ll be successful. Maybe you won’t.”
Richard Kind’s everyman sensibility makes him the perfect guide through this razor-sharp satire.
Since graduating from Northwestern in 1978, Kind did find a lot of success. He made a name for himself on Broadway and in Hollywood, scoring numerous supporting, but memorable roles in “Mad About You,” “Law and Order: SVU,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Only Murders in the Building,” along with dozens of other series. Kind has reinvented himself many times over his long career and it’s that spirit of creative risk that lives at the heart of “How to Succeed.”
The musical is a fast-paced satire skewering corporate ambition, office politics and the absurdities of workplace culture. It first premiered on Broadway in 1961 and was famously revived in a 1995 production starring Matthew Broderick and Northwestern alumna Megan Mullally.
As “The Book,” Kind plays the ultimate corporate authority who is confident, opinionated and just smug enough to be funny. Kind joins some very notable names who’ve taken on the voice over role, including legendary CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite and CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
“Kind’s everyman sensibility is exactly what makes him the perfect guide through the razor-sharp satire of ‘How to Succeed’,” said Tanya Palmer, executive artistic director and associate dean for the School of Communication’s Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts.
“Kind’s performance adds the kind of humor and edge we need to bring this classical musical to our current moment,” said director Christopher Michael Richardson.
Kind recorded “The Book” voice over role exclusively for the Northwestern production, which runs from Friday, Feb. 20 through Sunday, March 1 in the Ethel M. Barber Theater. Learn more about the show and get tickets now.
