THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DRAMA
The mission of The New School for Drama is to transform aspiring artists into theater professionals. In its integrated three-year MFA program in acting, directing, and playwriting, students develop a sense of themselves both as artists and as individuals. Practical training is emphasized alongside theory, and students hone their skills by drawing on a combination of disciplines under the guidance of a faculty of working professionals. Students and faculty from all three degree programs collaborate in team-taught workshops paralleling the real-world experience of writing, directing, and performing a new play. Students also develop skills through professionally directed productions, an annual one-act festival, and seminars with artists-in-residence like actor John Turturro, playwright John Patrick Shanley, and director Doug Hughes. From the school’s location in Greenwich Village, students take advantage of the vast resources of the New York theater scene—from participating in festivals and competitions to working and establishing connections in the industry to seeing Broadway plays and avant-garde performance pieces.
Academics In The New School for Drama’s progressive program, students develop a foundation of skills in the first year, explore technical craftsmanship in the second year, and finish by writing, directing, and acting in fully staged productions, as well as developing a business plan for their transition from students to professional artists. In the last semester, actors and playwrights participate in showcases designed to introduce them to industry professionals.
While the Acting program is rooted in the techniques of Stanislavski, students practice other approaches as well. Exploring movement theories such as the Alexander and Meisner techniques, each actor discovers the method (or combination of methods) that works best for him or her. Playwrights are challenged to become courageous, informed writers who can support themselves professionally. In addition to building a portfolio of written works, they also train in real-world conditions. Through one-act festivals, main stage productions, and workshops, playwrights develop their scripts in rehearsal and benefit from seeing and hearing and their work directed and performed. Directors at The New School for Drama develop an understanding of story and learn how to conceive and create visionary theater through main stage and one-act productions developed alongside their classmates.
Each year, The New School for Drama welcomes guest artists and an artist-in-residence. Joe Mantello was named artist-in-residence for the 2010–2011 academic year. Mantello’s directing credits include the wildly popular Wicked, as well as Assassins and Take Me Out, each of which earned him a Tony Award for directing. As an actor, Mantello earned a Tony nomination for his performance in Angels in America. Previous artists-in-residence include John Robin Biatz, playwright of The Substance of Fire and Three Hotels and creator of the TV hit Brothers and Sisters; actor John Turturro, whose career of notable roles has spanned from Barton Fink to Margot at the Wedding; Doug Hughes, director of Doubt, Frozen, and the revival of Inherit the Wind; and playwright John Patrick Shanley, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2005 Tony Award for Best Play for Doubt. In addition, students benefit from master classes with acclaimed performers like Olympia Dukakis, Kristin Chenoweth, and Bill Irwin.
Students and Faculty The New School for Drama enrolls actors, directors, and playwrights from all over the world. Under the leadership of renowned actor and MCC Theater artistic director Robert LuPone, a faculty made up of successful artists train students to become professional artists and help them negotiate the notoriously fickle theater industry. The faculty includes Acting chair Ron Leibman, Directing chair Elinor Renfield, Playwriting chair Pippin Parker, Christopher Shinn, Frank Pugliese, Arthur Storch, and Michael Weller.
Notable Alumni New School for Drama alumni have gone on to win acclaim in their fields. In 2007, Xanthe Elbrick (’06, Acting) was nominated for Tony and Drama Desk awards for her performance in Coram Boy. Playwrights continue to win top honors in the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Original Short Play Festival. Three plays by New School Drama students and alumni have receive top honors: Juniper; Jubilee by Janine Nabers ’08; F**king Art by Bekah Brunstetter ’07, whose work Sick also took the top prize in 2006; and The Grave by Gabe McKinley ’09. All three plays have been licensed and published by Samuel French, Inc.
History The New School’s involvement with the dramatic arts began in the 1940s, when exiled German stage director Erwin Piscator launched the Dramatic Workshop. Piscator, a leader of the Weimar-era theater in Berlin, developed a one- of-a-kind acting school and staged many socially and politically informed productions that were presented at The New School and several Broadway theaters. The workshop featured artists who would become some of the most illustrious figures in American theater, Students included Tennessee Williams, Marlon Brando, Walter Matthau, Shelley Winters, and Elaine Stritch; legendary acting teachers Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg were two of its first faculty members.
Since 1994, The New School has built on this legacy in the dramatic arts through its innovative MFA program, which combines the rigor of conservatory training with the resources of a comprehensive university and the opportunity for collaboration across disciplines.
For more information, visit www.drama.newschool.edu.
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