Letter to Prospective Students
Dear Friend:
Thank you for your interest in the Ph.D. Program in Theatre
at the CUNY Graduate Center. Located on Fifth Avenue, across the
corner from the Empire State Building, our Program is uniquely
situated to take a broad view of theatre studies and theatre
practice (intellectually and geographically).
We're just a subway stop or short
bus ride from Broadway, where you will find so many
theatres (and the half-priced tickets line); and within walking
distance of the current redevelopment of the old theatre
district on 42nd Street, as well as the off-Broadway bonanza of
Theatre Row. We’re also only a short subway ride from the downtown
performance scene, in which LaMama, the WOW Café, Theatre for
the New City, Henry Street Settlement, Dixon Place, the Knitting
Factory, the Kitchen, the Ridiculous Theatre, Here, P.S. 122,
and other producing organizations house some of the most
important, groundbreaking current American performance; and a
slightly longer $2.00 subway ride to the Brooklyn Academy of
Music, which offers one of the most distinguished avant-garde
subscription series in the United States. These and more are the
theatre- and performance-going experiences on which your Ph.D.
scholarship at CUNY can draw.
In addition to the theatre events that contribute to the
vitality of our Program, our curriculum is rich and varied. Of
the 60 credits necessary for graduation, only 12 are required.
Each entering student takes this core curriculum, a four-course
sequence in theatre historiography, literature, theory, and
research and bibliography. Rather than a survey of content,
however, our core courses are taught as seminars, focusing on
methodologies with which to think about history, for example,
and on pedagogy, so that students can gather ideas about how to
teach theory and play structure.
After the core curriculum, students may take advantage of the
numerous course offerings in other disciplines, opting to focus,
for instance, on the interdisciplinary research that's very much
influencing academic thought and institutional structures
currently. Formal interdisciplinary study is available in
American Studies, Cultural Studies, and Nineteenth-Century
Studies; certificate programs, in which Ph.D. students may
choose to take a formal four-course sequence in an allied field,
are offered in Medieval, Renaissance, Women's, and Film Studies.
The Film Studies certificate program is offered under the
auspices of the Theatre Program, which facilitates a close
relationship between these disciplines. Minoring in Film
Studies, or even focusing on cinema as a dissertation or
qualifying examination topic, may open more career and teaching
options.
The CUNY Graduate Center also houses centers that organize
research and intellectual events in cultural studies, the study
of women and society, lesbian and gay studies, Jewish studies,
and others. The Martin E. Segal Center (MESTC) maintains a close
association with the Theatre Program, sponsoring symposia and
conferences and publishing three journals: Slavic and East
European Performance, Western European Stages, and the Journal
of American Drama and Theatre. Students in the Ph.D. Program
work as managing editors and editorial assistants on these
publications, gaining important experience and connections in
theatre studies publications.
The Theatre Program employs a consortial arrangement with New
York University, Columbia, and other New York City area colleges
and universities. Many of our students take courses at NYU's
Department of Performance Studies.
Our program is competitive, typically entering 8-12 students
per year from a national applicant pool. We are interested in
applicants with verbal GRE scores above 600; high undergraduate
GPAs; some practical experience in theatre; and, most
importantly, a clearly articulated statement of purpose that
details the beginnings of a research program complementary to
our faculty’s areas of expertise. Given our large, wide-ranging
faculty, this opens a number of research possibilities.
Because the Ph.D. Program is not directly affiliated with an
undergraduate theatre department, we cannot offering teaching
assistantships as part of student financial aid packages. Our
Program facilitates adjunct teaching opportunities for our
students. Although we cannot guarantee such experiences, a
number of our students hold prestigious, three-year Graduate
Teaching Fellowships (GTFs).
The financial aid packages we do award include tuition
scholarships and fellowships, some of which carry work
assignments. Students gain experience editing journals, working
with the Martin E. Segal Center, and as research assistants for
faculty. CUNY remains an affordable place to study for an
advanced degree. Out-of-state students can petition for New York
State residency after one year.
Doing graduate work in theatre studies in a city that's truly
a center of ethnic and cultural diversity offers you a range of
extracurricular experiences that more idyllic campuses often
can't provide. The Theatre Program at CUNY situates you squarely
in theatre studies, while encouraging you to take advantage of
the numerous interdisciplinary offerings at the Graduate Center
and in the city.
I hope you'll consider applying to our Program. I encourage
you to come visit us for an informal interview, to explore our
location, to talk to current students, to meet our faculty, and
to see for yourself whether there might be a fit.
Best wishes,
David
Savran
Executive Officer
