Masters in Applied Theatre

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The CUNY M.A. in Applied Theatre, the first of its kind in the United States, is a sequential, ensemble-based program for students interested in the use of theatre to address social and educational issues in a wide range of settings. The program stresses the unity of theory and practice and emerges from CAT’s 35-plus year history of developing and implementing innovative applied theatre programs. It is offered by the CUNY School of Professional Studies, in partnership with CAT.

Goals
The goal of the program is to educate scholar-practitioners to become future leaders in the field of applied theatre. Students explore key theories in the fields of theatre, education, and community development, and acquire the skills and strategies necessary for creating and implementing the work.

Outcomes
By the time students complete the program they will have:

Acquired a wide range of theatre games, exercises and strategies;
Developed strong session planning, project devising, role-playing, play-building, directing and facilitation skills;
Participated in a theatre-in-education, youth theatre or other community-based theatre project;
Explored a wide range of relevant theatre/drama, education, social and cultural theories;
Researched, created and implemented an original piece of applied theatre work in, for or with a specific community;
Become well-versed in the principles and processes of youth development;
Understood the challenges and dynamics of arts partnerships and community interventions;
Learned to analyze and evaluate their own work and the work of others;
Defined an explicit, coherent pedagogical stance to inform their emergent applied theatre practices;
Understood research methods and processes that will enable them to transfer principles and skills to a wide variety of associated fields and practices.

Academic Program Director
Chris Vine

Faculty and Visiting Specialists
Helen White
Dale Byam
Tony Goode
Daniel Banks
Lynn Howell
Kenn Watt
Amy Green
Alexia Vernon
Lindsey Buller
Dana Edell
Michael Rohd
Hannah Fox
Wendy Lement
Kwesi Johnson

Assistant Director
Adeola Adegbola