ARTISTIC REVIEW TOUR LOCATIONS INSIDE!2013

All The World’s Our StageAs NYU becomes the world’s first Global Network University, the Tisch School of the Arts expands opportunities to study awayFar from home, Emily Eagen was understandably nervous when she arrived at the Department of Drama in September. The junior from NYU Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, had traveled nearly 6,900 miles to New York City, where she would study acting for a semester at Playwrights Horizons Theater School, one of the department’s affiliate professional training studios. “I expected to feel like an outsider trying to find my way in,” said Emily. But with the support of “warm and welcoming” faculty, administrators, and students, Emily soon settled in. “I was actively embraced and cared for,” she said. “Studying at the department has been an incredible experience.”

Thousands of NYU students like Emily are studying away each year. According to Open Doors 2011, a report published by the Institute of International Education, NYU tops the list of institutions with students studying abroad. During 2009-10, some 4,150 NYU students studied outside the United States. On the flip side, NYU attracted nearly 8,000 international students the following year.

With technology and economies connecting people and nations like never before, NYU is now "in and of the world" in a way that exemplifies something that has not existed before: a global network university. 

In addition to NYU Washington Square and Washington, DC, students can learn at thirteen global sites. (continued on page 2)

In This Issue:All the World’s Our Stage! 1There are Many Roads! 2From the Desk of the Interim Chair! 3Welcome Week 2012 - 2013! 3Admissions! 4Alumni News! 5StageWorks 2012! 6New Beginnings! 8Broadway Bound! 8

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There are many roads...Students from NYU Abu Dhabi engage the global network in New York City

Yannick Trapman-O’BrienExperimental Theatre Wing

I've been waiting to train at NYU/Tisch Drama so long. This school and this city are endlessly full of resources. I'm very fortunate to be here, and to be able to come in contact, every day, with the work I want to spend the rest of my life doing. It's an honor and a privilege. 

I’m really blown away by how incredibly open and supportive everyone has been. Coming to New York City can be a tough transition, so I am very thankful for the Tisch and ETW communities that have been so generous and receptive.

Claudia Carrasco ValdichLee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute

It's exciting to be in a city that's so involved in the arts. New York City offers so many opportunities to work with incredible artists and to see work of all calibers and styles. This type of involvement is one of the greatest ways to learn about working within the Arts.

It's also amazing to be with so many students who are excited about creating theatrical work and are willing to discuss ideas and inspirations for developing projects. Being a part of this atmosphere has inspired me to look into how we can start producing more work when we get back to Abu Dhabi.

Emily EagenPlaywrights Horizons Theater School

There’s a lot to be said about studying in New York City and Abu Dhabi. The arts are certainly more celebrated and easily accessible in New York. That’s incredible for a young artist. At the same time, Abu Dhabi’s art scene is rapidly developing, and as a student at NYUAD, I get to help shape that in a very tangible way.

Young Nae ChoiExperimental Theatre Wing

To spend seven hours a day, three times a week training in studio is intense. The diversity of the student body within the studio and the supportive environment allows us to learn from each other and about ourselves.

All The World’s Our Stage (continued from page 1)

The study away locations are Abu Dhabi, Accra, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Florence, Havana, London, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Shanghai, Sydney, and Tel Aviv. “Talent is found around the world, and to ever greater degrees it flows around the world,” said NYU President John Sexton. “That reality will radically re-shape US higher education in the years to come.”

That reality is also re-shaping the Tisch School of the Arts where Dean Mary Schmidt Campbell sites “an emerging focus” on providing students with “life-changing international experience.”  In a recent letter to parents, Dean Campbell spoke to the array of study away options available for Tisch students. Some sites provide professional training courses that enable students to fulfill requirements in their major. Others offer a liberal arts experience, including foreign language study. “All of the sites offer an incomparable immersion in another culture,” said the Dean. 

Study away programs currently available to Tisch Drama students include Shakespeare in Performance in London, commedia dell’Arte in Florence, and theatre courses in the portal site of Abu Dhabi. Now new “global arts” curricula are being developed with the goal of partnering

with international artists, institutions, and scholars. "With the world contracting at an accelerating pace through the use of online, interactive technologies, the arts have gone global in a way unimaginable just a few years ago,” said Dean Campbell. “As we prepare our students for that global reality, international experience is becoming essential.” 

For Drama students, the opportunity to live and study away affords extraordinary personal and artistic growth. While maintaining a connection to their professional studio training, many of the Department’s students opt for a semester away that focuses on non-theatre related studies. Todd Pettiford, who advises Drama’s students on study away opportunities, said, “The life lessons students acquire in places as far away as Ghana and as near as Washington, DC, prove to be invaluable in honing their critical thinking skills and approaching their training with a deeper level of commitment and insight.” 

Emily Eagen agrees. “Studying at NYU Washington Square, I recognize that I truly am a part of the Global Network University,” said Emily. “In Abu Dhabi, Washington Square can feel very far away, but this semester has reminded me that all of us at this university are interconnected and have so much to learn from one another.”     — Joe McGowan

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As I sit down to write for the Fall 2012 issue of Tisch Drama FollowSpot, it is hard to believe that only weeks ago New York City and NYU were reeling from the impact of Hurricane Sandy. While the catastrophic storm hit and during its aftermath, the Tisch Community responded with courage and the spirit of collaboration so common in the performing arts. Security guards worked around the clock. Faculty and students faced loss of power and physical comforts with patience, fortitude, and flexibility.

Two weeks after the storm, learning and productivity is, again, in full evidence at the Department of Drama. From auditions for the musical Spring Awakening to upcoming performances of A Journey Outside the Wall, a drama that examines topics relevant to today’s Arab Spring, performance opportunities in the department are on schedule.

The first round of fall performance projects in our studios also abound from Good People at the

Stella Adler School through the Strasberg Institute's The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds and on to the musical adaptation of James Joyce's The Dead at the New Studio on Broadway. 

The 2012-13 Artistic Review Tour is off to a promising start. In addition to New York City, our Admissions Team will visit seven cities across the country. We’re eager to work with new applicants and look forward to the prospect of welcoming them to Tisch Drama next September.

Beyond the department, NYU’s global network university is expanding international opportunities for Drama’s faculty and students. As the university develops more study away sites, the department is planning global curricula with international artists and organizations. Despite the storm’s challenges, I trust that every effort has been made to ensure learning continues—this term and in the future.

Louis ScheederInterim Chair, Department of DramaAssociate Dean of FacultyTisch School of the Arts

From the Desk of the Interim Chair

WELCOME

WEEK2012

They’re Here!The arrival of the Department of Drama’s Class of 2016 was something to shout about. At the All-Department Orientation on September 4th, Arts Professor Kevin Kuhlke reminded nearly 400 first-year students of this momentous occasion leading them in a chant: “You did it! You’re here! You are in New York!” It was a rousing start to the students careers at Tisch and a great beginning to the year.

On August 30th, Drama’s students immersed themselves in “A Morning of Workshops.” Placed in random groups, students participated in a range of workshops led by the department’s faculty. Topics included “Shakespearean Verse” and “Toy and Paper Theatre.”

On Labor Day, students attended a baseball game. The next day the Class of 2016 came together as a group for the first time to meet with faculty, staff and studio heads. Inter im Chair Scheeder expressed a wish that their time in the department not be “the best years of your life, but only the beginning of a rewarding and productive life in the theatre.”   — Jonathon Dornbush

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Come see us on tour!We welcome you to visit us in a city near you. There is no advantage to coming to New York City to do your artistic review. The same team of evaluators does artistic reviews both in New York and on the road, as well as digital submissions.

A word about digital submissions...If you cannot make it to one of the eight cities for an in-person artistic review, you are welcome to submit a digital artistic review. In-person artistic reviews are preferable but digital submissions are perfectly acceptable. We consider all artistic reviews (live or digital) as equally important.

•Register for a Digital Submission •Upload your monologues or songs•Email pdfs of your portfolios•Guidelines provided at the time of your reservation

New York New York New York NewarkCome see us on tour!We welcome you to visit us in a city near you. There is no advantage to coming to New York City to do your artistic review. The same team of evaluators does artistic reviews both in New York and on the road, as well as digital submissions.

A word about digital submissions...If you cannot make it to one of the eight cities for an in-person artistic review, you are welcome to submit a digital artistic review. In-person artistic reviews are preferable but digital submissions are perfectly acceptable. We consider all artistic reviews (live or digital) as equally important.

•Register for a Digital Submission •Upload your monologues or songs•Email pdfs of your portfolios•Guidelines provided at the time of your reservation

New York New York New York Chicago

Come see us on tour!We welcome you to visit us in a city near you. There is no advantage to coming to New York City to do your artistic review. The same team of evaluators does artistic reviews both in New York and on the road, as well as digital submissions.

A word about digital submissions...If you cannot make it to one of the eight cities for an in-person artistic review, you are welcome to submit a digital artistic review. In-person artistic reviews are preferable but digital submissions are perfectly acceptable. We consider all artistic reviews (live or digital) as equally important.

•Register for a Digital Submission •Upload your monologues or songs•Email pdfs of your portfolios•Guidelines provided at the time of your reservation

New York New York New York Los Angeles

Come see us on tour!We welcome you to visit us in a city near you. There is no advantage to coming to New York City to do your artistic review. The same team of evaluators does artistic reviews both in New York and on the road, as well as digital submissions.

A word about digital submissions...If you cannot make it to one of the eight cities for an in-person artistic review, you are welcome to submit a digital artistic review. In-person artistic reviews are preferable but digital submissions are perfectly acceptable. We consider all artistic reviews (live or digital) as equally important.

•Register for a Digital Submission •Upload your monologues or songs•Email pdfs of your portfolios•Guidelines provided at the time of your reservation

New York New York New York San Francisco

Come see us on tour!We welcome you to visit us in a city near you. There is no advantage to coming to New York City to do your artistic review. The same team of evaluators does artistic reviews both in New York and on the road, as well as digital submissions.

A word about digital submissions...If you cannot make it to one of the eight cities for an in-person artistic review, you are welcome to submit a digital artistic review. In-person artistic reviews are preferable but digital submissions are perfectly acceptable. We consider all artistic reviews (live or digital) as equally important.

•Register for a Digital Submission •Upload your monologues or songs•Email pdfs of your portfolios•Guidelines provided at the time of your reservation

New York New York New York Houston

Come see us on tour!We welcome you to visit us in a city near you. There is no advantage to coming to New York City to do your artistic review. The same team of evaluators does artistic reviews both in New York and on the road, as well as digital submissions.

A word about digital submissions...If you cannot make it to one of the eight cities for an in-person artistic review, you are welcome to submit a digital artistic review. In-person artistic reviews are preferable but digital submissions are perfectly acceptable. We consider all artistic reviews (live or digital) as equally important.

•Register for a Digital Submission •Upload your monologues or songs•Email pdfs of your portfolios•Guidelines provided at the time of your reservation

New York New York New York Atlanta

Come see us on tour!We welcome you to visit us in a city near you. There is no advantage to coming to New York City to do your artistic review. The same team of evaluators does artistic reviews both in New York and on the road, as well as digital submissions.

A word about digital submissions...If you cannot make it to one of the eight cities for an in-person artistic review, you are welcome to submit a digital artistic review. In-person artistic reviews are preferable but digital submissions are perfectly acceptable. We consider all artistic reviews (live or digital) as equally important.

•Register for a Digital Submission •Upload your monologues or songs•Email pdfs of your portfolios•Guidelines provided at the time of your reservation New York New York New York Miami

The Department of Drama’s Manager of Admissions prepares to hit the roadIn September, we welcomed our brand new class of 2016! I’m the lucky guy who met its students when they were quaking, shaking, nervous 17-year olds during their artistic reviews. They have arr ived as eager, enthusiastic, confident 18-year olds who are ready to embark on a marvelous adventure. With so many paths through the Drama Department, I envision it as a very dense forest—an enchanted forest, let’s say. Students wind their way through it without knowing where they’ll land when they emerge, encountering all sorts of creatures along the way—a fellow acting student who also paints; a singing teacher who writes poetry; a theater historian who plays the piccolo. The excitement of the unknown and the thrill of allowing life to lead you are what keep all of us here in Drama on our toes.

Might you be interested in joining our Drama community as you find your own way in the

world? If so, submit an NYU application and make an appointment for an art ist ic review.  Each year, through the artistic review process, we have the privilege of meeting emerging young artists and hope to invite them to join us at Tisch for an exploration of the world through art.  Throughout the year and across the country, we review candidates for admission and we welcome prospective students and their families to visit the department for information sessions.  If you are a prospective student, NYU provides many opportunities to gather information. I would begin by perusing the websites of both NYU Admissions and the Department of Drama.  If you plan to visit the NYU campus, you can schedule a general information session and campus tour. For a comprehensive understanding of all things Drama, add a d e p a r t m e n t a l i n f o s e s s i o n t o y o u r agenda.  Every autumn, we have two Open Houses with activities throughout the day. Please join us at one.While on campus, stroll around and speak with students, read bulletin boards, see a student show!  Remember that New York City is our greater campus.  So, expand your visit beyond Greenwich Village and go to neighborhoods in

the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. Don’t forget Broadway! (As if!) And beyond Broadway lies the world! Through NYU’s Global Network, you will have the opportunity to study at NYU campuses around the globe. Immersing yourself in the artistic culture of another country will open your mind to new ways of approaching the creative process. It will enrich your educational experience after your return to New York and you will teach your fellow students what you learned and expand their minds in the process.If you are a proud member of the Class of 2016, I welcome you once again.  If you see a prospective student wandering the halls, I encourage you to stop and answer a question or two and share your stories. If you’ve just started your journey with college applications, we wish you the best of luck and look forward to bumping into you along the way. And if you, your family, or teachers have any questions, we’d be glad to hear from you. Give us a ring at 212-998-1850 or drop us a line at tisch.drama.ug@nyu.edu. Bon voyage! 

Chris AnderssonManager of Admissions

REVIEWARTISTIC

TOURCITIES

Admissions 2012 - 13ADMISSIONS2012Let the Tour Begin

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Drama Alumni are Forging New Paths Wherever They Go No matter where you look, there’s a Drama alum working their magic in the performing arts industry. From Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway to national tours and the very communities in which they live, the Department of Drama’s alums are not only recognized for their work, they are transforming the organizations and fields with which they come into contact. During the past year alone, the department has had the honor of watching many alumni achievements and successes.

Drama’s Andy Yanni has compiled a sample of alumni achievements.

ALI STROKERAli Stroker was last seen gracing television screens as a contestant on the Oxygen Network’s The Glee Project.

ZACH MATUSOWZach Matusow’s lighting design for the Los Angeles-based indie pop band Foster The People was featured on the cover of trade magazine Live Design.

MEGHAN GABERAfter working on Broadway in Memphis, Anything Goes, and The Lion King, costume designer and wardrober, Meghan Gaber can now be found backstage at Kathy Lee Gifford’s new musical, Scandalous, based on the life and times of evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson.

CALE KRISELast summer, Cale Krise joined the cast of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Book of Mormon. He is performing in the role of Elder Cunningham.

MIKAELA FEELY-LEHMANNThis fall, Mikaela Feely-Lehmann made her Broadway debut in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of Cyrano De Bergerac.

REBECCA WYSOCKIStarting this fall, Rebecca Wysocki can be seen on Lifetime Channel’s new series Devious Maids.

SHAINA TAUB and SAM PINKLETONTwo of Drama’s alums return to department stages with The Daughters. Shaina Taub, who wrote the original folk-funk opera, collaborates with Sam Pinkleton, who directs a StageWorks production.

ANDREW SCOVILLEAndrew Scoville and a cast of Drama alums will present a staged reading of Samuel Beckett’s masterwork Endgame. The program is one of many in the department’s relaunched Monday night DramaTalk series.

PIPELINE THEATRE COMPANYAs it opens its fourth season, Pipeline Theatre Company celebrated with a New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Production. The company, founded at the Atlantic Acting School, also garnered a NYIT nomination for Outstanding Set Design.

ALEX HAWTHORNFollowing an assignment on the Roundabout’s limited run of Harvey, sound designer Alex Hawthorn served as the Associate Sound Designer of the new Broadway musical, Chaplin.

AMANDA LIPITZDean’s Council member Amanda Lipitz heralds her new Broadway show, The Performers, coming soon to the Longacre Theatre.

NICOLE ARI PARKERThis year’s spirit honoree at the NAACP Theatre awards was Nicole Ari Parker, a seven-time NAACP Image Award Nominee.

ALUMNI NEWS2012

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STAGEWORKS & PRODUCTIONFALL 2012

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At the StudiosDrama’s students will perform in many Studio projects this fall, including ...

OctoberGood People [Stella Adler School of Acting]By David Lindsay-Abaire Directed by Mark Armstrong Summertime [New Studio on Broadway]By Charles Mee Directed by Bryan Close The Dead [NSB]Adapted by Richard Nelson and Shaun DaveyDirected by Kyle Fabel Passing Strange [Playwrights Horizons Theater School]By STEW and Heidi Rodewald, in collaboration with Annie Dorsen Directed by Catie Davis The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds[Lee Strasberg Institute]By Paul ZindelDirected by Lee Sunday Evans NovemberThe Room in Between [Experimental Theatre Wing]From Japanese Noh plays by Yukio MishimaDirected by Anders Cato The Cherry Orchard [PHTS]By Anton ChekovDirected by Robert Moss Macy’s Parade Studio [Production & Design Studio]P&D visits the Thanksgiving Day Parade’s production workshop. The Marriage of Figaro [Atlantic Acting School]By Pierre BeaumarchaisDirected by Mike Donahue The Innocent Mistress [Adler]By Mary Pix Directed by Sam Bugglen

MEASUREMEASUREFOR

During my time at Tisch Drama, I’ve hunted witches in the cabaret space, cradled dead friends in London, and beaten a man with a stapler in front of a camera on 21st Street. This fall, I used the work of the Classical Studio to try to save a young man from execution in the Burrows Theatre.As I engaged in Measure for Measure, my final training experience at Tisch, I was overcome by this joyous coalescence inside of me; all of my tools were working together with fierce efficiency. The construction project called “actor” felt as complete as it ever had.

Justin CiminoMeisner, RADA, StonestreetMeasure for Measure, Escalus

DecemberMary Stuart [Meisner Studio]By Friedrich Schiller Adapted by Michael PoultonDirected by Robert O’Hara The LIfe and Death of King John [The Classical Studio]By William ShakespeareDirected by Louis Scheeder and Daniel Spector NYU3 Sketch Comedy Show [Atlantic] Stonestreet-Goldberg Festival of New Films [Stonestreet Screen Acting Studios]

The DaughtersBy Shaina TaubDirected by Sam PinkletonNov. 9, 2012 – Nov. 16, 2012

A Journey Outside the WallBy Rashad RushdyDirected by Kelly JohnstonDec. 6, 2012 – Dec. 13, 2012

Spring AwakeningBy Steven Sater & Duncan SheikDirected by Kenneth Noel MitchellMusical Direction by J. Oconer NavarroChoreography by Byron EasleyFeb. 22, 2013 – Mar. 9, 2013

WordArtistic Producer: Katie BullVocal Directors: Department of Drama Studio FacultyMar. 28, 2013 – Apr. 6, 2013

Milk Like SugarBy Kristin GreenidgeDirected by Nicole WatsonMay 7, 2013 – May 12, 2013

BEGINNINGS2012NE

WIntroducing two new members of the

Tisch School of the Arts Leadership Team

A Message from the Deputy Dean I am thrilled to be able to introduce myself as the new Deputy Dean of the Tisch School of the Arts. After two productive years overseeing arts training at Purchase College, I am now working closely with Dean Campbell, the staff, and faculty on large initiatives and matters for the school and its programs. Prior to entering academia, I had a successful career as a lighting designer, an intellectual property attorney, and an arts manager. All of these led me to a serious investment and commitment to, and interest in, the training of young artists and those interested in the arts. You can imagine, therefore, how lucky and honored I feel to be joining the Tisch family and to be able to make a contribution to its illustrious programs and history. It is my hope that during my tenure at Tisch, I can be part of continuing to ensure that our training mirrors what is happening in the arts industries and the practice of artists and creative people. Most importantly, since arts training provides the skill set necessary to be a collaborative and creative part of a team, it is satisfying to know that our work also helps our students in whatever endeavor they pursue throughout their professional lives and careers. Ken TabachnickDeputy DeanTisch School of the Arts

A Note from the Associate DeanThank you for the warm welcome that has come from all you in the Department of Drama!  I have been trying to get to know this complex community as quickly as possible, and each day brings a discovery that inspires. As I have started my visits to all of the department’s professional training studios, I have seen some classes, productions, discussions, and presentations, and engaged in multiple individual and group conversations. 

While the department is wide spread, I have discovered a common deep sense of mission and pride in each encounter. I have seen passion, creativity, dedication, and great talent in students, faculty, and staff. Together, you have created a department that is renowned, and I am honored to join you. I also look forward to welcoming next year’s first-year class to the Drama Community.

There are both challenges and opportunities ahead, and I invite each of you to join in a conversation. What are your dreams for the Department of Drama, as part of the Institute of Performing Arts, the Tisch School of the Arts, and within the NYU global network? I look forward to listening to your ideas, and to seeing what you perform and create in the coming weeks.  Allyson GreenAssociate Dean, Institute of Performing ArtsTisch School of the Arts

Broadway BoundAs Director of the Department of Drama’s New Studio on Broadway, one of my happiest duties each year is hosting some fifty high school student-performers from around the country participating in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA). Established by Pittsburgh CLO and Nederlander Alliances, the awards recognize individual achievement and artistry in high school vocal, dance, and acting performance.

As part of NHSMTA’s annual Jimmy Awards, every summer a group of high school students spend a week at the New Studio, where our instructors and NHSMTA staff teach and coach students in acting, singing, and solo performance work. It’s a week of musical theater “boot camp,” and when it’s all over, contestants perform at the Jimmy Awards on the stage of the Minskoff Theatre, home to Broadway’s The Lion King. Our goal at the studio is to fully immerse these young performers in the NYU experience and to provide an intensive professional training experience that mirrors our teaching throughout the year.

This year’s Jimmy Awards are the subject of the acclaimed PBS documentary Broadway or Bust. To see this exciting work, as well as clips of “boot camp” training at New Studio on Broadway, go to www.nhsmta.com/pages/Broadway_or_Bust and www.youtube.com/user/nhsmta.

You can also meet Stephen Mark, a junior at NSB and winner of the very first Jimmy Award. Broadway or bust, indeed! — Kent Gash

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