NYU Program
Playwrights Horizons Theater School, a studio in the undergraduate Department of Drama at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, places extraordinary emphasis on the value of collaboration and the exploration of one’s own artistic voice.
Our students study acting, movement, voice, speech, directing, design, stage management and devised work, and enjoy a multitude of opportunities when it comes to creating and performing in new plays.
The BFA program at Playwrights Horizons Theater School is divided into both primary and advanced training. The primary training, or Years One and Two, is best viewed as one continuous course, or laboratory, stretching across four semesters. The advanced training program invites students to create or participate in production projects in tandem with an array of advanced elective classes across theatrical disciplines, allowing students to curate a curriculum according to their individual creative practices and learning goals.
Year One
The overall goal of Year One is to orient our students towards a complex understanding of what theater is and to challenge, interrogate and explore what theater can be.
We are committed to unleashing our students’ full potential as future theater makers and collaborators. Our approach is multi-disciplinary, inviting them to examine –and practice—each theatrical medium. We introduce and explore a variety of theater processes and assign each student to engage in multiple roles, as performers, designers, directors, choreographers, and writers.
The lab structure is symbiotic and students quickly learn to synthesize the work from all of their classes. Year One focuses on establishing the fundamental collaboration skills that serves as the foundation of theatre making. Each section becomes a company. Students are required to work collaboratively on virtually every assignment. They are encouraged to take risks and try out as many ideas as possible. They learn how to support their group’s developmental process by engaging in constructive feedback sessions.
Year Two
Expanding upon the theatrical ethos and skill sets gained from Year One, Year Two begins to explore individual artistic aesthetic within the collaborative process.
It is imperative that Year Two be both a company and a place of individual artistic growth. Students are asked to examine who they are as artists as they continue to deepen their collaborative relationships. As their craft becomes more defined, their artistic roles become more focused. Assignments are structured to allow for specific explorations of on and off stage roles. Focus is placed on professionalism, work ethic, and individual artistic approach within the larger theatrical ecosystem.
Advanced Training
Expanding upon the theatrical ethos and skill sets gained from Year One, Year Two begins to explore individual artistic aesthetic within the collaborative process.
It is imperative that Year Two be both a company and a place of individual artistic growth. Students are asked to examine who they are as artists as they continue to deepen their collaborative relationships. As their craft becomes more defined, their artistic roles become more focused. Assignments are structured to allow for specific explorations of on and off stage roles. Focus is placed on professionalism, work ethic, and individual artistic approach within the larger theatrical ecosystem.
