Core Values
Our Mission
The Graduate Program in Educational Theatre is committed to inspire a community of future educators who are passionate and prepared and who understand the impact and connection between artistry, pedagogy and advocacy in the arts.
Our Vision
Artistry – Graduate Candidates will ignite the spark by having opportunities to observe, access and explore the arts through artistic process and educational process by finding parallels between being an artist and being an educator.
Pedagogy - Graduate Candidates will possess comprehensive theoretical knowledge of theatre, education, and educational theatre that can be articulated through reflective discussion and writing, as well as, demonstrated in coherent and professional practice in teaching theatre and teaching through theatre with in multiple settings and with diverse populations.
Advocacy - Graduate Candidate will understand the historical context of educational theatre and become knowledgeable about current policy trends to inform their participation in the field. Skills will include innovative artistry and leadership in the articulation of quality educational theatre in our classrooms on an individual, local, state, national and/or global level.
Statement of educational/career goals and objectives for students enrolled in proposed program:
This program seeks to educate candidates to be exemplary theatre educators who can lead theatre classes at all levels (K-12), integrate theatre studies into the classroom and general school curriculum, and work with a diverse population of students in a variety of educational settings, including schools and community agencies. The program endeavors to prepare candidates to do work that both enriches participants' lives and provides them with the skills necessary to realize performances.
The program will provide students with the training, knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to be successful as:
- theatre classroom teachers (grades K-12)
- theatre resource personnel working out of professional theatres and arts institutes
- teaching artists
- classroom teachers who desire to integrate theatre into their curriculum for content knowledge and literacy development
Educational trends which support need for proposed program:
The value of Arts Education is being recognized in New York State and New York City with greatly renewed commitment. The New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) has completed a "Blueprint" for the teaching of theatre in the schools, The New York City Department of Education Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts: Theater (Grades PreK-12) (to complement similar Blueprints they’ve developed for other art forms).
Graduate candidates in the Program in Educational Theatre perform at a cabaret performance called "It's About Learning." Proceeds from the cabaret raised money for a scholarship fund for high school senior who has been inspired by the arts.
The New York State Department of Education recently identified a shortage in Theatre Education programs throughout the public schools and as a result reinstated the certificate in theatre education and is currently working on a general certification program in the arts. This leaves public schools with a need to hire certified Theatre teachers (K-12). Currently there are not enough certified teachers to meet the need. The Graduate program in Educational Theatre will directly service this need and prepare students to fill those jobs.
There are a growing number of specialized high schools and public charter schools in New York City and New York State, many with an intense thrust towards inclusion of and specialization in the arts.
These advancements, combined with Chancellor Klein’s
ArtsCount initiative, addressing the required instructional hours of arts instruction in public schools, mark an increased market for certified theater teachers in all grades. The need for a training program for theater teachers with the ability to direct school productions, facilitate an aesthetic appreciation of theatre, implement applied theatre strategies in and out of the classroom, and who can seamlessly integrate into New York City schools is real and immediate.
The Graduate program will create opportunities for both Theatre Artists and Educators in the City who are seeking to gain their initial teaching certification and Masters Degree in Educational Theatre. For theatre artists, work as a teaching artist provides a viable career opportunity while they pursue their craft. For Educators the graduate program trains, what is becoming, a much needed field of teachers for the NYC public schools. Graduates will be eligible for initial teaching certification in Theatre Education in N.Y.S.; New York State Education created and implemented the K-12 Theater Certificate in February 2004. It has been in place since then and is being issued to all teachers who fulfill its requirements. For the particular requirements for the K-12 License are listed as reprinted from the NYS Education web site http://eservices.nysed.gov
The program will be one of only two in New York City to provide such a professional opportunity, and the only one situated in a public institution of higher learning with an affordable tuition.
The graduate program provides opportunities for students to work with the Creative Arts Team (CAT) and Lincoln Center Institute (LCI) and stands to become an educational liaison for professional theatre and community theatre outreach programs. Through LCI, students will take a 25-hour seminar and stand to be engaged as the Institute’s teaching artists.
