Read below to learn how Muse Scholars have engaged with theatre both on and off campus through partnerships with New York stages and companies, attendance at special events, and more.

Partnerships

Theatre Development Fund (TDF)

Hunter College's partnership with TDF - the country's largest not-for-profit performing arts service organization - has allowed Muse Scholars to attend Broadway and Off-Broadway performances and benefit from the instruction of teaching artists during special theatre workshops.

Students have attended A Summer Day, the acclaimed Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman starring Philip Seymour Hoffman (photo, right), War Horse (photo, above left), and Carrie at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, where they spoke with Director Mary-Mitchell Campbell and actors who appeared in the musical.

In class, the Muse Scholars have had the chance to work with TDF teaching artists - including Katie Issel Pitre (photo, above left), Victor Maog and Courtney Esser - who lead students in writing and pre- and post-performance workshops.

Learn more about Hunter's partnership with TDF at Hunter's Cultural Partners page.

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater

Thanks to a partnership launched during Fall 2012 with Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Muse Scholars attend productions at the Off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre. Jon Fosse's A Summer Day (photo, left) was the first play Muse Scholars attended in partnership with Rattlestick.

In addition to class trips to Cherry Lane Theatre - a requirement of the freshman seminar Explorations in the Arts - Muse Scholars also receive discounted ticketing and consideration for internships. To learn more about opportunities with Rattlestick, please see Hunter's Cultural Partners page.

Events

Wednesdays at One

Muse Scholars are invited to participate in this lunch-time series hosted by the Hunter College Department of Theatre and the President's Theatre Advisory Board, chaired by Producer Patty Baker (photo left, with President Jennifer J. Raab). The series brings prominent professionals from the theatre industry to Hunter to share insights about their work and careers with students.

Speakers have included casting drector Ilene Starger, producers Sue Frost and Randy Adams, and Paul Libin, Executive Vice President of Jujamcyn Theaters.

Tickets to theatre productions

Not only do Muse Scholars attend stage shows as part of their curriculum, but they are often invited to performances at Hunter and at stages throughout New York.

Muse students have received free entry to Hello Gorgeous! A Salute to the Streisand Songbook at Hunter's Kaye Playhouse, to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

The Actors Company Theatre, or TACT, also provided tickets for the Muses and other Hunter students to see the Off-Broadway play Lovers at The Beckett Theatre (photo, above left), among other events.

Muse in the News - Theatre

Charlotte Schweiger in Spring's Awakening

Muse Scholar Charlotte Schweiger (Class of '16) was selected to play Martha, a character in the Off-Broadway play Spring's Awakening, which ran from Oct. 8 - Nov. 14, 2012 at the Barrow Group Theatre.

Schweiger was one of a handful of "youth actors" in the play written by German dramatist Frank Wedekind in 1906. The performances at Barrow Street were produced by Marvell Repertory Theatre.

Co-Curricular Activities

Clubs and groups

Get involved on campus by joining the Production Club, Circus Club, the Cultural Symposium Club, or another undergraduate organization focusing on the performing arts. Use Hunter's Student Group Management System (SGMS) to find out which clubs are operating and how to join.

Internships

Find out about upcoming theatre internships in New York by contacting Hunter's Department of Theatre or Internship Coordinator Paula Wicklow at (212) 772-4850 in Hunter's Career Development Services.

Academic Study

The Department of Theatre offers both a major and minor in theatre, with students studying stage production and the relationship between text and performance. The major requires courses in practical hands-on work as well as the study of theoretical, critical and historical approaches to theatre, giving students an understanding of all aspects of the art form. The curriculum was developed with an emphasis on professional standards.

Courses include acting, playwriting, directing, history, theory, design, production, and creative drama. Undergraduates may take graduate courses with special permission. Many students who graduate from the program work as actors, directors, stage managers, and designers. Students pursuing a major in theatre must work on productions as part of their requirements for graduation. Graduates who concentrate in developmental drama frequently enter the field as teachers and directors of theatre in education. Students have the opportunity for placement as interns and apprentices with various professional groups.