Recent Producing alumna Mei Li Heman '18 was named among The Next Generation of Theatre Managers by American Theatre. Kelundra Smith from American Theatre spoke with students who are graduating from various programs around the country to talk about why they chose to study theatre administration, what they’re learning, and where their curiosity or passion points them. The following is a small excerpt from the piece:
"Heman was born in New Jersey and grew up in São Paulo, Brazil, where she earned her undergraduate degree in business administration. She then moved to New York City and worked in television production for six years. When she decided to get a graduate degree, she wanted to study something she’d never done before, and the theatre management and producing MFA/MBA program at Columbia University seemed like the right challenge. Heman realized the skills she built as a television producer translated well to theatre production."
“[At Columbia] We’re completely immersed for two years in everything that has to do with theatre management and producing—everything from marketing and budgeting to understanding unions. All of our professors are working in the industry, so there’s a lot of time given to discuss projects they’re working on. We’re asked every day to read certain articles and websites, and we discuss what plays we saw,” Heman told Smith.
With her MFA, Heman plans to record live performances, making them available on digital platforms so that they can be use for marketing. She plans to find ways to ensure filming doesn’t take away from the audience's experience but helps to increase the number of people attending productions.