The Dramaturgy Concentration
The Columbia MFA Dramaturgy program seeks highly self-motivated, entrepreneurial, creative thinkers who are interested in deepening their total knowledge of the theatre, while finding new collaborators and newly expansive ideas about their professional prospects.
Dramaturgs are people of ideas who function as a fluid, creative, motivating liaison among all the components of a creative team. They are at once theatre generalists and specialists who delve deeply into the world of the play at hand and are instrumental in its development. They possess sharp critical faculties, unrestrained creative abilities, identification both with their fellow artists and the audience, and highly developed interpersonal skills. Many of the best dramaturgs are individuals who have excelled in and continue to work in another theatrical discipline. In the School of the Arts program, we seek to define the career prospects of dramaturgy students broadly and ambitiously. While traditional positions of literary management and production dramaturgy will be a goal for some, we also encourage our students to think of themselves as future artistic directors, producers, and institution-builders. Students receive a foundation in dramatic theory, history, and literature as well as classes in producing, playwriting, directing and various forms of theatrical collaboration. There are also possibilities for interested students to expand their professional horizons by exploring the worlds of screenwriting, and film and television project development. Dramaturgy students will gain extensive experience in the development and production of new plays and classic texts, and will work on all Theatre Arts Program productions and class projects as well as with playwrights and screenwriters on readings.
Notable Alumni
Salma S. Zohdi ’16, Associate Director of Development & Communications, Noor Theatre
Jillian Walker '17, SKiNFoLK: An American Show, Sarah’s Salt
Anchuli Felicia King '18, White Pearl, Studio Theatre, Golden Shield, MTC
Lauren Whitehead '14, Between the World and Me, Apollo Theater, assistant arts professor, NYU/Tisch
Ryan Ervin '18, Artistic Producer, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center
Jeremiah Davis '10, Artistic Director, Oklahoma Contemporary
Hallie Sekoff ’17, Producer, A24
Meropi Peponides '13, Soho Rep, Director of Artistic Development & Producing
Annie Wang '20, Associate Director of Programming & Communications, The Play Company