The Theatre Management & Producing Concentration
The goal of the program is to educate and inspire a new generation of creative managers and producers. The curriculum balances content-driven courses that emphasize the skill sets necessary for a career as a producer and manager with issue-oriented courses that explore the challenges facing the theatre industry.
Study of commercial and not-for-profit theatre is equally weighted with an emphasis on the collaboration between the two business models. The program features a unique blend of two years of classroom study under the supervision of a faculty consisting of leading New York City-based theatre professionals, and a minimum of three internships that may be pursued at any time during the first two years or in the third year while writing the thesis. Students attend classes and theatrical performances both on campus and throughout the city; and, with access to selected courses offered through Columbia Law School, Columbia Business School, Teacher’s College, and the Film Program of the School of the Arts, our students take advantage of the best that Columbia University has to offer. In addition, through classroom projects and departmental and extracurricular productions, students are given the opportunity to hone their skills by working with student directors, playwrights, dramaturgs, actors and stage managers. Our graduates are highly employable, and our growing network of adjunct faculty, guest speakers, and alumni continues to promote the program and raise the profile of program graduates both nationally and internationally.
Notable Alumni
Barbara Whitman '05, A Strange Loop, Fun Home
Seena Hodges '13, Board President of The Walker Arts Center
Eric Keen-Louie '10, Executive Producer, La Jolla Playhouse
Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. ‘14, General Manager, Yale Rep and Assistant Dean, David Geffen School of Drama at Yale
Steve Dow '09, Chief Administrative Officer, Roundabout Theatre Company
Christina Selby '14, Vice President, Production and Touring, Nederlander Organization
Danielle Karliner Nash '13, General Manager, RCI Theatricals (Chicken & Biscuits, Oklahoma!, The Minutes)