Eastern Michigan University
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Graduate Programs

Our broad-based graduate program is designed to provide a balance between practical training and academic scholarship for students interested in one or more of the following disciplines:

You can select from the following degree programs:

THEATRE ARTS  

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Dead Man's Cell Phone, February 2012

As an EMU Theatre Arts graduate student, you'll learn through both academic coursework and co-curricular programming. Programs of study are created according to each student's individualized needs/interests and are crafted in close consultation with his/her academic advisor. Graduate students in Theatre Arts at EMU receive advanced training in one or more of the following specializations:

  • Acting/Performance
  • Design & Technology
  • Directing
  • Theatre Studies/Dramaturgy

You'll also have multiple opportunities to practice what you've learned in our extensive annual Production Series, including

  • Mainstage. EMU Theatre produces six large scale productions annually (September to June). These productions are directed and designed by faculty or guest artists. Opportunities are regularly given to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of design, dramaturgy, stage management and assistant directing.
  • Second Stage. We produce two small scale experimental productions annually. These provide an opportunity for faculty and graduate students to work with original, more contemporary or non-dramatic scripts.
  • Lab Theatre. This four "slot" production series is designed to provide students an opportunity to immerse themselves in the producing experience. Completely student produced (directed, acted, and designed), the laboratory season offers a venue both for one-act or full length plays/non-dramatic productions as well as our annual Student Written One-Act Festival.

Representative Graduate Projects/Thesis

  • "Nietzsche's 'Toys of Desperation' or The Birth of Tragedy as Dramaturgical Alternative" (thesis)
  • "Cry, Baby, Cry!" (a personal narrative project exploring sibling abuse)
  • "Participatory Ritual as a Community Builder" (thesis)
  • "Somersaults and Duets" (original adaptation/directing project of stories of Donald Barthelme)
  • "Treacle-Well" (original adaptation/directing project of Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There)
  • "What Lies Within" (original re-scripting and staging of Medieval play Everyman)
  • Someone Who'll Watch Over Me (dramaturgy and directing project)

For more information, please contact Dr. Lee Stille, lstille@emich.edu or Dr. Pirooz Aghssa, pirooz.aghssa@emich.edu.

 

 

ARTS ADMINISTRATION

Since 1985, EMU's Arts Administration Program has been preparing students for administrative positions with performing and visual arts organizations. The program is designed for students who have considerable experience in the arts, with knowledge and understanding of the business of arts, its governance, management, marketing, finance and relationship to the community.

Because the program is multidisciplinary in design, you'll be joining students from all arts disciplines, offering you a rich opportunity for the essential interdisciplinary and collaborative work to enhance your career and meet your professional responsibilities. Studies include coursework in both the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business to equip you with the research, analytical, creative problem solving, managerial and aesthetic skills assume leadership positions as

  • Arts Administrators
  • Arts Advocates
  • Community Organizers
  • Creative Entrepreneurs
  • Event Planners
  • Marketing Managers

Among recent areas of concentration, students have focused on areas as diverse as arts and healthcare, arts and higher education, arts and recreation, and arts and entrepreneurship. You'll be working with an advisor to design a program of study uniquely suited for your specific interests.

There are additional co-curricular opportunities, including:

  • AMP! Amplifying the Arts Student Organization

Representative Graduate Projects/Thesis

  • "Design and Implementation of an On-Line Fundraising Campaign for Summer Arts and Entertainment Program for Youth"
  • "Creation, Marketing and Management of The Love Project"
  • "Design of a Special Topics Class in Art Gallery Management"
  • "Management of On-Campus Residency of a Professional Company from Zhehiang University and their performance of Chinese Rhyme of Passion"
  • "Design, Administer and Interpret Marketing Survey for "Creative Connections": A Program for Washtenaw County Arts Alliance"
  • "Design and Management of the First Annual Celebration of Arts Week at Henry Ford Hospital"
  • "Create and Manage Art of the Rust Belt for Gallery in Lansing, Michigan"
  • "Design and Implement an Orientation Program for EMU Arts Management Students"
  • "Marketing for Education Program for Performance Network, Ann Arbor, MI"
  • "Creation of a Community Development Plan for Chelsea, MI"
  • "Management of My Sister's House, An Arts Developmental Program for Girls and Young Women in Toledo, Ohio"

For more information, please contact Ken Stevens, the Program's Founder and Director, ken.stevens@emich.edu or Susan Badger Booth, sbooth1@emich.edu.

 

 

APPLIED DRAMA/THEATRE FOR THE YOUNG

One of only six comparable programs in the country, the graduate program in Applied Drama and Theatre for the Young is committed to the power of the theatre arts as a positive catalyst in the lives of young people and their communities. This field of study is organized around three principal contexts:

  • Applied Theatre for Community Development
  • Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA)
  • Drama/Theatre for Human Development and Education

The program offers two highly specialized degrees (both MFA and MA), and is available to both full- and part- time students. The program seeks to:

  • Foster a high level of artistry in theatre for young and family audiences.
  • Give a powerful voice to individuals and communities through performance.
  • Engage children and adolescents as both audience members and artists.
  • Enrich understanding about the power of the arts for teaching and learning.
  • Encourage new play development and the creation of original works.
  • Give students the practical skills to pursue these goals professionally in such contexts as professional or community theatre, pre K-12 education, university teaching, youth theatre, community recreation programs, social service initiatives, museums, elder care facilities, etc.

As a graduate student, you'll join a family of exceptional students from all over the U.S. and abroad. Many of our students and alumni have won national and international research and artistic awards. These include a DAAD Fellowship (the German equivalent of a Fulbright Scholarship), and the Don and Elizabeth Doyle Fellowship (presented by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education to graduate students with demonstrated potential to become leading artists in theatre for young audiences).

You'll be studying under a skilled faculty, experts in both academic and creative work in the discipline. Many of our faculty members have been invited to teach and direct around the country and abroad. They are regular presenters at conferences and maintain active schedules of creative work. Students also have the opportunity to present at the Graduate Research Fair and at national conferences in addition to producing their own creative projects.

In addition to your coursework, there are many co-curricular opportunities available to you as a graduate student at EMU, including:

  • Theatre of the Young Mainstage Production—Mainstage Theatre of the Young productions are presented for school audiences and the general public. Our recent productions include Go, Dog, Go!; Bud, Not Buddy; A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas; Pinocchio; The Snow Queen; and The Prince, The Wolf and the Firebird.
  • Theatre of the Young Touring Productions—We also present touring theatre productions that travel to local schools. Recent productions include Sideway Stories From Wayside School, Walking the Dog, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Antigone and The Bully Show.
  • CrossTown Theatre Troupe (CTT)
  • Applied Theatre
    • The "Safe Schools Project"
    • C2 (CloseUP Classroom)
    • Community Performance Project (CPP)

The program has a proven record of service and of sustained commitment to celebrating diversity. Our Drama/Theatre for the Young graduate students and faculty are heavily involved in community engagement and service to the EMU and southeastern Michigan communities. We partner with many community schools, arts and youth organizations such as Ypsilanti Head Start and Ozone House to develop arts-based projects that benefit the community through a wide variety of programs, including:

  • Academic Service Learning
  • GEAR UP and 21st Century Bright Futures
  • EMU's CloseUp Theatre Troupe
  • American Humanics
  • CrossTown Theatre Troupe

Representative Graduate Projects/Thesis

"Beyond the Briar Patch: An Anthology of African American Plays for Young Audiences"

"Creating and implementing the Mid-Michigan Youth Theatre and its inaugural production of HONK! "

"Negotiating Selves in a Foreign Land: an autoethnographic performance examining the complex issue of identity formation"

"Moving Forward by Playing Back: Using Drama to Unpack the Experience of Joblessness"

"A Tale of Two Princes, or 'What's the Big Whoop?'" (Performed research concerning the children's picturebook, King & King, by Linda De Haan & Stern Nijland)

Mainstage Production (Direction) of Bud Not Buddy, written by Christopher Paul Curtis and adapted for the stage by Reginald Andre Jackson

"CrossTown Theatre Troupe Handbook for future CTT teaching artists"

" Unexpected Journeys," (an ethnographic performance about the care-givers of chronically sick children)

"Using Improvisation to Bridge Social Barriers for Non-Native Speakers"

For more information, please contact Patricia Zimmer, pzimmer@emich.edu or Jessica "Decky" Alexander, Jalexande1@emich.edu.

 

 

INTERPRETATION & PERFORMANCE STUDIES

In Interpretation and Performance Studies at EMU, we believe that the performing act is the center from which all other expressions evolve. That's why our program is based in the creative and scholarly exploration of "performance" in all its texts and contexts. You'll take advantage of numerous coursework and co-curricular opportunities to develop your understanding of "performance" as a pivotal tool for examining, critiquing, and communicating within the world at large in all its cultural, gendered, political and aesthetic complexity.

Among the co-curricular actives available to you, you'll find many diverse opportunities, including:

  • Monthly Performance Hours
  • National Performance Festivals
  • Six Figures Playback Theatre Company. This is our student performance company exploring social issues through performance. (link to sixfigurestheatre.org)
  • Performance Studies "Read-a-thon" –This is a celebration of performance and fundraiser for student events.
  • Specialized Workshops and interaction with guest artists and scholars. Individuals such as W.D. Snodgrass, Sara Daniels, Elyse Pineau, Barbara Neri, and Maxine Hong      Kingston have visited EMU during these events to conduct workshops.
  • American Readers Theatre Association (ARTa) (link to readerstheater.org)
  • Productions on the Mainstage Theatre

Representative Graduate Projects/Thesis

  • "Consuming Presence: Exploring 'Mindfulness' through Participatory Food Ritual"
  • "Drama in Religion & Religious Ritual"—New Course Curriculum
  • "Fat Mirrors" (an autoethnography addressing food, obesity, and the notion of beauty)
  • "Re-'Vamping' Performance: Utilizing Striptease Research and Literature to Explore Tension between Communication, Sexuality, and Performance"
  • "The V Show: 'Virginity, What's It To Ya?'" (an autoethnographic performance)
  • "Running Head"—An Autoethnography: The Forgotten Voices of Performing "Maleness"
  • "The Quest of Sensadiva: Avatars and Identity Negotiation"
  • "Her, Me, Them: Utilizing the Literature of Edna St. Vincent Millay for Self-Reflection in Sexual Interpersonal Relationships"
  • "Slam Poetry: Pedagogy and Practice in Academia"

For more information, please contact Dr. Anita Rich, arich@emich.edu

 

The Department of Communication, Media & Theatre Arts is part of the College of Arts & Sciences, 214 Pray-Harrold, 734.487.4344