The Schwartz Center is home to the department of Performing and Media Arts at Cornell University.
Cornell University’s Department of Performing and Media Arts (PMA) is housed within the iconic Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. The PMA program provides opportunities for students to explore theatre, film, and dance as distinct art forms, or to combine these disciplines in exciting ways. Whether students choose to major, minor, or enroll in select classes, they can integrate work in acting
and film, theatre and television, dance and light, new media and sound. The PMA major is both flexible and rigorous, giving students multiple options in designing their own program of study. In consultation with a faculty advisor, they also develop a focus in their area of interest. The departmental curriculum offers a robust selection of courses, from introductory to advanced levels, and from both creative and critical perspectives. Students can also study abroad thru PMA in Europe or work in the industry as part of PMA's Cornell in Hollywood summer internship program in Los Angeles. The Schwartz Center’s marble walls encompass all the elements needed for teaching and performance in theatre, film and dance: four performance spaces; dance and theatre rehearsal studios; scenery, costume and prop shops; sound and lighting design studios; and state of the art film editing and production suites. The Schwartz Center serves as a catalyst for the creative and intellectual endeavors of the many talented students, faculty and staff at Cornell. Students with varied interests—in criticism, film production, theatre, acting, directing, theatre and media history, screenwriting, dancing, film, media, sound design, lighting, costumes, multimedia work or international media and theatre work—can all find courses, productions, events, clubs and organizations, competitions and special opportunities at the Schwartz Center. All of the department’s activities build on a commitment to diversity and collaboration across all areas of the department, as well as across Cornell and the broader community. Also part of our department is Cornell Cinema, which has been cited as one of the best campus film exhibition programs in the country, screening close to 150 different films/videos each year, five nights a week in the beautiful Willard Straight Theatre. Each calendar includes an array of classic Hollywood and foreign films, independent titles, documentaries, experimental work, recent International cinema, silent films with live musical accompaniment, cult classics and recent Hollywood and arthouse hits, in addition to guest appearances by visiting filmmakers and faculty.
08/04/2026
It's that time of the semester again... Festival 24! Festival 24 is a once-per-semester festival where Cornell students write, direct, and perform a compilation of 15-minute plays and films all within 24 hours!
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts on Saturday, August 29 at 7:30 p.m. in the Flex Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts.
The Festival 24 team is looking for anyone interested in taking part in this awesome production! No experience is necessary for any role, and this is a great way to get involved with the performing arts on campus!
All positions are first-come first-served, so don’t wait to fill it out!
08/03/2026
Come explore the possibilities in the Schwartz Center, where film, theatre, dance and media studies intersect in exciting ways. Meet the passionate faculty, talented students, and dedicated staff from the Department of Performing and Media Arts.
Join us for engaging conversations, networking opportunities, and refreshments. Everyone is welcome to attend this Open House, so bring your curiosity and enthusiasm. We look forward to seeing you there! Mark your calendar for PMA’s Open House on Friday, August 21, 2026, from 10:00am - 12:00pm.
All students are welcome to attend. For any additional information, please contact us at [email protected].
07/29/2026
PMA Ph.D. alumnus Joshua Bastian Cole-Kurz ’22 was recently featured in LGBTQ Nation discussing the historical research connected to his essay in The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays, Volume II. The interview appears in Molly Sprayregen's article, "A Secret Trans Support Group Met Above a Brothel in 1890s Manhattan. It May Have Changed the World."
In the interview, Cole-Kurz said “Some of the work I do is based on the idea of objects absent from the archive. It’s not that they didn’t exist, it’s that they’ve been destroyed… So, if anything, the lack of evidence is even more support for me… There’s more that was probably either disposed of or dismissed or eradicated because that is also unfortunately the legacy of q***r history, the elimination of that history.”
LGBTQ Nation is an online news magazine, reporting on issues relevant to the le***an, gay, bisexual, transgender, q***r community.
PMA Professor Bruce Levitt who serves as Lead Facilitator of the Phoenix Players Theatre Group, invites the community to attend two special events on Sunday, August 23.
The first event will feature a live presentation of the 100 Years Podcast at Cinemapolis in Ithaca at 2:30 p.m. by Podcast participants Michael Rynes, Robert Lawrence Julien, Efrain Diaz, and Demetrius Molina. Learn more about the podcast at: https://www.instagram.com/one_hundred_years_podcast/
Later that evening, at 7 p.m., the Auburn Public Theater will host a screening of HUMAN AGAIN, the acclaimed 2016 documentary that tells the story of the founding members of the Phoenix Players. The 60-minute film offers an inspiring look at the group's impact through theater, community engagement, and personal transformation. More information is available at: https://auburnpublictheater.org/
Community members are encouraged to attend one or both events and support the ongoing work of the Phoenix Players Theatre Group. These events are made possible (in part or in full) with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, administered by the Community Arts Partnership.
100 Years Podcast Presentation
🗓 Sunday, August 23
🕝 2:30 p.m.
📍 Cinemapolis, Ithaca, NY
Human Again Documentary Screening
🗓 August 23
🕖 7:00 p.m.
📍 Auburn Public Theater, Auburn, NY
07/24/2026
🎉 Congratulations to PMA Ph.D. alumnus Dr. Jimmy Noriega '11 on his appointment as Dean of the Schools of Audio and Music, Theatre and Dance at Columbia College Chicago.
An internationally recognized director, scholar, and leader in the performing arts, Dr. Noriega is one of five new deans selected to help lead Columbia College Chicago's academic growth as part of its Renaissance Rising initiative. We are proud to celebrate this significant achievement and the continued impact of our alumni across the arts and higher education.
PMA Professor Nick Salvato has published a new essay, “Everyday Camp: A Field Guide,” featured as the lead article in the summer 2026 issue of THEATER magazine, a leading journal of performance and theater studies.
In the essay, Salvato explores quotidian versions of camp, the art of q***r parody, in contradistinction to its more famous and public-facing enactments--for instance, collecting diva memorabilia rather than appearing as a contestant on DRAG RACE.
“Working on this project involved rigorous thinking but also delicious fun,” said Salvato. “The research process included traveling to Palm Springs to stay at the Trixie Motel, arguably the campiest place in North America.”
The project was supported by the department of Performing and Media Arts through a Bean Fellowship.
THEATER magazine is a prominent publication dedicated to contemporary performance, theory, and criticism, showcasing innovative scholarship and creative work in the field.
Photo credit: Nick Salvato, Detail from the Trixie Motel's Lounge, 2024.
06/25/2026
PMA Associate Professor Beth F. Milles '88 recently directed a staged reading of END OF THE CENTURY, a new play by Cornell alum Lee Rosenthal ’87. The reading took place on Saturday, May 30, at Theatre 68 in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, and featured a cast that included Wendie Malick (HOT IN CLEVELAND, SHRINKING, JUST SHOOT ME), Rory O’Malley (HAMILTON, BOOK OF MORMON), Isabella Gomez (ONE DAY AT A TIME, SHRINKING), and Tyler Tomas Perez (ABBOTT ELEMENTARY) among others.
An English major at Cornell, Lee Rosenthal ’87 was active in the theater department and co-founded Whistling Shrimp, the University’s oldest long-form improvisational comedy troupe. Following graduation, Rosenthal built a distinguished career in the entertainment industry, eventually becoming President of Worldwide Physical Production for Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Studios, where he has led production management for decades. In 2024, he returned to campus to celebrate the 40th anniversary reunion of Whistling Shrimp, reflecting on the troupe’s enduring legacy and impact.
“I am thrilled and honored to be collaborating with Lee on his wonderful new play with such an amazing cast,” said Milles. “It was such a joy to have a moment to collaborate and work through this fun, touching, brave, audacious piece together. The cast was sublime, and the artistic support team as well. It was a phenomenal experience and an incredible event.”
Rosenthal reflected on the collaboration and the impact of the reading, noting the vital role Milles played in shaping the performance:
“My later-in-life career turn has resulted in a contest-winning full-length play, END OF THE CENTURY, that the amazingly creative Beth Milles helped realize in a reading here in North Hollywood,” he said. “Beth’s professorial compassion coupled with her brilliant eye brought the play alive in ways I could only imagine.”
The reading drew strong support from Cornell’s alumni community in Los Angeles, including screenwriter Christopher Rossi ’86, actor Bob Clendenin ’86, screenwriter and Loyola Marymount MFA student Davis Ouriel ’25, producer Jennifer Weinbaum Ray ’04, and professor and acting teacher Hugh O’Gorman ’87. USC MFA student Tess Lovell ’25 also joined the production team as an artistic associate and understudied (on the fly- to notable distinction) one of the performers during rehearsals.
PMA Professor J. Ellen Gainor has written an article called "Susan Glaspell, Actor" for the journal Coup de Théâtre, published by the French academic society RADAC. The article appears in a special issue called Susan Glaspell: Past & Present.
“Scholars, myself included, have written extensively about Glaspell's work as a playwright, fictionist, and non-fiction author,” said Gainor. “But there was no scholarship on Glaspell's work as an actor, especially in the context of American performance techniques in the early twentieth century. My article discusses Glaspell's acting and the modernist performance modes that were emerging at the time.”
PMA Alum Gloria Majule’s play Possessed has been selected for The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s 2026 National Playwrights Conference, marking the first time a play by an African woman has been selected for this conference. Every year, innovative, unproduced works are selected from a pool of 1,400+ submissions by The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center to be developed with the support of a professional company of actors, designers, dramaturgs, and directors.
“I am overjoyed to have the opportunity as a Tanzanian playwright to workshop my play Possessed in such an incredible new work development conference,” said Majule. “It means a lot to me. The O'Neill is very competitive and has fostered so many great voices in the past that it is an honor and a privilege to be selected. It is also such a validation of my work and the stories I am trying to tell, stories that challenge African stereotypes and are written for the Black gaze.”
Additionally, Majule’s play Uhuru will be having a world premiere at Houston’s Alley Theater on October 27.
In the first weekend of May, a group of graduate and undergraduate students from Cornell University attended the Margaret Mead Film Festival, one of the longest-running and most prestigious showcases of ethnographic and documentary films in the world.
The festival trip also extended a thread of inquiry that had developed throughout the spring semester via a companion Exploring Ethnographic Film Series at Cornell Cinema, organized as part of an ethnographic film theory course taught by Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Performing & Media Arts, and Media Studies Affiliated Faculty, Natasha Raheja, who also organized the trip to the Margaret Mead Festival.
08/04/2026
08/03/2026
07/29/2026
07/28/2026
07/24/2026
06/29/2026
06/25/2026
06/16/2026
06/11/2026
06/09/2026