Tisch Department of Drama

ATTN: Tickets for TISCH DRAMA STAGE’s “Rhinoceros” are available now!

By Eugène Ionesco, translated by Derek Prouse, and directed by Jedadiah Schultz, “Rhinoceros” is a story about the loss of self and the struggle to hold on to our humanity in the face of powerful forces. Those forces are multifaceted and varied, but they often take the form of conformity. The play also explores complacency and cynicism, and ultimately the courage each of us must summon to listen to our true selves, to resist, and to never surrender or capitulate.

See “Rhinoceros” February 28–March 7. Tickets are available at tinyurl.com/3par6vt6 or through the link in our bio.

ATTN: Applying as an internal transfer to Tisch Drama?

Please note these deadlines:

Common App deadline: Sunday, March 1

Your Artistic Review must be scheduled and all materials must be uploaded to your portal by Friday, March 6 at 9:00 AM EST.

Good luck with your application!

Tisch Drama is proud to celebrate recent New Studio on Broadway (NSB) faculty achievements.

DELL HOWLETT (NSB Co-Head of Dance, currently on sabbatical) has directed and choreographed “Ain’t Misbehavin’” with a brand-new concept, now open to great acclaim at Arizona Theatre Company.

TIFFANY RACHELLE STEWART (NSB Head of Physical Acting) choreographed Jacob Ming-Trent’s “How Shakespeare Saved My Life,” which recently premiered at Berkeley Rep in a co-production with Folger Theatre and Red Bull Theater.

BYRON EASLEY (NSB Co-Head of Dance) is currently in London choreographing “Johnny and June,” the new musical about Johnny Cash, directed by Des McAnuff.

And congratulations to STEPHANIE JEANETTE WEEKS, Visiting Arts Professor and NSB Interim Head of Acting, who has been awarded a 2026 Obie for Performance in “Show/Boat: A River.”

Photo by Marisa Tornello (Stephanie Weeks in “Show/Boat: A River,” via Observer).

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Drama showed up at the 69th Obie Awards this season. Huge congratulations to our alumni and extended community for a really strong showing.

Congrats to Sam Pinkleton for Directing (“ta-da!” and “Can I Be Frank?”). Congrats to Paul Lazar for Directing (“The Barbarians”). Congrats to David Herskovits for Sustained Achievement in Directing (“Show/Boat: A River”). Congrats to Stephanie Weeks for Performance (“Show/Boat: A River”). Congrats to Paul Sparks (Tisch BFA Acting ’95) for Sustained Achievement in Performance (“Grangeville”). So glad to see Frank J. Oliva recognized for Design (Sets) (“Well, I’ll Let You Go,” “Danger and Opportunity,” and “A Knock on the Roof”). And congrats to On The Rocks Theatre Company for a Special Citation for the concept and creation of “The Beastiary” (commissioned and presented by Ars Nova), with Drama alums Christopher Ford and Dakota Rose as co-founders.

Also celebrating members of the wider Tisch community honored this year, including Kate Valk and Carmelita Tropicana (Lifetime Achievement) and Nicky Paraiso (Morgan Jenness Award).

Proud of this community!

Big congratulations to Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, who has been named a 2026 USA Fellow by United States Artists.

Jeanette is an award-winning, multi-disciplinary designer whose work spans theater, opera, dance, and immersive experiences, with work seen across the U.S. and internationally. At Drama, Jeanette serves as Arts Professor and Head of Lighting Design Training in the Production & Design Studio.

We’re proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition.

Photo credit: Playbill

Regular Decision applicants — here are the key dates you need to know:

Common App Deadline: Monday, January 5
Artistic Review Phase 1 Video (Acting & MT only): Due Monday, January 12 at 9:00 AM EST
Artistic Review must be scheduled by: Thursday, January 15 at 9:00 AM EST

Be sure to plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time. We’re excited to meet this year’s applicants.

Tisch Drama is excited to share some incredible news from the Zuma International Film Festival in Abuja. This year’s big winner, The Man Died, directed by our own Professor Awam Amkpa, took home several top honors — including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Costume.

The festival, now in its 15th year, brought together filmmakers from across Nigeria for five days of screenings and events, and Professor Amkpa’s film was a standout throughout.

A huge congratulations to Prof. Amkpa and the entire creative team on this well-deserved recognition.

A reminder for students applying to Tisch Drama through Early Decision II: the Common App must be submitted by January 1, and Artistic Review materials, along with scheduling, are due January 9 at 9:00 AM EST. These deadlines are firm, so applicants should plan ahead and confirm that all components are uploaded on time. Visit the Tisch Drama website for full instructions and requirements.

Each year, produces the Clifford Odets Ensemble Play Commission — a new work written and developed specifically for the NYU Practicum students. Building on the legacy of the Group Theatre, the cast, playwright, and director function as a collaborative theatre company, bringing to life an original, ensemble-driven piece.

The 2025 commission, Dead to Us by Malikah Stafford, opens next Thursday, December 11th at LSTFI! In this dark comedy, a birthday getaway spirals into a reckoning as supernatural forces push a fractured friend group to confront the truth about their past.

Tickets are available now at or at givebutter.com/2025commission! ✨

ATTN: Last day to apply for the Tisch Summer High School Programs (Drama Track).

If you’re submitting an application, today is the deadline. Key reminders:

The Drama Track is a four-week, conservatory-style training program that mirrors the structure of the Tisch Drama BFA. Students select one studio — Atlantic, ETW, Meisner, New Studio on Broadway, Production & Design, or Stonestreet — and train intensively throughout the week.

Students earn 4–6 transferable credits and receive a final grade. The program ends with open-class sessions or showings.

There’s no audition requirement, though you can share links to your creative work. Applicants must be sophomores or juniors, and all students live in NYU housing for the duration of the program.

Details are available through the link in our bio.

Interested in earning college credit while training in a Tisch Drama studio this summer? Applications for the 2026 Summer High School Program are now open.

Students take 28 hours of weekly conservatory training in one primary studio — Atlantic, ETW, Meisner, New Studio on Broadway, Production & Design, or Stonestreet — all taught by Tisch faculty and working professionals.

All participants earn 6 transferable college credits (4 units of studio + 2 units of New York Theatre), the same credits taken by Tisch undergraduates.

It’s a rigorous, immersive four weeks designed for serious young artists who want to train like professionals.

Applications are due December 1, 2025.
Learn more at the link in bio.