Assembly LVII : The Performing Arts at Yale
Executive Summary
Friday Morning

Panel: Teaching and Learning the Performing Arts at Yale

Theater Studies Professor Murray Biggs moderated the panel that covered the Music and Theater Studies departments, which provide the curriculum for undergraduate programs, and the School of Music and the School of Drama, which focus on professional training.

Robert Blocker, Dean of the School of Music, began by addressing issues in teaching and performance and the challenges that face the School.

• The School of Music is largely a conservatory program with some of the best teaching faculty in the United States.

• Composition is one of their special strengths.

• The School seeks the most gifted students it can find. As a result, the School currently includes 43% international students.

• The School of Music faces a number of challenges. Facilities are very important in the recruitment of faculty and students and, until recently, the facilities at Yale were simply inadequate in all key respects. Fortunately, the University has a number of renovations planned. This includes a complete renovation of Sprague Hall, Stoeckel Hall (which will be the home of the Dept. of Music), Hendrie Hall (which will have new practice rooms and a student commons), and 435 College Street (which will be a facility for both graduate and undergraduate students).

• The School also suffers in its recruitment due to lack of financial aid support. Many of its competitors (Curtis, Juilliard, Eastman, etc.) offer full scholarships, stipends and housing. Yale cannot continue to have top caliber students if it cannot offer comparable support. The School hopes that all alumni, and not just the alumni of the School of Music, will step forward to help them out with this in the future.

• Something the School would like to do better is prepare students to have a broader vision in order to better the world with their art and to go on to be cultural leaders. It is not enough to be a terrific cellist or pianist. Less than 3% go on to music as a professional career. The School encourages students to take courses at the College.

Leon Plantinga ’64 PhD, Chairman of the Music Department, discussed the extraordinary talent and ability of its undergraduates who pursue music at a high level of proficiency and are capable of performing with near-professional quality.

• Every year, the admissions committee listens to over 900 recordings by prospective freshmen. Yale College’s advantage over its competitors (Harvard and Princeton) for undergraduates with musical interests is that its preeminent schools in the performance arts allow its undergraduates to tap teaching, learning and performance resources unavailable at peer institutions.

• 35 students each year choose to major in music, often with a double major.

• 900-1100 students take courses in music each term, which is about ¼ of the student body

•  Yale College students may study performance at the School of Music, but they take their history and theory courses with the faculty of the Music Department.

• The Department wants its students’ music performance to be informed by the history and theory of music. There needs to be closer coordination between the School and the Department on the education of these students.

Stanley Wojewodski, Dean of the School of Drama, began by saying, “We try to do everything in our power to dissuade incoming students from a career in drama, but if we cannot, then we try to do everything in our power to help them.” While careers in theater and film are immensely difficult to launch and sustain, the School’s ratio of admissions to applications is the lowest of any Yale program, including the College. Many apply, very few are chosen, and only a few of these will mount lifelong careers in drama.

• This is the 75th anniversary of the Drama School and the 100th anniversary of the Dramat.

•  The School of Drama is celebrating with a simultaneous party in NYC and LA on November 13, 2000.

• The graduate program produces 6 performances at the Rep, 26 at the University Theater, and 20 in the Cabaret.

• The areas of study include, dramaturgy, directing, stage-management, design, playwriting, producing, and acting.

• $250 million will be spent over the next 8 years on facilities, however money is still needed for scholarships. The typical graduate starts with a $14k salary and $40k in debt, which often forces graduates to give up the theater for an occupation that pays better. If the alumni could help with funding, the School would be able to assist students with their loan repayments and to offer more scholarships.

Marc Robinson ’90 MFA, ’92 DFA, Director of the Theater Studies Department reported on significant changes that have been made in the past three years in the undergraduate Theater Studies Department. These include:

• A restructuring of the department. Students start as freshman and attend a yearlong survey course and then enter one of four tracks: acting, directing, theory, and playwriting.

• Uncapping the major. Before, students had to apply to be in the program, which typically accepted 25 students a year. Now anyone who completes the requirements is accepted. This year the department has 85 freshmen in the survey course, plus 60 sophomores, 27 juniors, and 35 seniors in the major.

• An increase in faculty. In 1993, there were 7 faculty (including part-time and joint). Today there are 16.

• Creation of new performance spaces, including the 53 Wall Street Theater, which is now devoted to Theater Studies students.

• Greater integration between Theater Studies and the rest of the College and the Drama School. There are many cross-listed courses and half of the theater students are double majors. The depth of the course offerings has increased.