The Department of Design for Stage and Film at NYU/Tisch School of the Arts is a diverse community of theater and film artists. Our goal is to educate future generations of theater and film designers who, like our faculty and alumni before them, will have a profound impact on the arts through their design work. As theater and film artists, we are storytellers, and we teach our students to tell stories through meticulous research, the disciplined practice of craft, deep dramaturgical exploration of text, unimpeded creativity, and profound respect for the cultures and identities of the stories and characters we explore. The members of our community — students, faculty, administration, staff, alumni — come with unique histories and experiences based on both group identities and individual lives, and our department is fully committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and fully accessible environment in which our students can embrace their own identities, learn from each other, and work together toward a better theater practice. In order to make great work, it is often necessary to take risks, and our goal is to create a pedagogical environment in which students can courageously and expansively explore their artistic voice as storytellers.
In the Fall of 2020, the department formed a student/faculty/staff combined committee called the EDI Working Group. The participants in that committee collectively drafted a COMMUNITY AGREEMENT, which was presented to the entire department in October of 2020, and collectively agreed upon as a working document which clearly states the values and expectations of all of the members of our department. The document can be viewed HERE. The Tisch Design for Stage and Film Community Agreement is a living document which is subject to constant revisions, additions and amendments with the participation and agreement of students, staff, and faculty.