Drama

Production & Design Artistic Review

For candidates who wish to train as stage managers and costume, lighting, sound and scenic designers. As part of your artistic review, you will be asked to indicate a primary area of interest as well as a secondary area of interest.

PRODUCTION & DESIGN ARTISTIC REVIEW

PORTFOLIO REVIEW

PORTFOLIO REVIEW

The portfolio review is a discussion with your evaluator about your interest in and ideas about your chosen area(s) of specialization, along with your accomplishments and experience in the field thus far.

Please bring the following support materials to your artistic review:

  • A current theatre résumé

  • P&D Application Essay – a one-page essay responding to the question:
    "How do you imagine your college education will enhance your ability to make theater?" In addition to bringing a hard copy with you, you must upload your statement to the Drama Artistic Review portal, in advance.
  • A portfolio in a single PDF, PowerPoint, Keynote or similar digital file to be presented at the time of the artistic review. You may present your portfolio on a laptop, tablet or similar device. Your portfolio should showcase three to five of your recent projects that highlight your contribution to the production. It may contain photographs, drawings, sketches, research, sound cues, drafting, etc. that demonstrate your experiences. Managers should present excerpts of one or two scripts that demonstrate your organization, coordination and communication skills. If you have had art classes – drawing, painting, photography, etc. – please include some examples of that work. In addition to bringing your digital portfolio with you, you must upload it in a single PDF digital file to the Drama Artistic Review portal by the artistic review scheduling deadline of your decision period.


CONVERSATION

You will have an opportunity to converse with your evaluator during or after discussing your portfolio. This is a chance for us to get to know you a little bit. We've looked at your work as an artist and now we want to learn about you as a person.

 

WHAT TO BRING

In addition to your portfolio, you are required to bring a hard copy of your résumé and P&D Application Essay to the artistic review, as well as uploading them digitally to the Drama Artistic Review portal. Please use the industry standard for a performing arts résumé (example here). 

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION & DESIGN STUDIO

Once accepted, Production and Design students are placed in the Production and Design Studio to complete two years of foundational artistic training.  Once primary training is completed, students move on to focused, individualized studio work with the student’s design or management instructor and internships in the New York industry. Please visit the Production and Design studio's website to learn more about the program.

SESSION TIMES

You will reserve a morning or afternoon session for your artistic review.  You should expect to be with us for the entire session.  Sessions are approximately three hours. All candidates arrive at the same time to check in.  For the most part, morning sessions begin at 9:00 and afternoon sessions at 2:00.

What should you put in your portfolio? Include three or four projects that you are really proud to present and that showcase your talents. Try to show us the arc of your overall experience—from initial ideas to research to first and revised sketches to photographs of the show.
If you’ve done other kinds of work—haunted houses, lighting a friend's band, producing a fashion show, ceramics, 2D & 3D computer art—put it in! Your portfolio represents the work you have done so far. We'll use that material as a jumping off point for fun conversation.

— Advice from a Production & Design Evaluator

Artistic Review Guidelines
Dates and Locations
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