Career Development

Career Development & Alumni Engagement

Tisch Drama’s Office of Career Development & Alumni Engagement empowers students and alumni to take agency over their careers in the entertainment field. The office aims to reflect the diversity of creative careers in the modern age and what they entail, including use of technology, personal branding and entrepreneurship, sustainable lifestyle practices, and what it means to be a “multi-hyphenate creative"—and more.

To facilitate this, the office provides resources and opportunities for students to explore and develop a variety of performance and non-performance career options by making connections with professionals in the field and developing sustainable career practices. A students's time at Tisch Drama is filled with workshops, panels, and seminars to help them navigate next steps in their careers as emerging artists and leaders. These can range in topic from finding an internship to how to navigate unions. The office also offers one-on-one coaching, cover letter and headshot review, access to exclusive casting and job opportunities, networking events, and more.

Examples of previous Career Development programs include:

• Broadway Speaker’s Bureau: Students learn about the different roles that come together to work on a broadway production. Most recently, students had the opportunity to meet the producer, head of marketing, and the company manager for Dear Evan Hansen. 

• Website Workshop with Wix: This event brought together representatives from Wix (a website building platform) and a casting director to discuss best practices for creating a personal, professional website. 

• Casting Director / Agent Visits: With NYU's central location in one of the theatre capitals of the world, casting directors and agents visit classes and answer students' questions, often providing feedback on auditions, headshots, and resumes.

• Graduate School Panel: Featuring speakers from graduate programs at NYU and a representative from the University Resident Theatre Association (URTA), experts discussed a myriad of topics including: should you go to graduate school, when is the right time to go to graduate school, the varied options for graduate programs from MA to MFA to PhD, and more.

• Internship Fair: With representatives from casting offices, production companies, theatre companies, and more, this event provided opportunities for students and alumni to connect with professionals across the field and learn more about internships.

Additionally, the office continues to collaborate with alumni to help students develop skills in areas of interest. Programs include the Brendan Bradley Innovation Lab, exploring technology in live performance; and many others. Programs continue to be developed.

Brendan Bradley Innovation Lab

Made possible by a generous donation from alumnus Brendan Bradley '05, the innovation lab serves as a think tank for artists and thought-leaders across the University. Taught by leading professionals in the field, the 4-credit course aims to introduce students to the latest forms of technology as they develop work in live performance. The course offers students opportunities to collaborate with companies and technologists who demonstrate new tools and processes exploring the intersection between performing arts and technology. Technologies include virtual reality, motion capture, projection mapping, holograms, and more.

Our goal is that students will graduate feeling confident to take the next steps in their careers having established a strong foundation that includes knowledge of the field, professional exposure, strong sense of self, and the skills to build exciting, sustainable futures.

Additionally, students have access to the Tisch School of the Arts Office of Career Development and the Wasserman Center for Career Development, which also offers a wide range of support for students before and after they graduate. 

Have questions, comments, or ideas? Don't hesitate to reach out to Jessica Genick, Program Manager of the Office of Career Development & Alumni Relations, at jessica.genick@nyu.edu.