The New School for Drama

The New School for Drama, now operating as the School of Drama within The New School's College of Performing Arts, traces its origins to The New School's long tradition of progressive education, which began when the institution was founded in 1919 as a center for intellectual inquiry and social research in Greenwich Village. The drama program was established to provide graduate-level theater training within this distinctly progressive academic environment, offering MFA programs that have evolved over the years into the current MFA in Contemporary Theatre and Performance. The New School itself has always been associated with avant-garde thinking, social engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration, and the drama program reflects these values in its approach to actor training. Located on West 13th Street in the heart of Greenwich Village, the school is embedded in one of the most historically significant neighborhoods for American arts and culture, surrounded by theaters, galleries, and performance spaces. The program's faculty has included notable practitioners from the New York theater world, and its approach emphasizes contemporary, collaborative, and socially engaged performance. The school occupies a unique niche in the landscape of MFA drama programs, appealing to artists who are interested in pushing boundaries rather than following traditional conservatory models.

In 2025, The New School's School of Drama offers an MFA in Contemporary Theatre and Performance that represents a distinctly different approach from the classical conservatory model found at schools like Juilliard, Yale, or Carnegie Mellon. The program is ensemble-based and integrates writing, acting, and directing into a unified curriculum, meaning that students are not trained solely as performers but as complete theater-makers capable of creating, directing, and devising their own work. The curriculum is project-centered and process-oriented, with individualized pathways that allow each student to pursue their specific artistic interests and goals. This approach attracts a specific type of artist: one who is interested in contemporary performance, new work development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and pushing the boundaries of what theater can be. Faculty are contemporary New York practitioners including award-winning playwrights, directors, and actors such as Christopher Shinn, Jon Robin Baitz, Daniel Aukin, Peter J. Fernandez, and Michael Weller. The program's smaller size and progressive approach create an intimate, creatively adventurous training environment that stands in deliberate contrast to larger, more structured conservatories.

Admission to The New School's MFA in Contemporary Theatre and Performance requires a bachelor's degree and an application that includes a personal statement, artistic portfolio, letters of recommendation, and an audition or interview. The program looks for artists who demonstrate creative independence, intellectual curiosity, and a genuine interest in contemporary and experimental performance forms. Unlike programs that evaluate applicants primarily on their classical acting technique, The New School values candidates who bring unique artistic perspectives, interdisciplinary interests, and a willingness to take creative risks. The application process may include workshops or group exercises that assess collaborative skills and creative problem-solving, reflecting the program's ensemble-based philosophy. Specific acceptance rates are not publicly disclosed, but the program is competitive and admits relatively small cohorts. The application timeline typically follows standard graduate school deadlines, with applications due in early January and decisions communicated by spring.

The MFA curriculum at The New School is structured around collaborative projects that explore diverse performance forms, including new and existing plays, devised theater, adaptation, physical theater, music theater, cabaret, multimedia performance, and cinema. Unlike traditional conservatories that follow a fixed sequence of courses, The New School offers individualized curricular pathways based on each student's artistic interests and entry point. Students work across disciplines — acting, writing, and directing — developing a broad skill set that prepares them to be theater-makers rather than just performers. Faculty guide students through project-based work that emphasizes process and experimentation over polished production. The program also engages with The New School's broader intellectual community, connecting drama students with scholars, social scientists, and artists from other disciplines. This interdisciplinary approach reflects The New School's founding philosophy of progressive education and produces graduates who think expansively about the role of theater in contemporary culture.

The New School's drama program attracts artists who are drawn to experimental, contemporary, and socially engaged performance and who may feel constrained by the traditional conservatory model. Students tend to be independent-minded creators who are interested in making their own work as much as performing in others' productions. The program has produced notable alumni including Hadi Tabbal, who has appeared in The Brave, The Blacklist, Madam Secretary, and House of Cards and serves as an artistic associate with the Sundance Theatre Institute; and Daniel Pearle, whose play A Kid Like Jake was produced at Lincoln Center Theater and adapted into a Sundance film. Graduates have gone on to work in traditional theater, film, and television, but many also build careers as theater-makers, devising artists, directors, and interdisciplinary performers. The program's emphasis on collaboration and creation means that alumni often form companies and produce their own work after graduation. The school's Greenwich Village location connects students to one of the richest communities of experimental and downtown performance in the world.

Tuition at The New School's MFA in Contemporary Theatre and Performance is approximately $44,423 per year, with a per-credit rate of approximately $2,156 for students enrolled part-time. Financial aid, including scholarships and grants, is available through The New School's financial aid office, though specific scholarship amounts and the percentage of students receiving aid are not publicly detailed. The overall cost of attendance including living expenses in New York City can be substantial, making financial planning a critical consideration for prospective students. Compared to tuition-free programs at Yale and Juilliard, The New School's cost is significant, though it is lower than Columbia or NYU Tisch. The smaller program size may allow for more individualized financial aid conversations, and prospective students should contact the admissions office directly to discuss available support. Students should also explore external scholarships and grants available to MFA theater students, as these can help offset the cost of attendance.

The New School's MFA is ideal for artists who are passionate about contemporary and experimental theater, who want to develop skills as theater-makers and creators alongside their acting training, and who thrive in self-directed, collaborative environments. If you are drawn to devised theater, new play development, interdisciplinary performance, or socially engaged work, this program offers a creative home that traditional conservatories cannot match. The program is particularly well-suited for mid-career artists looking to expand their creative practice beyond conventional acting. Actors who want rigorous classical training, a clear technical curriculum, or preparation for mainstream film and television careers should look to Juilliard, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, or NYU Tisch instead. If you want a progressive approach but at lower cost, explore university programs with experimental theater concentrations that offer in-state tuition rates. If you are primarily interested in improv and comedy, dedicated improv schools like The Groundlings, UCB, or Second City offer more focused training at lower cost.

Come to the program with a clear sense of your artistic interests and goals, as the individualized curriculum works best for students who know what they want to explore and can advocate for their creative needs. Immerse yourself in the downtown New York performance scene from day one — attend shows at experimental venues and the various downtown theaters that define New York's avant-garde. Build collaborative relationships with your cohort members and with students in other New School programs, as these connections often lead to the most exciting post-graduation creative projects. Take advantage of the faculty's professional connections in the New York theater community, and seek out mentorship relationships that can support your transition from school to the profession. Develop a practice of creating your own work during the program, as many of the most successful New School graduates build their careers by producing and devising rather than waiting for casting opportunities. Consider how your MFA work can connect to your long-term artistic vision — the degree is most valuable when it serves as a launching pad for a creative practice you define yourself.