Theater

Be Yourself. Professionally.

Degrees

Mission

The Department of Theater at Brooklyn College provides an affordable, accessible, outstanding education taught by a nationally recognized faculty of theater artists and leaders. We are a professional training ground in Flatbush Brooklyn set in the epicenter of the theater industry – New York City. We come from around the world and down the block in all different stages of our careers. We are an anti-racist, equitable and inclusive program that reflects and responds to the diverse identities, cultures and experiences of our students. We offer comprehensive undergraduate and graduate degree programs which offer a transformative, affordable, rigorous educational experience. We develop and inspire each theater maker to embrace and express their unique artistic voice.

The Brooklyn College Department of Theater values the training of the next generation of theater artists and leaders. We commit to this essential work as a means to sustain the vibrancy of our field and the overall human condition. The Department acknowledges past harms detrimental to the educational process of our student body. On-going systemic change is required to continue to identify, address, and heal from those harms. We commit heartily to this values statement as an organic, evolving, and fluid document. We commit to these values as we continue to investigate and modify our department culture. We commit to these values as a means to embrace and adapt to the necessary critical changes in our society.

Values

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism

We strive to create a more equitable, diverse, inclusive, anti-racist, and socially just department through intentional pedagogy, recruitment, community culture, and activities reflected in the stories we tell, and the voices we amplify. We recognize that Black, Brown, Asian/Pacific Islander communities, Indigenous communities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disabilities and communities of color are all under-represented in our field and face the barriers of systemic racism and other forms of oppression. We are correcting that reality through anti-racist trainings, activities designed to raise awarness, interrogating our syllabi, modifying language and behaviors in an effort to transform the culture of our department and to support and honor global perspectives, voices, and cultures.

Transformation

We believe in theater and its inherent power to transform. Theater has the potential to transform the individual, our audiences, the Brooklyn College community, and the community beyond. Through freedom of artistic expression and collaboration, we value an intentional practice that at its core synthesizes learning, doing, and making theater.

Practice and Individuality

We value a rigorous and disciplined art practice that supports free expression and the uniqueness of the individual. We value a practice that encourages play and exploration by nurturing the growth, talent, and artistic ambition of the individual artist. We value free artistic expression and the ability to tailor an educational experience to the artists’ needs.

Curiosity

We embrace “failing forward,” supportive feedback, consensus, and a holistic approach to satisfying the curiosity of artistic experimentation, uplifting and inspiring each theater maker to embrace and express their unique artistic voice.

Community

We cherish the community of students, staff, and faculty that comprise our department. We value partnerships between students, staff, and faculty that rely on power sharing, governance sharing, and transparency in decision making. Our community will forge a human-centered approach reliant on trust, collaboration, and being in community with one another.

Global Perspectives

We value global perspectives, global voices, and global cultures. We value uplifting historically marginalized voices of the non-white global majority and seek to rectify the inequities and colonistic structures that continue to plague our industry, our culture, and our society.

Autonomy and Choice

We value the autonomy of the individual artist through supporting self-care measures, mental and physical well-being, safety, respect, and the creation of a consent based approach to our work. We value a trusting environment to work and study by practicing compassion, empathy, and accepting personal boundaries.