(New York, NY – May 25, 2005) New School University announced today the creation of The New School for Drama, and in a joint statement, the University and The Actors Studio announced they would not renew their contractual relationship.
“The legacy of The New School for Drama, which predates our association with The Actors Studio, began in the 1940s and will continue as one of the premiere theatre schools in the nation. It is with that spirit of innovation and excellence that we will move forward with our drama program,” said Bob Kerrey, President of New School University.
New School University also named Tony Award-nominee actor Robert LuPone as its Interim Director of The New School for Drama, and Tony Award-winning director Arthur Penn as its new Sr. Artistic Advisor to the President. Robert LuPone was a Tony nominee for his role in “A Chorus Line,” and as a producer of “Frozen.” A member of The Actors Studio, LuPone appeared on Broadway in “True West,” “A Thousand Clowns,” and “A View from the Bridge.” He won the Jefferson Award for his performance in “The Tooth of Crime” at the Goodman Theater. Mr. LuPone is President of the Board of ART/NY as well as Artistic Director of MCC Theater in New York City. Arthur Penn, a noted film and stage director and writer, received Oscar nominations for directing “The Miracle Worker,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” and “Little Big Man.” He received a Tony award for “The Miracle Worker.”
“The New School for Drama will continue to provide its students with a first class education, services, and unparalleled connections to the New York theatre community,” said Kerrey. “Indeed, our drama program will continue to offer a substantive curriculum founded in the Method.”
Among the noted faculty members at The New School for Drama are: Susan Aston, Gene Lasko, Ron Leibman, Lloyd Richards, Paul Rudd, Christopher Shinn, Arthur Storch, Tony Walton, and Michael Weller.
The new New School for Drama:
The New School for Drama offers a three-year theatre M.F.A. in Dramatic Arts and features intensive training in the method. Under the instruction of accomplished and professional faculty, this unique program provides its degree candidates in acting, directing, and playwriting with a foundation in the dramatic arts as well as the opportunity to work collaboratively on productions.
With New York City as its backdrop, students at The New School for Drama can take advantage of all the University and the city have to offer. The broad array of educational and artistic resources within the University include the designers at Parsons, musicians at Mannes and the Jazz Program, and film and media students at The New School.
Legacy of The New School’s Drama Program:
New School University’s strong roots in the dramatic arts began in the 1940s when exiled German stage director, Erwin Piscator, launched the Dramatic Workshop. Piscator, a leader with Bertolt Brecht of the Weimar era theatre in Berlin, developed a one-of-a-kind acting school and staged many socially and politically informed productions that were presented at The New School and several Broadway theatres. The Workshop featured artists who would become the core of an American theatrical renaissance: students included Tennessee Williams, Marlon Brando, Walter Matthau, Shelley Winters, and Elaine Stritch; and legendary acting teachers Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg were two of its first faculty members.###
New School University, with more than 8,000 matriculated students and 15,000 continuing education students, is a New York City university committed to critical scholarship, artistic integrity, and ethical responsibility in the social sciences, humanities, the arts, and design. It is comprised of a liberal arts foundation of three schools: The New School, Eugene Lang College and the Graduate Faculty of Political and Social Science; and five professional schools: Parsons School of Design, Mannes College of Music, The New School for Drama, Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy, and the Jazz & Contemporary Music Program. New School Online University offers one of the largest selections of online courses in the nation. For further information about New School University, call (212) 229-5600 or visit www.newschool.edu.