CUNY SPS MA in Applied Theatre

01/31/2026

05/06/2025

You are cordially invited to attend the CUNY School of Professional Studies MA in Applied Theatre 2025 Theatre in Education Festival!

The festival will be held on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18 between 1pm to 5.30pm. It will showcase 4 different TIE projects, all recently implemented, in-person, with school audiences - the audiences for whom they were specifically designed. You now have the opportunity to share in this work – live! Please feel free to attend for one or more presentations. (Register at the Link in Bio).

Theatre in Education (TIE) is a generic term used to describe theatre forms presented by actors who are versed in the techniques and methods of both theatre and teaching. The work is usually designed for a specific age group within the age range of 3 to 18 years, but is also sometimes developed for adult audiences. The performers are traditionally called “actor-teachers”.

The primary distinguishing feature of TIE is its explicit educational purpose. Companies or “teams” aim to provide more than entertainment – although the work should be fun – and to teach something other than theatre skills or theatre appreciation – although these may be by-products.

The four teams presenting in our festival are comprised of students from the course Teaching Through Theatre: The Theory and Practice of TIE. The students have created original pieces, devised for specific audiences: early years, elementary, middle and high school. The work has been performed for these audiences prior to the festival. The festival offers an opportunity for our students to share their work with a wider audience. We look forward to seeing you!

12/06/2024

10/22/2024

We are hosting an IN PERSON introductory workshop on 11/16! It will be a dynamic, interactive session with faculty, staff and alumni of the MA in Applied Theatre. Learn about how we work and what we're all about.

Sign up today! Invite a friend!

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/26nrnxz/lp/11471bb2-9eed-41c3-8ee6-f6078400403e

05/24/2024

Huge congratulations to our graduates 2024!!! You did it!!

05/02/2024

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

In response to the appalling events of the past few days, as the Academic Program Director of the CUNY SPS M.A. in Applied Theatre, I endorse the PSC statement of May 1 that “… condemns in the strongest possible terms the militarized policing of campuses that is taking place across the country and in New York City, including at our own City College campus” and call on the CUNY Central Administration and all CUNY colleges, schools and programs to defend the freedom of speech and rights of all students and faculty, at CUNY and universities across the U.S., to exercise their democratic rights to express their legitimate views and to protest in accordance with their consciences.

The full text of the PSC statement is as follows:

Today is the first day back on campus for many of us after a spring recess that coincided with an escalation of student protest at home and nationwide.

The PSC condemns in the strongest possible terms the militarized policing of campuses that is taking place across the country and in New York City, including at our own City College campus last night. We have heard concerning reports of many injuries that our students and members sustained during the police action last night, and of many dozens of arrests. As we stated last week when the CCNY encampment began, lawful student protests on any CUNY campus should not be met with NYPD arrests. Administration can and must ensure students' safety and prevent harassment on campus without resorting to the forcible removal of peaceful protestors. Last night’s NYPD actions at the campus, even before the announced deadline for students to clear the encampment, were escalatory and disproportionate to any threat that the encampment posed. A militarized police response violates the trust and community that make the shared quest for education possible.

As the AAUP said in its recent statement In Defense of the Right to Free Speech and Peaceful Protest on University Campuses, crackdowns like the one that just took place at CCNY emerge from the troubling context of “a politically motivated assault on higher education.” Congress has weaponized sincere concerns about actual antisemitism to repress freedoms of speech and the freedom of inquiry necessary for all academic work and central to all academic institutions.

College and university administrators have cited restrictions on the time, place, and manner of protests to justify bringing police onto campuses to arrest students. As the AAUP observes, “ When university administrators limit when, where, and how free speech may be exercised, and require advanced applications for permission of such expression, they effectively gut the right itself. To insist that harsh discipline and violent repression are necessary to combat hate on a college campus is a pretext to suppress protest and silence speech.”

It is imperative that space for peaceful student protest be restored at City College, across CUNY, and at universities across the U.S.

In solidarity,

Chris Vine

04/30/2024

THANK YOU ADEOLA
Dear MAAT, CAT and SPS Community,
As most of you now know, today is the last official day in post of our esteemed Adeola Adegbola White, a day I want to mark with a few personal comments. It is with a complex mixture of sadness and joy that I say “au revoir” - but never goodbye!
Adeola has been a wonderful partner at the helm of the MAAT program for the past 7 years. She has worked indefatigably to provide its administrative backbone, filling so many roles, not only as Assistant Director but also as a faculty member, thesis reader, provider of support for students and faculty alike, a shoulder to lean on (sometimes to cry on), a great source of advice, and sometimes challenge, an outspoken advocate for racial justice, an inspiration and a friend. It is sad to see her go; she will be sorely missed! However, it is time for her to move on, to grow and to develop her wide range of skills and aspirations. I am sure you will join with me to celebrate her achievements here and congratulate her on her new and exciting role as the Assistant Director of Graduate Student Wellness and Support Services at Columbia University! Those of you who have had the good fortune to receive her tender love and care as an applied theatre student will know no-one could be better suited to such a role. Columbia is lucky to have her. I wish her every success for the future.
As you enter a new community, Adeola, you know you will forever be a part of ours. Thank you for all you have given and all you leave with us.
Love always -
Chris

03/20/2024

Join us on April 15th for an IN PERSOM watch party of ‘s documentary “Spiritual Cyphers: Hip Hop + The Church” and a conversation between Ariyan and Professor H. Herukhuti Sharif Williams, PhD. MEd.

Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/977k96a

02/28/2024

Celebrating the power of Applied Theatre!

Congratulations to the alumni and current students of the CUNY SPS MA in Applied Theatre who, working under the direction of Helen White (MAAT program author and adjunct professor) have so ably supported the young members of the Creative Arts Team (CAT) Youth Theatre to bring their own ideas to the stage in the inspiring production of Between the Lines:

Abigail S. Liddell, Assistant Director (MAAT ’12)

Caitlyn McCain, Assistant Director (’23)

Joey Schultz, Assistant Director (’12)

Liz Sweeney, Assistant Director (’11)

Brynne O’Rouke, Costume Designer (’21)

Santos Xavier Collado, Sound Designer (MAAT Candidate ’24)

Leslie Thompson, Stage Manager (’23)

Ari Glenn Mombrea, Youth Theatre Manager (’23)

Student Apprentices: Gideon Bautista, Lillia Cohen, Claire Tumey, Andy Nicholson (MAAT Candidates ’24 and ’25)

Wonderful work one and all!

Between the Lines continues at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington at 25 Street on Friday, March 1 (7pm), Saturday, March 2 (2pm & 7pm), Sunday, March 3 (2pm & 7pm). Don’t miss it!

01/31/2024

Join us at the MA in Applied Theatre, the first MA of its kind in the United States, to learn how to use theatre as a medium for education, community development and aid in the pursuit of social Justice.

01/26/2024

SET US UP! Our Mainstage Show opens on 2/23 and we need your support to raise $2,200 for the set! Help us meet our goal and bring the show to life!

01/10/2024

Are you looking for a theatre practice that blends artistry and social justice? Are you ready to work alongside a cohort of artists? Have you been looking to deepen your practice as a teaching artist? Join us at the MA in Applied Theatre at CUNY School of Professional Studies!

Students in the program practice actor-centered, collaborative approaches to leading creative teams and play building original theatre, devise and perform Theatre-In-Education interventions in schools and community settings, study a range of artistic, educational, and social theories that inform progressive practice and much more.

Find out more in the 🔗 in bio!