Things to do: Much music, Supreme Court panel, advice for aspiring filmmakers

Pick from several concerts, attend the Town-Gown Awards, consider the Supreme Court and get advice for a career in film at events around campus.

PMA Associate Professor Jeffrey Palmer’s Film Included in TIME’s 22 Essential Works of Indigenous Cinema

PMA Associate Professor Jeffrey Palmer’s documentary film N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear has been included in TIME’s list of “22 Essential Works of Indigenous Cinema.” “The film profiles how [Momaday’s] childhood on several reservations in New Mexico shaped his writing,” Olivia B. Waxman writes.

Call for Submissions - The Marvin Carlson Award for Best Student Essay in Theatre or Performance

The Department of Performing and Media Arts hosts a yearly contest for The Marvin Carlson Award for Best Student Essay in Theatre or Performance. This award honors CUNY Professor Marvin Carlson (CU PhD '61).

Student Film Screening

Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for the Student Film Screening, on Friday, December 13, at 5:00 p.m., in the Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. The Student Film Screening will feature unique, empathetic, and collaborative works from students in PMA 3570: Film and Video Production I, PMA 3571: Documentary Filmmaking, PMA 3580: Cinematography and Visual Storytelling, and PMA 1410: Media Production Laboratory.

Share In / Share Out: End-of-Semester PMA Dance Showcase

Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Share In / Share Out: End-of-Semester PMA Dance Showcase. The showcase will take place in the Class of ’56 Dance Studio Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, on Friday, December 6, 7:30 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. and on Saturday, December 7, 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Both performances are free and open to the public. Get your free tickets at pma.cornell.edu/tickets.

German studies hosts evening with ‘Rosa and Blanca’ playwright

Rebekka Kricheldorf will talk about writing comedy and more with Samuel Buggeln, the play’s director and artistic director of Cherry Arts, on Nov. 12 – one of several collaborations.

Assistant Professor Natasha Raheja to Screen Films at the 2024 Lahore Biennale Climate Congress

Assistant Professor Natasha Raheja of PMA and Anthropology is screening a film as part of the Climate Congress at the 2024 Lahore Biennale on Thursday, November 7th at 7pm in the Lahore Museum Auditorium. She will be screening her short film “A Gregarious Species” and excerpts from her in-production feature film “Kitne Passports?”.

Professional Directions: What is an Assistant Director?

Come find out what an assistant director does on set! Learn all about how to get started and what this job fully entails.

New Feldshuh play premieres Nov. 1 at Schwartz Center

“Orlando’s Gift,” a new play written and directed by David Feldshuh, professor of performing and media arts, and inspired by Virginia Woolf’s novel “Orlando,” will premiere Nov. 1 at the Schwartz Center.

PMA Podcast Episode 62 - Orlando's Gift

In this episode we take a deep dive into PMA’s upcoming production of “Orlando’s Gift” written and directed by Professor David Feldshuh. On rare occasion we take a different approach with an episode, remove the standard back and forth conversation, and capture a poetic narrative from our guest. Please take a moment to sit back, relax, and enjoy the words of David Feldshuh as he describes his upcoming production from its inception to present.

Crowdfunding launch supports Ways of Knowing podcast at Cornell

A crowdfunding campaign launched Nov. 1 to support a Cornell-based season of "Ways of Knowing,” a new podcast created by The World According to Sound.

PMA Assistant Professor of the Practice Danielle Russo and PMA Visiting Lecturer Olive Prince Converge for “Developing Dramaturgical Strategies for AI and XR” Workshop

PMA Assistant Professor of the Practice Danielle Russo and PMA Visiting Lecturer Olive Prince on behalf of PMA Dance appeared at a two-day workshop called Developing Dramaturgical Strategies for AI and XR alongside NYC’s Contemporary Performance Scene.

Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures holds first event

During “Beyond 2024: Envisioning Just Futures and Equitable Democracy,” faculty and students from across the university will come together to creatively showcase research and art, build community and be inspired to imagine a better future.

PMA Associate Professor Beth F. Milles’ Play “Heading into Night” Garners Rave Reviews

Heading into Night, a play directed and co-devised by PMA Associate Professor Beth F. Milles is receiving rave reviews during its run at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles. The project is co-devised and performed by renowned Cirque du Soleil clown Daniel Passer, with Assistant Directing from PMA Alum Taylor Bazos ’23.

Short film screenwriting: a high-wire act of abbreviation

In his new book, filmmaker Austin Bunn delves into the mechanics of the short form by reprinting notable scripts and interviewing the films’ creators, as well as providing insights and advice based on his own screenwriting career.

Shadow Puppet Show by Students in PMA 3633 - Out of Body Performance: Puppets & Animation

On September 30, 2024, students from PMA 3633 - Out of Body Performance: Puppets & Animation presented a unique class project: a six-minute shadow puppet show. This engaging performance, featuring crafted puppets and a storyline, was the result of collaboration between Pilar Gutierrez, Kisyl Housden, and Ben Mehler, who not only designed and built the puppets but also brought them to life on stage.

PMA Associate Professor Austin Bunn to Host Short Film Night at Liquid State Brewery

PMA Associate Professor Austin Bunn will be hosting an event called Short Film Night at Liquid State Brewery in Ithaca, on Thursday, November 7, from 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

PMAPS Colloquium: Andy Colpitts and Lexi Turner

This talk will feature works by two PhD candidates in Performing and Media Arts, Andy Colpitts and Lexi Turner.

One of Andy's dissertation chapters, entitled: "The Fool's Golden Age of Bread and Puppet Circuses", investigates the nostalgic framing and imagery employed in Bread and Puppet's yearly Domestic Resurrection Circuses to understand its political possibilities and pitfalls.

In a section from Lexi’s dissertation chapter “Thanatology of the Photographic Image: Ritual and Redemption in the Cinematic Avant-Garde,” Lexi engages with Luther Price’s controversial queer video piece Sodom, re-editing degraded and discarded gay pornography together with religious iconography and his own sculptural mutilation of the film itself.

Assistant Professor of the Practice Danielle Russo to showcase her performance installation, SINCE THOU WAST PRECIOUS IN MY SIGHT, VOL. 3

Assistant Professor of the Practice Danielle Russo is pleased to share news of her performance installation, SINCE THOU WAST PRECIOUS IN MY SIGHT, VOL. 3, taking place Friday, November 1 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the Sage Chapel Crypt, free and open to the public as part of Ithaca Gallery Night.

You’re a PMA Major/Minor: What’s Next?!

In this series we call “What’s Next?!”, PMA faculty Dr. Kristen Warner will lead four workshop sessions that begin to help answer that question. The focus of each session will address a range of topics from internships and graduate programs (MFAs, critical studies MA/PhD) to the dreaded art of writing cover letters/personal statements.

PMA Studios: Call for Actors

PMA Studios: Call for Actors! SUBMIT YOUR AUDITION VIDEO
BY MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4

Professional Directions with Producer Lee Rosenthal ‘87 and Actor Bob Clendenin ‘87, The Co-Founders of Whistling Shrimp

Join us for a conversation with the co-founders of Whistling Shrimp, Cornell’s oldest improv comedy group. Lee Rosenthal and Bob Clendenin have gone on to lead prestigious careers in the entertainment industry. Lee Rosenthal is the President of Worldwide Physical Production for Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Studios, while Bob Clendenin has appeared in over 100 television shows and can currently be seen in Bad Monkey on Apple TV and Bookie on HBO. How did they get there? What can they share about their journeys? Their visit coincides with the 40th-anniversary reunion of Whistling Shrimp at Cornell.

PMA Alum Allen Porterie ‘20 Awarded RCI Theatricals Company Manager Fellowship

PMA Alum Allen Porterie ‘20 has been awarded the RCI Theatricals Company Manager Fellowship, and will be working on the upcoming Broadway production of Gypsy. Porterie graduated from Cornell with an English major from A&S and a Theater minor from PMA, where they won the Drama Book Award in 2020. He also got his MFA in Performance as a Public Practice from UT Austin.

Art + tech exhibit looking for student work

Submissions are due Oct. 31 and should combine art and technology in any way: video games, fashion, sculpture, graphic design, virtual reality, AI collaborations, performance, music, etc.

Short films from Rural Humanities course selected for festivals

Three short documentaries produced in a Rural Humanities Seminar, taught by PMA Associate Professor Austin Bunn, are headed to film festivals this fall.

PMA 1611: PMA Studios Info Sessions

An unspooling film reel against an orange background.

Introducing...PMA STUDIOS We invite you to join us on this exciting journey to movie magic! Information Session for PMA 1611: PMA Studios Tuesday, October 22, 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., Film Forum, Schw
Introducing... PMA Studios
Learn More About PMA 1611: PMA Studios
Tuesday, October 22 from 5:00pm - 6:00pm in the Film Forum
Wednesday, October 23 from 5:00pm - 6:00pm via Zoom

Short films from PMA course selected for festivals

Three short documentaries produced in a Rural Humanities Seminar, taught by PMA Associate Professor Austin Bunn, are headed to film festivals this fall.

Imagining the Method: Reception, Identity, and American Screen Performance: A Book Talk by Justin Owen Rawlins

Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Imagining the Method: Reception, Identity, and American Screen Performance: A Book Talk by Justin Owen Rawlins. The event will take place on Thursday, November 7, at 5:00 PM in the Film Forum, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts.

J. Ellen Gainor wins book award from Theatre Library Association

The George Freedley Memorial Award Special Jury Prize goes to Gainor for “The Routledge Anthology of Women’s Theatre Theory & Dramatic Criticism," which she co-edited.

PMA Visiting Associate Professor Nick Embree’s Scenic Design Featured in “Día de los Muertos” Ballet

Scenic Design created by PMA Visiting Associate Professor Nick Embree will be featured in Día de los Muertos, a new ballet that was created, choreographed, and directed by Maria Konrad. The ballet will be performed at Nashville Ballet in Nashville, TN, from October 17 to October 20. The production will then tour in other cities, including at the Oklahoma City Ballet.

‘Silence’ theme of Society for the Humanities Fall presentations

Six fellows from a broad swath of humanities fields will present their projects in progress during the annual Fall Fellows’ conference, on Friday, Oct. 25.

*POSTPONED* Professional Directions: A Conversation with Writer and Producer Duran Jones

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. CHECK BACK FOR A NEW DATE SOON.

Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Professional Directions: A Conversation with Writer and Producer Duran Jones. The event will be hosted by PMA Visiting Assistant Professor, Juanie Fowlkes.

PMA Pumpkin Carving Party

You Are Invited!
Please join us in the Schwartz Scene Shop for a Pumpkin Carving Party on Monday, October 28th 6pm-9pm
Bring your own pumpkin, carving tools, paint and snacks to be provided
All PMA students are welcome to attend

Professional Directions: So You Think You Wanna Produce?

Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Professional Directions: So You Think You Wanna Produce? on Monday, October 28, at 7:00 PM, on Zoom. The event will be hosted by PMA Visiting Assistant Professor, Juanie Fowlkes.

Orlando's Gift

Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Orlando’s Gift, a production by students, faculty, and guest artists, written and directed by PMA Professor David Feldshuh. This new play will have five performances in the Flexible Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts:

Friday, November 1st, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 2nd, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, November 8th, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 9th, 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 9th, 7:30 p.m.

PMA Podcast Episode 61 - BIOphelia

In this episode Chris met with Associate Professor Jessica Rosenberg and Cornell senior Tess Lovell to discuss BIOphelia: A Performance Infused Scholarship Symposium. The two part event will incorporate student-centered practice-based-research, performance workshops, scholar-led discussions, and communal engagement.

PMA Associate Professor Jeffrey Palmer to Speak at the New York Society for Ethical Culture

PMA Associate Professor Jeffrey Palmer will be giving a talk titled Earth Keepers: The Land Ethics in Kiowa Storytelling at the New York Society for Ethical Culture in NYC on Sunday October 13, from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM. The talk will also be live streamed on the Society website. Following the talk, the society will be screening his film N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear.

PMA Associate Professor Beth F. Milles’ Play “Heading into Night” Has its West Coast Premiere

Heading into Night, a play directed and co-devised by PMA Associate Professor Beth F. Milles, had its west coast premiere on October 5 at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles. It will run until November 17. The project is co-devised and performed by renowned Cirque du Soleil clown Daniel Passer, with Assistant Directing from PMA Alum Taylor Bazos ’23.

Black Sound Series: Camille Norment Artist Lecture

Artist Camille Norment will be giving a lecture in the Abby and Howard Milstein Auditorium, Millstein Hall, on Wednesday, October 9, at 5:15 PM. This lecture is being co-sponsored by PMA and Art, and is the first in the Black Sound Series organized by Mendi Obadike and Keith Obadike.

PMA Podcast Episode 60 - Carolyn Michelle Smith, Visiting Lecturer

In this episode Chris met with actress, educator, and producer Carolyn Michelle Smith, to discuss her recent arrival at Cornell and what she envisions for her classes here in PMA for the 2024 – 2025 academic year. Carolyn is currently starring in the Paramount Plus award winning series “The Chi” (seasons 5 &6) as well as the forthcoming Season 3 of the HBO Max series “And Just Like That”.

You may also know Carolyn from her TV roles in "Russian Doll", "House of Cards", "Law and Order", "Luke Cage", "How to Get Away with Murder", "The Oath", "Notorious", and "Cherish the Day".

‘Hamilton’ star Daveed Diggs speaks on campus to sold-out crowd

Tony- and Grammy-award winner Daveed Diggs advises aspiring artists to “stop sweating the timeline” on their creative projects.

Call for Scripts: PMA Studios

Introducing…PMA STUDIOS, a new collaboration of students, faculty, staff and guest artists to write, produce and direct a professional movie production! We invite you to join us on this exciting journey to movie magic!

We want to make YOUR script into a MOVIE!

PMA Lecturer Doorim Kim’s Cinematography Class to Exhibit Photo Installation in Schwartz Center Lobby

This semester, PMA Lecturer Doorim Kim has asked students in her class PMA3580 Cinematography and Visual Storytelling to attempt a unique project -- creating a story using only 20 photographs. The completed work, a collection of all the students photo stories in a continuous sequence of frames, will be exhibited in the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts Lobby from Monday, October 7 until Tuesday, October 15.

PMA Associate Professor Jeffrey Palmer’s film N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear to Screen at LitFilm in Brooklyn

PMA Associate Professor Jeffrey Palmer will be screening his film N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear, at LitFilm, in the Central Library Dweck Center of the Brooklyn Public Library on Monday, October 14, from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm.

PMA Associate Professor Austin Bunn Discusses New Book About Short Film Screenwriting

PMA Associate Professor Austin Bunn is the author of a new book called Short Film Screenwriting: A Craft Guide and Anthology, which will be published by Bloomsbury on October 31. The book “combines the practical advice of a craft guide with a curated, diverse anthology, including revealing interviews with the writers and directors.”

Professor creates new work at national choreography center

Playing two roles during a prestigious residency, Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz will both choreograph a new dance work and document the process.

PMA Associate Professor Christine Bacareza Balance to Appear in Conversation for Author Jessica Hagedorn’s Book Launch

On Saturday, November 16, at 2PM, PMA Associate Professor Christine Bacareza Balance will be in conversation with fellow authors Jessica Hagedorn and Patrick Rosal for a book talk called Black Dogs / Cloud Rats / Tricksters at Silverlens Gallery in New York City.

Now Hiring - PMA Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Acting - Deadline for applications extended to November 5!

Cornell University’s Department of Performing and Media Arts seeks a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Acting for a full-time position beginning July 1, 2025. This is a renewable, three or five-year non-tenure-track position. Title will be based upon qualifications and experience.

Now Hiring - PMA Assistant/Associate Professor in Scenic Design

Cornell University’s Department of Performing and Media Arts seeks an Assistant or Associate Professor in Scenic Design for a tenure-track position beginning July 1, 2025.

PMA Professor Bruce Levitt’s Collaborative Film to Screen at the Haworth New York Showroom

Before Time / After Time, a film collaboratively devised by PMA Professor Bruce Levitt, will have a screening and talk back at the Haworth New York Showroom on October 23, from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM. The film was facilitated by project leaders Levitt, Shaun Leonardo and multidisciplinary visual artist and journalist Isaac I. Scott, who led an art workshop at PMA in Spring 2024.