Seventeen Receive Awards Recognizing Inclusive Excellence
Awardees were recognized for the significant impacts they have made to advance access, engagement and belonging through their service and leadership.
Seventeen Receive Awards Recognizing Inclusive Excellence
Outstanding faculty win 2025 teaching and advising awards
Among those being recognized for exceptional teaching and mentorship this year are faculty members Begüm Adalet, Claudia Verhoeven, and Marcelo Aguiar.
Hira Mahmood Wins 2025 Russell Family Teaching Award
Hira Mahmood, a PMA Ph.D. student, has won a 2025 Russell Family Teaching Award in Performing and Media Arts. Mahmood’s research focus includes aesthetics, affect (shame, disgust, embarrassment), psychoanalysis (abjection, desire, language), visual and material cultures, and subjectivity. In Fall 2025, she will be teaching the course PMA 1175: FWS: Hell is a Teenage Girl: Terror and Turmoil of Girlhood in Horror Films.
'When my friends and I put on a show, it is everything to us.'
Tess Lovell is majoring in English and performing and media arts.
'I learned to encourage sensitivity, collaboration and agency'
Davis Ouriel is majoring in performing and media arts & feminist, gender and sexuality studies
Visiting Lecturer Carolyn Michelle Smith's Film “FAMILIAR TOUCH” Opened at the New Directors/New Films Film Festival at Lincoln Center
Visiting Lecturer Carolyn Michelle Smith recently had the U.S. premiere of her film, “Familiar Touch” at the New Directors/New Films Film Festival at Lincoln Center in early April. The film stars Kathleen Chalfant, Carolyn Michelle, H. John Benjamin, Andy McQueen, and London Garcia. It was written and directed by Sarah Friedland.
PMA Podcast Episode 69 - PMA Studios: Milkshake Kiss with Bixby Piccolo Hill
In this episode, we met with Bixby Piccolo Hill to discuss his work on Milkshake Kiss, the premier film project for PMA Studios. PMA Studios is a new collaboration of students, faculty, staff and guest artists to write, produce and direct professional movies.
Student Film Screening - Spring 2025
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for the Student Film Screening, on Friday, May 9, 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 and PMA 1410: Media Production Laboratory.
Music Graduate Student Nic Vigilante Wins 2025 Marvin Carlson Award
Cornell Music & Sound Studies Ph.D. Candidate Nic Vigilante has won the 2025 Marvin Carlson Award for Best Student Essay for Theatre or Performance for their essay “Salty, Sweet, and Spicy: Ingestion and Immersion in Queer Asian American Nightlife.”
PMA Podcast Episode 68 - Top of My School w/Katherine Lynn-Rose
PMA Podcast Episode 68 - Top of My School w/Katherine Lynn-Rose
Sub-Basement Docs
Join PMA for Sub-Basement Docs on Thursday, May 8, at 6:30 p.m. in the Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. This showcase of student films from Advanced Documentary Production (ANTHR/PMA 4401/7401) will feature “Women’s Court” by Can Cao, “The Milking Parlor” by Gus Dupin, and “Radical Ritual” by Jacob Berman. The student directors will participate in a Q&A session following the event. Free and open to the public. First come, first served.
Honors Thesis Screening
Join PMA for the Honors Thesis Screening on Thursday, May 8, at 5:00 p.m. in the Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. This exciting showcase of honors film projects by the Cornell Senior Class will feature “Top of My School” by Katherine Lynn-Rose ‘25. Experience outstanding storytelling and gain insight directly from the student director during a Q&A session following the event. Free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.
PMA Visiting Associate Professor Nick Embree Designs Set for New Play
A new play called Rift, or White Lies features scenic design by PMA Visiting Associate Professor Nick Embree. Written by Gabriel Jason Dean and directed by Seth Rozin, Rift, or White Lies opened on April 4 at the InterAct Theatre Company’s Drake Proscenium Theater in Philadelphia and will run until April 27.
PMA/LSP Associate Professor Karen Jaime Receives VONA Fellowship
Voices of Our Nations Arts (VONA), a foundation recognized as "the premier multi-genre workshop for BIPOC Writers," has selected PMA/LSP Associate Professor Karen Jaime as a 2025 VONA Fellow. As a Fellow, Jaime will be participating in their summer poetry workshop.
Associate Professor Karen Jaime Gave Talk at the University of Miami’s Center for Humanities on Queer Nightlife Kinships
PMA/LSP Associate Professor Karen Jaime was recently invited to the University of Miami's Center for the Humanities to discuss her research during a luncheon and public lecture on March 27, organized by the Queer Studies Interdisciplinary Research Group.
PMA Professor J. Ellen Gainor Invited to Speak at Distinguished Journalism Program
PMA Professor J. Ellen Gainor has been invited as a guest speaker for Syracuse University’s Goldring Arts, Style, and Culture Journalism Program on April 23. She will discuss the history of female theatre critics, as reflected in her co-edited volume, The Routledge Anthology of Women's Theatre Theory & Dramatic Criticism, and also be speaking about contemporary critics who are recent winners of the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism.
PMA Assistant Professor Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz Gives Talk at Latinx Connect Conference
PMA Assistant Professor Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz spoke at the University of Pittsburgh’s Latinx Connect Conference on Friday, April 4. Aldape Muñoz was part of a panel of leading critical dance studies scholars that included Jade Power Sotomayor, Irvin Gonzalez, and Manuel Cuellar.
PMA Chair Samantha Noelle Sheppard Wins Faculty Champion Award
PMA Department Chair Samantha Noelle Sheppard has won the 2025 Faculty Champion Award for Advanced Career Faculty, from the Graduate School Office of Inclusion & Student Engagement. The award ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 14 from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM at the Graduate Diversity and Inclusion Award and Recognition Celebration in G10 Biotech.
PMA Professor Bruce Levitt’s Film to Screen at Cinemapolis
The documentary Human Again, created by PMA Professor Bruce Levitt, will screen at Cinemapolis on Sunday, April 27 at 2:30 p.m. The film, which earned Best Documentary Feature at the International Independent Film Awards, follows the five original founders of the Phoenix Players Theatre Group (PPTG) as they strive to reconnect with their repressed humanity at a maximum-security prison in Auburn, NY.
In ‘Silence’ spring conference, Fellows ‘attend to what is not there’
On April 25, seven Society for the Humanities’ Fellows will present their projects in progress during the annual Spring Fellows’ conference, highlighting the various ways that the theme of silence has been explored –
PMA Studios presents Milkshake Kiss
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for a screening of Milkshake Kiss presented by PMA Studios, on Friday, May 2, at 5:00 pm, in the Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts.
PMA’s ‘SHED’ performance features intermedia dance
The culmination of a year-long study of “New/Futurism: Installation, Intermedia, Interactive & Immersive Dance,” the April 25-26 performance also features the work of influential choreographer Merce Cunningham and highlights collaboration among art forms.
For Bixby Piccolo Hill ’27, ‘It was always Cornell’
A recipient of the Martin and Bernice Rosenzweig Scholarship, in addition to Cornell grant aid, Bixby is grateful for the generous financial support of his studies in Performing and Media Arts.
PMA Professor Austin Bunn to Host “The Short & Story” Event
PMA Associate Professor Austin Bunn will be hosting a screening and panel discussion at the Parkway Theatre in Baltimore on Tuesday, April 15 called "The Short & Story." The screening will include seven films by Maryland filmmakers across the genres of animation, documentary, experimental and narrative film, and Bunn will also discuss his recently released book, Short Film Screenwriting.
PMA Podcast Episode 67 - Davis Norma Ouriel
In this episode we met with PMA and FGSS Senior Davis Norma Ouriel to discuss her time here at Cornell, her work as an intimacy coordinator and performer in the Schwartz Center, as well as her future plans post graduation
Voices & Visions in Black Media: A Book Talk by Beretta E. Smith-Shomade
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Voices & Visions in Black Media: A Book Talk by Beretta E. Smith-Shomade, on Tuesday, April 29, at 5:00 pm, in the Film Forum, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Smith-Shomade will be discussing her book Finding God in All the Black Places: Sacred Imaginings in Black Popular Culture. Moderated by PMA Chair Samantha N. Sheppard.
SHED: An Evening of Intermedia Dance in Three Episodes
The Department of Performing and Media Arts is pleased to announce SHED: An Evening of Intermedia Dance in Three Episodes in culmination of its yearlong initiative, New/Futurism: Installation, Intermedia, Interactive & Immersive Dance and the 2025 Annual Spring Dance Presenting Series. This event will take place on Friday and Saturday, April 25-26 at 7:30 PM, in the Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Get your free tickets here.
PMA Associate Professor Austin Bunn’s Book Deemed "Exhilarating" by Filmmaker Magazine
PMA Associate Professor Austin Bunn's new guide to short film screenwriting has drawn high praise from Filmmaker Magazine. His book Short Film Screenwriting: A Craft Guide and Anthology, published by Bloomsbury in October 2024, combines 10 essays about screenwriting with a curated, diverse anthology, including revealing interviews with the writers and directors.
Cornell Campus Dance Gathering
Love to dance? Love dance history? Curious about choreography or minoring in Dance at Cornell? Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for a campus-wide community gathering!
PMA Professor J. Ellen Gainor’s Anthology Featured at Theatre Conference
The national organization, The Women and Theatre Program (WTP), will be hosting virtual conference sessions on April 4 devoted to The Routledge Anthology of Women's Theatre Theory & Dramatic Criticism, co-edited by PMA Professor J. Ellen Gainor. A part of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Spring Symposium, the conference sessions are titled “Learn, Share, Teach: Critical Responses to The Routledge Anthology of Women's Theatre Theory and Dramatic Criticism.”
PMA Associate Professor Christine Bacareza Balance Interviewed About “Apocalypse Now” Production History
PMA Associate Professor Christine Bacareza Balance was interviewed on Faculti, a research-driven platform that offers over 8,000 expert-led videos annually. Her interview centers around researching and revisiting the production history of Francis Ford Coppola's film Apocalypse Now within the historical context of the Marcos regime and Philippine martial law in the 1970s. This interview builds upon research and writing for Balance’s current book project, Making Sense: Poetics, Performance, and Philippine Martial Law.
PMA brings musical to Edinburgh Fringe Festival
“The Family Copoli," a “post-apocalyptic burlesque and re-population play,” is the brainchild of playwright Andy Colpitts ’26, a doctoral candidate in PMA, and composer Michael Wookey and the production involves more than a dozen Cornell alumni and students.
Professional Directions: Production Design for Film & TV and Accessibility with Michael Fitzgerald
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Professional Directions: Production Design for Film & TV and Accessibility with Michael Fitzgerald on Wednesday, April 9, from 2:30 PM to 4:10 PM, in Conference Room 220, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. The event will be moderated by Visiting Associate Professor Nick Embree, and is sponsored by Student Disability Services.
PMAPS Celebrates Dance with Movement Workshop and Film Screening
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for PMAPS: Movement and Creation Workshop with Merián Soto on Wednesday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Ballet Studio (Room 320), Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Students in PMA 3350: Technology and the Moving Body I "Body and Tech" and "PMA 2300: Dance Compositions will take part in the workshop with Soto. The event is free and open to the public.
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for PMAPS: "¡Fenomenal! Rompeforma 1989-1996" Film Screening on Thursday, April 10, at 5:00 p.m. in the Film Forum, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. The screening will be following by a Q&A with Merián Soto and Viveca Vázquez. The event is free and open to the public.
PMA presents work at National Shakespeare Conference
Members of Cornell's Department of Performing and Media Arts are participating in the Shakespeare Association of America conference this week.
PMA Podcast Episode 66 - The Family Copoli at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival
In this episode, Jessie and Chris met with Cornell senior Liv Licursi, PMA graduate student Andy Colpitts, and singer-songwriter and composer Michael Wookey, to discuss their upcoming production of The Family Copoli, A New Post-Apocalyptic Burlesque Musical scheduled to take place this August at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Join CORNELL IN HOLLYWOOD Group on CUeLINKS!
Are you a student looking to break into film, TV, and media, or an alum working in the industry? Connect through PMA's CORNELL IN HOLLYWOOD Group on CUeLINKS, Cornell's exclusive networking platform that bridges current students with alums. While this group highlights film, TV, and media connections, participants from ALL majors are welcome!
Cornell Alum Jason Ardizzone-West ’95 Designs Skyscraping Set for Broadway’s “Redwood”
The new Broadway musical “Redwood” features set design by Cornell Alum Jason Ardizzone-West ’95, a former AAP student who participated in many PMA productions. The show stars Tony Award-winner Idina Menzel who co-conceived the show alongside director Tina Landau. “Redwood” opened at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway on February 13.
Assistant Professor of the Practice Danielle Russo Receives 2025 NYS Choreographers Initiative Award
Assistant Professor of the Practice Danielle Russo has been selected as a 2025 New York State Choreographers Initiative Award Recipient, administered by the New York State Council on the Arts and NYS DanceForce. This award will support the research and development of her new intermedia dance and community archival project, with emphasis on its community engagement in Central New York in Spring and Fall 2025.
Cornell Professors Mendi + Keith Obadike to Present Light and Sound Installation at the Space Needle
On Friday, March 14, at 7:30 PM PST, Wa Na Wari will present "GuideStar" at the Space Needle: A Spectacular Light and Sound Installation by PMA Professor Mendi Obadike and AAP Professor Keith Obadike. “GuideStar” will feature an array of light shining from the top of the Space Needle for an evening of cosmic reflection and wonder.
PMA Assistant Professor Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz to Speak at Harvard University
PMA Assistant Professor Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz will be speaking at Harvard University’s Theater and Performance Studies Colloquium on Friday, March 7, from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM. The event is coordinated by Eunice Lee and Sarah Gonzalez.
Aster Film Festival
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for the 12th Annual Aster Film Festival on Saturday and Sunday, April 12-13, from 10:45 AM - 6:45 PM on each day, in the Film Forum, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts.
PMA Alum Gloria Majule ‘17 Receives MacDowell Fellowship
PMA Alum Gloria Majule ‘17 has received a MacDowell Fellowship in Theatre Arts for the Spring-Summer 2025 season. Majule, along with the other fellowship recipients will arrive at MacDowell’s historic campus in Peterborough, NH from March through August 2025 for an average stay of four weeks.
PMA Alum Jorge Silva ‘12 Spans Performing Arts and Business
From his formative years at Cornell as a dual Government/PMA Theatre major to his time at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business with many pursuits in between, Jorge Silva ’12 reflects on his dynamic career trajectory and the professional roles that have shaped his journey.
PMA Lecturer Aoise Stratford’s Play “The Unfortunates” Staged at Spirit Gum Theatre Company
PMA Lecturer and A&S Advising Dean Aoise Stratford’s play The Unfortunates just completed its run with the Spirit Gum Theatre Company, at the Mountcastle Forum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Performances for the season took place on January 31 – February 2 and from February 7 – February 9. The play, written by Stratford, and directed by Ashley Pearson, is published by TRW and was a Time Out New York Critics Pick.
PMA Free Screening of “Assemblage”
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for a Free Screening of Assemblage (1968, 59 minutes) on Wednesday, March 5, at 7:30 PM in the Film Forum, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts.
PMA presents event with John Cameron Mitchell
Mitchell is best known as the writer/director/star of the rock musical and film “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.”
PMA Professor J. Ellen Gainor Edits Drama Anthology
PMA Professor J. Ellen Gainor is the co-editor of The Fourth Edition of The Norton Anthology of Drama. Gainor’s co-editors are Stanton B. Garner Jr. (University of Tennessee) and Martin Puchner (Harvard University). The anthology will be published on July 1, 2025 by W. W. Norton & Company.
Gain knowledge from Big Red experts—without leaving home
The University’s online learning platform, eCornell, offers a dizzying variety of content; here’s a sampling, from AI to wines to real estate.
CAU lets you go back to school (without those pesky prelims)
For more than half a century, Cornell’s Adult University has offered summer courses on the Hill — from cooking to cycling and beyond.