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Jeffrey Palmer, associate professor in the Department of Performing and Media Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University, worked with President Barack Obama and his advisers to create two films for the new Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Three recent Cornell graduates were part of his production team.
The Department of Performing and Media Arts (PMA) and Cornell Cinema will present a special screening of Power Alley (Levante), the acclaimed feature film directed by Brazilian filmmaker Lillah Halla, on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. in the Film Forum at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. The screening is free and open…
Austin Bunn, professor of performing and media arts in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences, has been appointed provost’s fellow for public engagement. He will work to advance Cornell’s public engagement mission and initiatives involving community-engaged learning and research.
Conjuring Memory, Reclamation & Community: How We Rewrite Our Narratives
PMA Professor David Feldshuh's Twelfth Night Adaptation Read at Illusion Theater
Enroll Now for PMA 1611: Rehearsal & Performance with Distinguished Guest Artist Jie-Hung Connie Shiau
PMA Professor Bruce Levitt and Phoenix Players Theatre Group to Host Community Events on August 23
PMA Ph.D. Alumnus Dr. Jimmy Noriega '11 Appointed Dean at Columbia College Chicago
PMA Professor Nick Salvato has published a new essay, “Everyday Camp: A Field Guide,” featured as the lead article in the summer 2026 issue of Theater magazine, a leading journal of performance and theater studies.
PMA Associate Professor Beth F. Milles recently directed a staged reading of End of the Century, a new play by Cornell alum Lee Rosenthal ’87.
PMA Professor J. Ellen Gainor has written an article called "Susan Glaspell, Actor" for the journal Coup de Théâtre, published by the French academic society RADAC. The article appears in a special issue called Susan Glaspell: Past & Present.
Find out your role in PMA's vibrant projects and collaborations! Mark your calendar for Projects & Participation Kick-off on Wednesday, August 26 at 5:30 p.m. in the Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts.
Come explore the possibilities in the Schwartz Center, where film, theatre, dance and media studies intersect in exciting ways. Meet the passionate faculty, talented students, and dedicated staff from the Department of Performing and Media Arts.
PMA Alum Gloria Majule’s play Possessed has been selected for The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s 2026 National Playwrights Conference, marking the first time a play by an African woman has been selected for this conference.
PMA Ph.D. Alum Honey Crawford ’17, Assistant Professor, NYU Arts & Sciences, has been named a 2025-2026 Transformative Impact Scholar by NYU’s Institute of Human Development and Social Change (IHDSC) and NYU’s Prison Education Program (PEP).
PMA Alum Joshua Bastian Cole-Kurz, Ph.D. ’22 had published an article in The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays Volume 3: Young Adult Edition called “The 'Ruhls' of Play: Mythical and Real Currents in Tyler Rocio Ecoña's Unfair Advantage.” Cole had previously contributed to The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays, Volume 2.
Comic actor Jane Lynch, MFA '84, Emmy winner and College of Arts and Sciences alum, gave the 2026 Convocation address. Her visit also included a clocktower climb and a yearbook viewing of herself on the Cornell stage.
In late April, PMA Professor Austin Bunn travelled to Edinburgh and Glasgow Scotland to develop short film projects with Scotland’s unique Take Three program, which supports young filmmaker development through grants, labs, networking and workshops. He served as a mentor for six filmmaking teams at Take Three’s film incubator at a resort outside in Edinburgh.…
Cornell’s College of Arts & Sciences honors the winners of its 2026 teaching and advising awards. Faculty members Nicole Giannella, Karola Mészáros and Landon Schnabel stand out this year, earning major awards for excellence; many instructors and teaching assistants received recognition, as well.
PMA Associate Professor Christine Bacareza Balance was interviewed on This Filipino American Life (TFAL) podcast about Here Lies Love, a musical about the life of former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos, with concept and music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. The project began as a song cycle, premiered off-Broadway at the Public Theater in…
PMA Professor J. Ellen Gainor will be delivering her paper, "The Echoes of Closing Doors, or, Why is the American Theatre Still Obsessed with Nora Helmer?" at the conference "Of Mutability and Malleability: Reimagining the Contours of US Theatre and Drama" to be hosted by the University of Toulouse in June.
PMA Professor Bruce Levitt will be giving a talk called “The Spaces in Between: Serendipity, Storytelling, and Transformation in the Carceral State” to the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California, Irvine on May 18.
In this episode, Emily Lee '27 and Christopher Christensen met with Cornell senior Emma Alexander '26 to learn about her academic path at Cornell and how a moment of intuition led to a change in focus and helped direct her to film and screenwriting classes in the Department of Performing and Media Arts. She has…
PMA Ph.D. Candidate Gina Goico has published an article called “Reveliones Fugitivas: Unveiling Indigenous, Afro-Indigenous and Black rebellions through art in Santo Domingo's colonial city" in Performance Research Journal’s Issue 7: On Ghosts. “This article,” says Goico, “examines how artistic interventions in Santo Domingo's colonial city (La Zona) produce a site of increased refusal between…
PMA Ph.D. Alum Harvey Young ’04 has been awarded a 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship in Theatre Arts & Performance Studies. He is part of the 101st clast of fellows, including individuals working across 55 disciplines.
In this episode, new podcast co-host Emily Lee '27 and Christopher Christensen met with Cornell seniors Izzy Falchuk '26 and Justin Lee '26 to discuss the upcoming screening of their honors thesis films, “Undone” and “The Extraordinary Adventures of Ann Robinson”
The Department of Performing and Media Arts is proud to announce the winner of the PMA Studios Script Contest.
Join PMA for the Honors Thesis Screening on Thursday, May 7, at 5:00 pm in the Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. This exciting showcase of honors film projects by the Cornell Senior Class will feature Undone by Izzy Falchuk ’26, and The Extraordinary Adventures of Ann Robinson by Justin Lee ‘26. Experience…
“Endling," a college scholar thesis project by Adowyn Ernste '26, is a multichannel sound and video piece screening in the Flexible Theatre at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts from April 23rd to April 24th. The piece will screen every 30 minutes from 10am to 10pm, with an opening reception on Wednesday April 22nd at…
Join the Departments of Performing and Media Arts and Anthropology for Sub-Basement Docs: Rock, Flight, Light on Wednesday, May 6, from 5:15 pm to 6:30 pm, in the Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Free and open to the public. Tickets are not required. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with…
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for the Student Film Screening, on Thursday, May 7, at 6:30 pm, and Friday, May 8, at 5:00 pm, in the Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.
PMA Professor David Feldshuh was interviewed on Doctor Radio Book Club, a segment of Doctor Radio on SiriusXM 110. Feldshuh spoke about his play Miss Evers’ Boys with hosts, Dr. Katherine Hochman, NYU Langone physician, and Dilshad Marolia, NYU Langone System Director, Hospitals Regulatory and Policy Management.
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts and Footprints Running for Grounded in the World: Trail Running & Climate Justice on Saturday, April 25. A Group Trail Run will take place at 10:00 am, starting at the Nevin Welcome Center, Cornell Botanic Gardens, followed by conversation and snacks. Sustainability Presentations will take place at…
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Glitch Dance with Dr. Thomas DeFrantz on Sunday, April 12, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, in the Ballet Studio (Room 320), Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP by April 9 by emailing drusso@cornell.edu.
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts and the Department of Classics for Elemental Readings III: The Matter of Earth, a symposium spanning four days and various locations from Thursday, April 23 through Saturday, April 25, and on Friday, May 1. A performance of BIOphelia will take place on Thursday, April 23, from 3:00…
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Film Screening and Conversation: “The Culture Industry of War” on Tuesday, April 21, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm, in the Film Forum, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.
Cornell admits the Class of 2030 emphasizing real-world impact, enrolling 5,776 students from 102 countries. At Cornell University, the diverse cohort reflects the land-grant mission and applied learning goals across multiple colleges.
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Professional Directions: A Conversation with Choreographer Jenn Freeman on Thursday, April 9, from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, in Reading Room 124, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. The guest will join virtually on Zoom. Free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for From the Arctic to Broadway and Back: A Conversation with Playwright Carson Kreitzer on Wednesday, April 22, at 5:00 pm, in Reading Room 124, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. This event is part of the Professional Directions series. Free and open to the public. Tickets…
Join PMA for DJ Quinnette, Presented by PMA 1183 FWS: Hip-Hop’s Global Vibrations (NYC, LA, Southeast Asia). This event will take place on Zoom on Wednesday, April 8, from 11:40 am - 12:55 pm. There will be a short DJ turntablist performance, followed by a Q&A session. Free and open to the public.
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for HomeBody: I'm Still Here: Transgressing the Borders of Disciplines and Dystopian World-Building in Performance. This Performance-Lecture with Ingrid Kapteyn will take place on Tuesday, March 24, from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, in the Class of ’56 Dance Studio Theatre (SB10), Schwartz Center for the Performing…
Cornell dance students will present “Penumbra: 2026 Annual Spring Dance Presenting Series,” a performance of original dance work hosted by the Department of Performing and Media Arts in the College of Arts & Sciences, March 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Class of ’56 Flexible Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. The…
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Professional Directions: A Conversation with Keri Putnam, A.D. White Professor-at-Large on Thursday, March 19, at 2:00 pm, in the Film Forum, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Free and open to the public. Tickets are not required. The event will be moderated by Roger Moseley (Music,…
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Auditions, on Tuesday, April 7, from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, and Tuesday, April 14, from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, in the Black Box Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts.
Join PMA for An Evening with Nona Hendryx: A Conversation on Life, Music, and Creative Practice, on Thursday, March 19, from 5:15 pm to 6:30 pm, in the Milstein Auditorium, Milstein Hall. This event is part of the Black Sound Series, organized by Mendi Obadike and Keith Obadike. Co-sponsored by the Department of Performing and…
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for PENUMBRA: 2026 ANNUAL SPRING DANCE PRESENTING SERIES, an evening of original dance work featuring choreography by Babatunji Johnson and Assistant Professor of the Practice Danielle Russo, on Friday, March 20, and Saturday March 21, from 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm, in the Class of ’56 Flexible…
Former PMA Faculty Carolyn Michelle Smith returns to Cornell to offer two on-camera workshops for student actors, March 12-13.