Acting for the Camera Workshops

Former PMA Faculty Carolyn Michelle Smith returns to Cornell to offer two on-camera workshops for student actors, March 12-13. Workshop #1: Building the Solo Scene On-Camera Thursday, March 12, 4:45-6:45 pm, Black Box Theatre, Schwartz Center Open to all students currently or previously enrolled in PMA 2800 and above Workshop #2: On-Camera Audition Technique Friday, March 13, 3:00-5:00 pm, SB10 Dance Theatre, Schwartz Center Open to all students who have completed PMA 2800, as well as students currently/formerly enrolled in PMA 3800 and above Please register using this link: https://forms.gle/2bFC9LDrAVL6tDyc8. Important additional information will be provided in advance of the workshop.

PMAPS Colloquium with AE Stevenson: “'Oh My Fucking God, She Fucking Dead': Time in a Vine”

Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for PMAPS Colloquium with AE Stevenson: “'Oh My Fucking God, She Fucking Dead': Time in a Vine,” on Friday, March 20, from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, in the Film Forum, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. AE Stevenson is Assistant Professor of Cinema and Media Studies, University of Chicago. This event is free and open to the public.

Home and the Body: Multiplicities of Time and Memory, a Performance-Lecture with Kayla Farrish

Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Home and the Body: Multiplicities of Time and Memory, a Performance-Lecture with Kayla Farrish on Tuesday, March 3, from 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm, in the Class of ’56 Dance Studio Theatre (SB10), Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.

Professional Directions: A Conversation with Kyle Abraham: Choreography as Practice & Profession

Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Professional Directions: A Conversation with Kyle Abraham on Thursday, March 5, from 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm, in Reading Room 124, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Free and open to the public. Tickets are not required. The guest will join virtually on Zoom.

Professional Directions: Expand Your Scope: Working as a Creative in Entertainment with Carolyn Michelle Smith

Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Professional Directions: Expand Your Scope: Working as a Creative in Entertainment with Carolyn Michelle Smith on Friday, March 13, from 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm, in Room 220, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Open to all Cornell students. Lunch will be provided. RSVP to pma@cornell.edu by Wednesday, March 11.

PMA Chair Samantha Noelle Sheppard Writes Review About the Documentary “Natchez”

PMA Chair and Associate Professor Samantha Noelle Sheppard has written a review for The Guardian about the documentary Natchez, called “Plantation weddings and pre-civil war fashion: the film that critiques the historical fantasy of Natchez.”

Five A.D. White Professors-at-Large on campus this spring

Named for Cornell’s first president, the program sponsors scholars and public intellectuals in the life sciences, physical sciences, humanities, social sciences and the arts and this semester features several connections with the College of Arts and Sciences.

Ladies of Manila Sound

Join PMA for Ladies of Manila Sound Presented by PMA 1183 FWS: Hip-Hop’s Global Vibrations (NYC, LA, Southeast Asia). This event will take place on Zoom on Monday, March 9, from 11:40 am - 12:55 pm. There will be a short DJ turntablist performance, followed by a Q&A session. Join on Zoom: https://cornell.zoom.us/j/97871338956?pwd=jkVtNRwYV9DOw8MtoeQ9Sf5vYgyLQY.1

PMA/LSP Associate Professor Karen Jaime Quoted on the Political Expression of Bad Bunny’s Halftime Performance

PMA/LSP Associate Professor Karen Jaime has completed a set of media appearances discussing Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance. Jaime was featured in a televised broadcast on WNYW’s local Fox 5 News station, during a segment titled "Halftime Show Audience Estimated to be More Than 135 Million Viewers." Jaime was also quoted in the article “Bad Bunny's Ford pickup a nod to automaker's relevance in Puerto Rico” by Jamie L. LaReau, originally published in the Detroit Free Press.

PMA Ph.D. Candidate Rejoice Abutsa Joins Post-Screening Conversation with Filmmaker Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine

On Wednesday, February 18, at 6:00 pm, Cornell Cinema will host a screening of Memories of Love Returned, a documentary by filmmaker Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine. PMA Ph.D. Candidate Rejoice Abutsa will join Mwine for a post-screening conversation.

PMA Senior Lecturer Theo Black to Participate in Two Environmental Storytelling Events

PMA Senior Lecturer Theo Black will be participating in two environmental storytelling events this month. First, he will be hosting a panel called “Changed Waters,” on February 20, at the South Yuba River Citizens League’s (SYRCL) Wild & Scenic Film Festival, in Nevada City, California. Black will also be participating in a BIOphelia event on February 22, at the New Swan Shakespeare Center, in Irvine, California.

PMA Ph.D. Student Isabel Padilla Carlo Publishes Paper in “Conversations Across the Field of Dance Studies”

PMA Ph.D. Student Isabel Padilla Carlo has published a paper called ““Si Tu No Sabe Kokobalé” and The Reclamation of Collective Memory as a Praxis of Liberation” in Conversations Across the Field of Dance Studies, a journal published by the Dance Studies Association. The paper is included in Volume 44 of the journal, entitled “The Caribbean as a Pole of the African Diaspora.”

PMA Professor Mendi Obadike Gives Artist Talk in Sound Arts Lecture Series

PMA Professor Mendi Obadike and AAP Professor Keith Obadike gave an artist talk in the Sound Arts Lecture Series for the London College of Communications' program CRiSAP (Creative Research in Sound Arts Practice) on January 22. The event took place over Zoom.

Composer Michael Abels, famous for work on Jordan Peele films, to visit March 6-7

Events include film screenings, panel discussions and a concert by the Barbara & Richard T. Silver Wind Symphony.

Professional Directions: 95 and 6 To Go with Filmmaker Kimi Takesue

Kimi Takesue is the 2025 Carol B. Epstein Visiting Artist in the Department of Performing and Media Arts. Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Professional Directions: 95 and 6 To Go with Filmmaker Kimi Takesue on Wednesday, February 25, at 5:00 pm, in the Film Forum, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. After the screening of 95 and 6 To Go, Kimi Takesue will participate in a talkback. The event will be moderated by PMA Associate Professor Jeffrey Palmer and Associate Professor Kelly Gallagher, Film and Media, Syracuse University, and is free and open to the public.

PMA Open Auditions for the 2026-27 Academic Year

This spring, PMA will be holding open auditions in preparation for the 2026-27 academic year's theatre productions. Join us on February 24, from 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm, in the Black Box Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Additional auditions and callbacks will be held on February 26 at the same time and location.

Bad Bunny breaks through: Cornell expert on the Grammys

The first artist to win Album of the Year with a Spanish‑language album, Bad Bunny reflects the mainstreaming of Spanish language music and artistry, says professor Karen Jaime.

You'll recognize this alum from 'Undeclared,' 'Bones,' and more

Veteran actor Carla Gallo ’97 has a long list of credits on TV and in movies — and now, she’s co-starring in the hit comedy "Platonic."

Call for Scripts: PMA Studios

The Department of Performing and Media Arts is proud to present PMA Studios. A multi-discipline collaboration, bringing together strength and resources of talented students across Cornell, PMA faculty, PMA staff, and local guest media artists/mentors to write, produce, and direct a professional movie production. PMA Studios is a project-based course, listed as PMA 1611. Please join us on this exciting journey to movie magic.

PMA Chair Samantha Noelle Sheppard Interviewed on Deutschlandradio Discussing “Why Basketball Works So Well in Pop”

PMA Chair Samantha Noelle Sheppard was interviewed by Mike Herbstreuth on Deutschlandradio in an interview called “Why Basketball Works So Well in Pop.” The conversation is part of the program “Corso – Art and Pop.” In the interview, Sheppard talked about basketball in popular culture and the intersection of race and basketball film conventions.

PMA Ph.D. Alum Stephen Low ‘16 Publishes New Book “Theatricality as a Practice of Gay Culture”

PMA Ph.D. Alum Stephen Low ‘16 has written a new book called Theatricality as a Practice of Gay Culture. The book, published by Cambridge Scholars in December, 2025, argues that theatricality, not identity, is what defines gay culture. Gay culture is a practice, accessible to anyone with a flair for the theatrical.

PMA Professor Austin Bunn Screens New Documentary Made with Rural Humanities Seminar

PMA Professor Austin Bunn will screen his new short documentary about an upstate burlesque academy, Getting Almost Naked, at Liquid State Brewing on January 29, from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The screening will be followed by a post-show discussion with the film's subjects and stars. The film is produced and edited by Austin Bunn, with cinematography by Karen Rodriguez and Fabio Morelli and created in collaboration with the students of Cornell's Spring 2025 Rural Humanities Seminar, "Documenting Local Lives".

Cornell Cinema unveils diverse, collaboration-driven spring lineup

From midcentury melodramas to speculative visions of technology and the human body—and even a French coming of age story about crafting world class cheese—Cornell Cinema’s spring season offers a varied plate.

Artist team Mendi + Keith Obadike named USA Fellows

The Obadikes have exhibited and performed their interdisciplinary work at The New Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Museum of Modern Art. Their projects include four books, two albums, and a series of large-scale public sound artworks.

Aster Film Festival

Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for the 13th Annual Aster Film Festival on Saturday and Sunday, February 21-22, from 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM on each day, in the Film Forum, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Screenings will take place at 1:00 PM and 3:30 PM on each day. This ticketed event is free and open to the public. Get Your Free Tickets Here: https://cornell.campusgroups.com/dka/rsvp_boot?id=2296582

CANCELLED: Chats with the Chair

"Chats with the Chair" invites PMA majors, minors, and those interested in the department to join the chair for food and fellowship. Come learn more about the department, give feedback, and talk about everything performing and media arts at Cornell and beyond! Lunch provided!

Enroll Now for PMA 1611: Rehearsal & Performance with Guest Artist and Internationally Acclaimed Dancer, Babatunji Johnson

Internationally acclaimed Dancer, Choreographer & Princess Grace Awardee Babatunji Johnson began as a hip-hop dancer in Hilo, Hawai‘i, before dancing over a decade with Alonzo King LINES Ballet. His signature movement language blends ballet, contemporary, breaking, and hip-hop for live performance and multimedia, with film credits that include Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs’ Blindspotting, and Flower with Misty Copeland. By enrolling in PMA 1611, participating students will have the opportunity to learn, rehearse, and perform original choreography by Babatunji and PMA Faculty for the Annual Spring Dance Presenting Series, taking March 21-22 on a PMA mainstage.

Yaddo residency shapes long-term dance research

During her Yaddo residency, Danielle Russo developed a dance piece, enriching the work by drawing on ideas of ritual movement, personal memories and family history, and more.

Cornell Ph.D. Alum Anna Evtushenko ’24 Releases Recording of Theatrical Production ‘Mine’

In Spring 2023, PMA produced a 65-minute play titled ‘Mine.’ Set in Russia, the play is a family drama exploring themes of the past and the future, technology and humanity, and authorship in a time of catastrophe. ‘Mine’ cannot be staged in Russia due to strict censorship laws. Determined to make the story accessible, both to a general audience and to people in Russia, writer-director Anna Evtushenko (PhD '24) recorded the live performances. More than two years later, after extensive effort, a fully realized pro-shot is now available on YouTube. The Cornell Daily Sun called it "a harrowing exploration of personal collapse and societal decay.

Projects & Participation Kick-off Spring 2026

Find out your role in PMA's vibrant projects and collaborations! Mark your calendar for Projects & Participation Kick-off on Wednesday, January 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts.

Festival 24 - Spring 2026

It's that time of the semester again... Festival 24! Festival 24 is a once-per-semester festival where Cornell students write, direct, and perform a compilation of 15-minute plays and films all within 24 hours! Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts on Saturday, January 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Flex Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. This event is free and open to the public.

PMA Ph.D. Alum Joshua Bastian Cole-Kurz ’22 Participates in Book Launch for Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays Vol. 2

On December 14, PMA Ph.D. Alum Joshua Bastian Cole-Kurz ’22 participated in the virtual book launch for The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays, Volume 2. Cole-Kurz contributed a dramaturgical introduction and participated in a live Q&A conversation with one of the anthology editors, Lindsey Mantoan.

PMA Assistant Professor Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz Performs New Work at Dance Mission Theater

PMA Assistant Professor Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz performed a new work entitled Fugitivity on October 25-26, presented by the Dance Mission Theater. Fugitivity is the latest iteration in the performance series “Dismantling: Tactic X" convened and directed by NAKA Dance Theater co-founders Jose Ome Navarrete Mazatl and Debby Kajiyama. Aldape Muñoz devised the work in collaboration with Amelia Uzategui Bonilla, Cristina Lopez Suarez, Krhistina Giles, Music Research Strategies (Marshall Trammell), Oka Ver, Jose Ome Navarrete Mazatl and Debby Kajiyama, with video and object design by Ian Winters, and lighting design by Jose Maria Francos.

Three PMA Faculty Scout for Scholars in Summer 2026 Research Program

PMA faculty members Mendi Obadike, Bruce Levitt, and Austin Bunn have proposed media projects in the Summer 2026 Nexus Scholar Program and are looking for undergraduate researchers to apply. With a deadline of January 12, 2026, The Nexus Scholars Program in the College of Arts & Sciences (A&S) provides undergraduate students with paid, full-time summer research opportunities under the mentorship of faculty from all across the college (humanities, social sciences, and STEM). The program also includes a professional development course, career exploration opportunities, social events, and the chance to join a cohort of 100 students with diverse interests who are passionate about learning.

PMA Professor Mendi Obadike to Participate in Marathon Reading of “Studies into Darkness”

PMA Professor Mendi Obadike and AAP Professor Keith Obadike will participate in a marathon reading of the book Studies into Darkness: The Perils and Promise of Freedom of Speech, along with other contributors to the book. The event, organized by the Vera List Center for Art and Politics, will take place virtually from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm EST on November 21. Studies into Darkness was originally released in 2022, edited by Carin Kuoni and Laura Raicovich, and co-published by Amherst College Press and the Vera List Center. Mendi + Keith Obadike will read their work In the Mouth of This Dragon from 8:05 pm to 8:45 pm EST.

Cornell showcases a decade of impact through new community-engaged learning video series

The David M. Einhorn Center for Community Engagement has released a new video series highlighting a decade of progress and impact in community-engaged learning across the university.

Cornell Alums Cynthia He ’20 and Matthew Campanella ’17 Receive Distinctions at Austin Film Festival

Cornell Alums Cynthia He ’20 and Matthew Campanella ’17 have received distinctions at this year’s Austin Film Festival. He, a Computer Science major with a minor in French studies, and Campanella, an Applied Economics & Management Major with a minor in Theater, were both former screenwriting students of PMA Professor Austin Bunn.

A&S launches Cornell in Los Angeles semester study away

The program will place students in Hollywood for a semester of coursework, networking, and cultural immersion.

Cornell in Los Angeles: Info Sessions

Cornell in Los Angeles is a new study away semester open to all Cornell undergraduate students! Spend the Spring 2027 semester in the global entertainment capital, earning Cornell class credits and having signature L.A. experiences offered by the Department of Performing and Media Arts! Join PMA for one of the following information sessions to find out more about the program and the applications details: • Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, 5pm, Film Forum, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts • Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, 5pm, Film Forum, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts • Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, 5pm, on Zoom

Celebration of Jane Austen's 250th Birthday

Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts to celebrate Jane Austen's 250th Birthday, on Friday, November 21st! The event will include a regency dance workshop beginning at 5:45, refreshments, and card games. All are welcome to attend! 🕰5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 📍Room 322, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Co-sponsored by the Departments of Literatures in English and Performing and Media Arts.

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, November 21, at 7:30 pm, and on Saturday, November 22, at 2:00 pm. Both performances are free and open to the public. Get your free tickets at pma.cornell.edu/tickets.

Eco-Performance: Harnessing Dynamic Communication Skills to Meet the Times

Ecology & Performance Event – Cornell Climate Action Month “Eco-Performance: Harnessing Dynamic Communication Skills to Meet the Times” Tue Nov 18th, 5:15-7pm in Fernow Hall G24

PMA Ph.D. candidate Jessie Taieun Yoon publishes performance review of "The Butterfly on the Bund 1939"

PMA Ph.D. candidate Jessie Taieun Yoon has published a performance review of the musical The Butterfly on the Bund 1939 in the September 2025 issue of Theatre Journal. Set in 1939 Shanghai, The Butterfly on the Bund 1939 is the first Chinese musical to be licensed in South Korea, and tells a lesbian love story of two women who were involved in different factions of anti-colonial movements during the second Sino-Japanese war. “The musical achieved a huge success in South Korea,” said Yoon, “which I suggest to be attributed to the audiences' enthusiasm for queer women's love story and the two countries' shared history of Japanese colonialism.” The book and lyrics are by An Hua and Xinyuan Zhao, with music by Yutong Zhang and Jianfeng Ye, and direction by Ki-Ppeum Lee. The musical premiered at the TOM Theater in Seoul, South Korea in July, 2024.

PMA Alum L M Feldman ’01 Premieres New Play at Pittsburgh’s City Theatre

PMA Alum L M Feldman’s new play Another Kind of Silence premiered at Pittsburgh’s City Theatre this fall. As part of its National New Play Rolling World Premiere, the play will also be staged at Denver’s Curious Theatre Company in March, and THE VORTEX in Austin in May. During its premiere, the play received a glowing writeup by Emma Diehl for American Theatre magazine.

Student Film Screening Fall 2025

Student Film Screening Fall 2025

PMA Senior Lecturer Theo Black Leads Two Eco-Macbeth Events in the UK

Theo Black led two Eco-Macbeth events in the UK in October, including a performance workshop at Cambridge University's drama studio, and an invited guest lecture at The Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon.

PMA Ph.D. Alum Kelly Richmond ‘24 Publishes New Essay About Queer Ecologies

PMA Ph.D. Alum Kelly Richmond ‘24 has written a new publication called ““Forever Unliving and Yet Never Dead”: The Queerly Ecological Hauntings of Nathalie Claude’s The Salon Automaton.” The essay appears in the September 2025 issue of the journal Modern Drama, published by the University of Toronto Press. Richmond is Assistant Professor in Michigan State University’s Residential College in the Arts and Humanities.

Professional Directions: A Conversation with Jillian Holch '16

Professional Directions: A Conversation with Jillian Holch '16

Professional Directions: A Conversation with Lee Sternthal

Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Professional Directions: Journeyman of Storytelling with Lee Sternthal, Writer/Director of TRON: Legacy (2010) and The Words (2012) on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 5:00 PM in Room 220, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts.

PMA Ph.D. Candidate Rejoice Abutsa Moderates Talk with Nollywood Star Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde

Rejoice Abutsa, a Ph.D. candidate in Performing and Media Arts, moderated a fireside chat with Nollywood icon Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde at the Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF) in San Jose, California. A day after the premiere of Jalade-Ekeinde’s directorial debut feature film, Mother’s Love, the actress/filmmaker was conferred the Trailblazer Award during the festival’s closing night ceremony. As she took to the stage, Abutsa was invited to moderate a fireside chat which explored the actress/filmmaker's career, the evolution of African cinema, and the global impact of Nollywood. In an article published by The Guardian, Nigeria’s independent newspaper, Segun Akinleye writes that the significant exchange between the two “radiated creative galaxies.”