Hello and welcome to the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, home to Cornell University’s Department of Performing and Media Arts. At PMA, students explore live and mediated forms from acting and dance to film and design. So much creativity, all in one place.
The Schwartz Center is a six-floor, 96,000 square foot building with studios, shops, classrooms, and performance venues, including our largest, the Kiplinger Theatre. Modeled after an Italian opera house, the stage is bigger than many on Broadway.
Before we take a closer look at our venues, let’s first visit the studios and shops where all disciplines come together to create a polished product.
Right behind the Kiplinger Theatre stage, this is where the magic happens for all our sets and props. The Scene Shop is a builder’s dream with all the tools necessary to create entire worlds that will eventually appear on stages and film sets.
Our next stop, the Costume Shop, a multi-use studio with five rooms, including the dye room, craft room, and fitting room. Here, students gain practical experience in costume design, construction, and alteration. Much of what you see featured in live performances and films was finished in the costume shop.
This is the Sound Stage – completely soundproof and ideal for film productions and classes. This is a great place to get production and cinematography experience in a real studio before moving on to a professional set. Check out that “recording in progress” light.
And now the Light Lab. This is where students get a chance to sit at the light board and learn the art of painting a stage with light. In the Light Lab, students can practice color theory and develop lighting skills in a pre-professional environment.
Once props, sets, lighting, rehearsal and filming are done, it’s time to refine the final product in our Editing Suites. We have three different suites, the beginning, advanced, and private suites with professional level editing software and 24/7 access to students.
Now that you’ve seen how things are made, let’s take a look at the venues where student work is showcased. First, the Film Forum – a private, 100-seat theatre where we screen films, teach classes, host book talks and lectures, and hold student film festivals.
Our next stop, the Ballet Studio, one of the most visible spaces on campus, with a window overlooking College Avenue. This studio hosts guest artist workshops and dance classes where performances are developed and rehearsed. The space has a sprung wood floor covered with Marley for traction, making it suitable for modern dance, ballet, and anything in between.
This is the Class of ’56 Dance Studio Theatre. With a seating capacity of 130, a sprung wood floor and retractable bleachers, this space transforms easily for any dance performance. Additionally, guest workshops are held here, and student dance groups from across campus come to meet.
The Black Box seats up to 76 and is all about student-driven productions. Functioning as a classroom space for experiential learning, but also open for comedy shows, cabaret, and theatre, the Black Box is a place where students can bring their creative ideas to life.
Next up, the Flex Theatre! This medium-sized performance space can seat up to 175 and is incredibly versatile. It can transform a classic stage setup to a theatre in the round, a film set, and other types of media. This is a multi-purpose theatre that is seriously flexible.
And finally, our largest venue, the Kiplinger Theatre. The Kip is a proscenium theatre, a classic style with an archway going around the stage, state of the art lighting and sound equipment, and an orchestra pit. The Kiplinger seats 471 and is one of the biggest stages on campus. We host a variety of live performances here, including large-scale performances and student film screening.
Thanks for joining me on this tour of the Schwartz Center, the heart of Performing and Media Arts at Cornell. Whether you’re a PMA major, minor, or taking a class, this is your space to explore, create, and perform. We hope to see you soon!