Welcome to Performing and Media Arts!
We are excited to welcome you to Cornell or welcome you back! All of us here in Performing and Media Arts (PMA) look forward to meeting you and helping you find opportunities to make your time in Ithaca more enriching, whether you are a budding performer, a seasoned auteur, an aspiring critic, or just a curious observer. Please use this page as a springboard to the wealth of opportunities available to you in the Schwartz Center!
Meet Associate Professor Samantha Noelle Sheppard, Department Chair
Latest Developments
Meet Associate Professor Jeffrey Palmer as he shares the latest exciting updates about PMA’s film and video production courses.
Transcript of Film Program Video
Meet PMA Dance Faculty Assistant Professor Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz, and Assistant Professor of the Practice Danielle Russo
PMA Virtual Tour
PMA is located at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Take a virtual tour of PMA’s studios, theatres, and performance spaces.
Opportunities to Participate
Find out how you can become involved in PMA’s live and mediated work at a general information session, Projects & Participation Kick-off, on Wednesday, January 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kiplinger Theatre. You’ll meet directors and filmmakers who will describe their project and casting needs. There are many opportunities for behind-the-scenes work, too. PMA faculty will describe opportunities to work in the scenery/props shop, costume shop, electrics, and on backstage or film crews. There’s a place for everyone at PMA!
Start Your PMA Education
Whether you choose to major, minor or enroll in select classes, we provide opportunities for you to explore theatre, film, and dance as distinct art forms, and to combine these disciplines in exciting ways.
The departmental curriculum offers a robust selection of courses, from introductory to advanced levels and from creative and critical perspectives. Visit our Academics page for an overview of all the options, or jump right into the Minor or the Major.
Wondering where to start? We encourage you to consider these as options for your entry into PMA:
| 1410: Media Production Lab | 1610: Production Technology Lab |
| 2800: Introduction to Acting | 3550: Global Cinema and Media Studies |
| 3560: American Cinema Since 1968 | 3632: Production Design for Film TV and Media |
See all PMA courses for the Spring 2026 semester: https://pma.cornell.edu/courses
Read the PMA Undergraduate Guide
Upcoming Productions and Events
Share In/Share Out: End-of-Semester PMA Dance Showcase
Fall Dance Series
Friday, November 21, 7:30pm; Get Tickets
Saturday, November 22, 2:00pm; Get Tickets
Dance Theatre SB10
Share In/Share Out is an end-of-semester showcase of predominately student-devised dance works, specifically featuring Cornellians enrolled in PMA Dance Studio courses this fall semester: PMA 2300: Dance Composition and PMA 3210: Classical Dance Technique. This compilation of projects and portfolios is a part of "Dancing Home/Land," which is a yearlong series of live performances and activations, guest artist residencies and symposia, and extra/curricular experiences.
Cornell in Los Angeles Info Sessions
Wednesday, December 3, 5:00 pm, Zoom
Cornell in Los Angeles (CULA) 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 information sessions to find out more about the program and the applications details. Applications will be accepted April 1-May 1, 2026.
Student Film Screening
Friday, December 12, 5:00pm, Kiplinger Theatre
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. Free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.
Content warning: For mature audiences only. Films contain material that may be triggering to some audience members.
See our complete line-up of productions and events for this semester.
Cornell Cinema
Established in 1970 as a university film society, Cornell Cinema is a celebrated and long-standing film exhibition program located on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Each semester, we present a wide variety of films, including Hollywood films, documentaries, silent films, international, art-house, and experimental media work, cult classics, and other repertory titles. We also offer regular opportunities for audiences to discuss films and the relevant social, political, and artistic questions they raise in conversation with filmmakers, scholars, community leaders, and cinema staff.
Student Groups at PMA
Helpful Department Contacts
Director of Undergraduate Studies: David Feldshuh - PMA-DUS@cornell.edu
Undergraduate Field Assistant: Donna Miller - dm246@cornell.edu
