CUArts - Arts Initiative @ Columbia University

Arts @ Columbia

Arts Initiative

Campus Groups - Theatre

[Literature and Writing ]

Arts Administration Program (Art)
Affiliation: Teachers College
Phone: 212-678-3271
Website: http://www.tc.columbia.edu/academic/arad/
E-Mail: arad@columbia.edu
Contact: Joan Jeffri, Director
The Arts Administration program reflects the conviction that the management of cultural institutions and arts organizations requires strategic planning, artistic creativity and social commitment. The arts managers capable of responding to the challenges and responsibilities of the arts must possess integrated management and financial skills, knowledge of the artistic process in which they are involved and sensitivity to the dynamics and educational needs of the communities they serve. The Program, which offers a Master of Arts degree, represents an alliance of four disciplines: arts, education, business, and law. It is designed to help professionals meet the challenges of the next decade. These challenges include questions about the long-term health of arts organizations; their missions, governance and management; sources of income, and tax regulations. Such issues as freedom of expression, First Amendment rights, censorship and government intervention in the arts have important implications for international, educational, and cultural policy, and are integral to the Program. Today, arts administration training in the United States is a model in the field that addresses worldwide concerns.

L'Atelier: A French Performance Troupe (Theatre)
E-Mail: Latelier@barnard.edu
Contact: Jon Brilliant
L'Atelier (French for "the studio" or "the workshop") is Columbia's first and only French language performance group. Founded in 2003, the club aims to offer a creative outlet for French language studies. Actors learning French or French speakers eager to perform are all welcome, regardless of level. L'Atelier strives to create a creative community as well as a highly dynamic language environment. Members from Columbia College, SEAS, and GS work hand-in-hand with graduate students and occasional faculty participants. Additionally, we focus on more experimental performance, rather than the traditional canon of French theater. Previous shows include works by Ionesco, Tardieu, Claudelle, as well as a rendition of /Hiroshima Mon Amour/ and several original short films. L'Atelier also offers party events, such as a French karaoke night and a Cabaret.

Barnard College Musical Theatre (Theatre)

Black Box Theatre (Theatre)
Affiliation: Lerner Hall
Location: Alfred Lerner Hall

Black Theatre Ensemble (BTE) (Theatre)
E-Mail: sl2038@columbia.edu
Contact: Stephanie Louis-Charles, President
Facebook: http://columbia.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2223235771
Black Theatre Ensemble is intent on establishing a diverse environment for theater on Columbia's campus. We seek to promote minority playwrights and actors, thus giving students of color on campus, and in NYC, an outlet for creative expression that was previously void. Black Theatre Ensemble has a show every semester, and these shows range from musical theater to straight plays to student written sketches. Our choices are as diverse as our casts. We welcome suggestions for plays, and submissions of screenplays for our fall and spring shows.

C.U.M.B. (Columbia University Marching Band) (Music)
Website: http://www.cumb.org
E-Mail: majordomo@columbia.edu
Contact: Will Schuessler, Head Manager
Facebook: http://columbia.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2200010175
In the 50s, our great country was going through a lot of changes. Disco was at its peak, little Shirley Temple was charming the hearts of Americans everywhere, Jesus was walking the earth, and Ronald Reagan was pushing hard for the new women's suffrage movement. The Columbia University Marching Band, which had always been slightly wacky, took a good look at itself. "How," we asked ourselves, "could we make being in a marching band even more fun?" Well, we decided that the whole marching around and forming rhombi thing had gone out of style with World War II. So we introduced the world to the "scramble band" concept--so named for the way bandies would scramble from one interesting formation to the next. As Band became more popular, people who didn't play stuff started to join solely as an outlet for their cleverness.

Center for Korean Research (Literature and Writing)
Affiliation: Weatherhead East Asian Institute
Website: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ckr/
The Center for Korean Research was established within the East Asian Institute in 1988 with the generous support of the Korean Committee for the Promotion of Korean Studies at Columbia University, and continued to expand with the support of the Korean Foundation. In cooperation with other organizations from inside and outside the East Asian Institute, the Center has sponsored visiting scholars and research associates as well as cultural events such as movies and concerts, monthly Contemporary Korean Affairs Seminars, and noon lecture series on Korea-related topics. Among the most important goals pursued by the Center has been the expansion of Korean instructional resources in history, political science/international relations, sociology, anthropology, business, economics, and literature. Visiting Professors from Korea affiliated with the institute have included Dr. Sung-joo Han, Dr. Sang-jin Han, Dr. Roy Kim, and others, who have offered a variety of courses at Columbia in their specific fields.

Citizen: The Campus Talk Show (Media)
E-Mail: talkshow@columbia.edu
Cornel West, Gloria Steinem, Bell Hooks, Hyun Kyung Chung, and Eddie Palmieri anchored the first season of Citizen: The Campus Talk Show. Hosted by Teachers College adjunct lecturer and doctoral candidate Kelvin Shawn Sealey, Citizen features celebrated guests in dialogue with the host on issues of social consequence. Each show runs approximately one hour and tickets are free to the public.

Columbia Daily Spectator: Arts & Entertainment (Literature and Writing)
Website: http://www.columbiaspectator.com/?q=section/3
E-Mail: arts@columbiaspectator.com
Facebook: http://columbia.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2200021166
The Columbia Daily Spectator is the second-oldest college daily paper in the country and has been financially independent form the University since 1962. The newspaper is published five days a week during the academic year and weekly during the summer. The Columbia Daily Spectator is written and edited by Columbia University undergraduates. It serves the communities of Columbia University and Morningside Heights as a forum for the expression of diverse viewpoints, a top source for in-depth and comprehensive news and features, and a rewarding extracurricular opportunity for their staff. Serving a community of over 60,000 students, faculty, administrators, and Morningside Heights residents, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the most widely read newspaper in Morningside Heights and Harlem.

Columbia Musical Theatre Society (Theatre)
Website: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cmts/
E-Mail: cmts@columbia.edu
Contact: Jeff Julian, President
Facebook: http://columbia.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2200045625
Columbia Musical Theatre Society strives to bring the highest quality theatrical performances, large and small, both musicals and straight plays, to the Columbia University community. CMTS is committed to giving students an opportunity to work in any aspect of a production regardless of their major or school. Each semester, CMTS produces a number of shows, in which students independently direct, design, act, and serve in all other roles of the production. By utilizing all the talent of the Columbia community, CMTS aims to produce amateur shows on a level with the surrounding professional scene. Any affiliate of Columbia University who has participated in a CMTS-sponsored production in any capacity within the last twelve months or as Production Head at any date is considered a member.

Columbia Stages (Theatre)
Website: www.ColumbiaStages.com
Email: pr@columbiastages.com
Columbia Stages is the producing arm of the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies of Columbia University's School of the Arts. Columbia Stages presents a season of graduate actor and director productions as well as an annual festival of new plays by emerging playwrights. The theatre division offers M.F.A. degrees in acting, directing, playwriting, dramaturgy/script development, stage management and theatre management & producing. The goal of the division is to provide each student with the foundation for a career in professional theatre as well as the tools to embrace an ever-changing theatrical landscape and shape the future of the theatre.

Columbia University Performing Arts League (Theatre)
Website: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cupal/
E-Mail: cupal@columbia.edu
As an umbrella organization, the Columbia University Performing Arts League facilitates discussion between groups regarding the Columbia University theatre community as a whole, encourages the sharing of resources between groups, and serves as an advisory board to any newly formed theatre groups or special projects. CUPAL aims to unite diverse performing groups in open dialogue for common causes. Its collective endeavors aim to improve relationships with administration, increase collaboration and communication across campus, and develop new avenues for otherwise unsupported artists.

Department of English & Comparative Literature (Literature and Writing)
Affiliation: GSAS
Location: 602 Philosophy Hall
Phone: 212-854-3215
Website: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/english/
With a large faculty of renowned scholars and dedicated teachers, the Department of English and Comparative Literature offers a wide range of courses, recognizing traditional values in the discipline yet reflecting its changing shape.

Department of Theatre (Theatre)
Affiliation: Barnard College
Location: 404 Milbank Hall
Phone: 212-854-2080
Website: http://www.barnard.edu/theatre/
E-Mail: hseltzer@barnard.edu
Contact: Heather Seltzer, Departmental Assistant
The Barnard College Theatre major, a joint program with the Columbia College major in Drama and Theatre Arts, teaches students to create and interpret drama and theatre in the context of a liberal arts curriculum.

Fruit Paunch (Comedy)
Website: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/fruitpaunch/
E-Mail: paunch@columbia.edu
Are YOU Ready-2-Improv? The ladies and gentlemen of Fruit Paunch. Columbia's longest-running and most prestigious comedy improv troupe, live by this mantra--and they let their enthusiasm and talent for their craft take them all over New York City, where they regularly perform everywhere from Caroline’s On Broadway to CU's very own Furnald Lounge. Some of the Paunch's favorite annual events include their Formal Show in the Black Box, the bi-annual West End show, and their most daunting event of the year, The 24 Hour Show. Fruit Paunch rehearses a healthy mix of short form and long form twice a week, and auditions for the group are held at the beginning of every school year.

Heyman Center for the Humanities (Media)
Affiliation: A&S
Location: East Campus, Morningside
Phone: 212-854-4270
Website: http://www.heymancenter.org
E-Mail: mrh2101@columbia.edu
Contact: Rebecca Hanger
The newly reconfigured Heyman Center is Columbia University's central site for the Humanities. It brings together the interests not only of the various departments in the Humanities but also the broad conceptual, methodological and value-laden issues that are of interest to the natural sciences and the professional schools of Law, Medicine, Journalism, Arts, and International Affairs. The Heyman Center presents several events on various themes in the Humanities throughout the Fall and Spring semesters each year, which are open not only to all at Columbia but to everyone in New York City and beyond. It also has eight post-doctoral fellows at any given time, each holding a two-year Mellon fellowship in the Society of Fellows in the Humanities. It plans to have various other levels of fellowship over the next few years for junior and senior faculty both at Columbia and from other universities, as well as some 'New York City Fellows' who are distinguished artists, writers, musicians, and journalists living in the city. Every week of each semester it has a lunch for a group of Columbia faculty fellows who present their work to each other for discussion. The Heyman Center also houses Columbia's Center for Comparative Literature and Society, the Human Rights Center, a group of Columbia's emeritus faculty known as the "Society of Senior Scholars," who teach in the Core Curriculum, and The Friends of the Heyman Center, all of which host seminars and colloquia of their own throughout the year. The Lionel Trilling Seminar (once a semester) and the Edward Said Memorial Lecture (once a year) are also based at the Heyman Center. Notices for these can be found in our Events section on our website.

Ho-Heup (Music)
Website: www.columbia.edu/cu/hoheup
E-Mail: via WebPage
Ho-Heup is a traditional Korean drum troupe at Columbia University. A multiethnic group comprised of students, alumni, and other members of the Columbia community, its mission is to promote awareness and appreciation of Korean culture through teaching, learning, and performing poongmul (Korean folk drumming).

Horace Mann Auditorium (Media)
Affiliation: Teachers College
Location: Horace Mann Hall

Horace Mann Theatre (Theatre)
Affiliation: Teachers College
Location: Horace Mann Hall

King's Crown Shakespeare Troupe (Theatre)
Website: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/shakespeare/
E-Mail: krc2101@columbia.edu
King's Crown Shakespeare Troupe of Columbia University is a not-for-profit group recognized by the Activities Board at Columbia and committed to the ideal of Shakespeare for the simple folk and the simple minded. Their particular brand of Shakespeare has sometimes been called "nomadic", but they prefer to think of it as "too big for the stage". All performances are free, including their trade-mark spring show, which takes place in the great outdoors, staged at different locations around Columbia's Morningside Heights campus. This roving art form requires audiences to be quick of foot and of mind in order to follow the show. In addition to an annual Spring Shakespeare show, they also produce Fall shows which are not necessarily Shakespeare nor necessarily outdoors; however they are necessarily free, and still embodies the commitment to tasteful, quality theatre for which the group is famous.

Klaritin (Comedy)
Contact: Annie Berke
E-Mail: afb2001@columbia.edu
Klaritin Improv Ensemble dedicates itself to the performance of contemporary theater, an intense training in long form improv, especially the Harold form, and building the actors’ physical awareness. The plays we perform must either be original student-written works, composed by living playwrights, or be deconstructed versions of historical and classical plays. By adopting the term "Ensemble," Klaritin wants to create a group of theatrical colleagues who have trained and rehearsed together, and who can collaborate on theater as artistic equals. We promote the Ensemble as an alternative to the "star system" of mainstream theater. We do not believe in "leading parts," since it is the job of actors to be simultaneously aware of themselves and their fellow actors, and to make the other actors "look good."

LateNite Theatre (Theatre)
Contact: Peter Mende-Siedlecki
E-Mail: latenitetheatre@gmail.com
Facebook: http://columbia.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2200056621
LateNite Theatre maintains a ten-year commitment to the Columbia/Barnard playwright community. We have a simple purpose: to offer our playwrights the opportunity to see their work on stage, giving them a freedom to experiment, to take artistic risks, and above all, to have fun in a non-competitive environment. Each Semester, we bring to life an anthology of new student-written works with these goals in mind.

Minor Latham Playhouse (Theatre)
Affiliation: Barnard College
Location: Milbank Hall

Museo (Literature and Writing)
Website: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/museo/
E-Mail: shirls.wong@gmail.com
Contact: Shirley Wong
MUSEO is Columbia University's undergraduate journal of contemporary art. Students are encouraged to submit essays, reviews, interviews, polemics, and portfolios this upcoming winter. This year we will be accepting a broader variety of articles that is no longer limited to the visual arts; students are strongly encouraged to submit work in anthropology, film/literary criticism, cultural studies, and other fields. If submission passes review of the editorial board, writers will work with editors on their submissions to improve or re-angle their work. MUSEO 9 will be published in the spring of 2006.

N.O.M.A.D.S. (New & Original Musicals Authored & Directed by Students) (Theatre)
Phone: 212 266-5525
Contact: Dana Everitt at de2116@barnard.edu
NOMADS encourages the creation of original musicals by students of Barnard College and Columbia University. NOMADS promotes artistic expression and collaboration through the composition and performance of original musicals. Through writing, directing, and/or performing, students gain knowledge of music and theatre through experience.

Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies (Theatre)
Affiliation: School of the Arts
Location: 601 Dodge Hall

Philolexian Society (Literature and Writing)
Website: www.philo.org
E-Mail: philo@columbia.edu
Facebook: http://columbia.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2200038780
The Philolexian Society is Columbia University's oldest and sexiest student organization. Established in 1802 by associates of Alexander Hamilton, the Society promotes literary awareness and the art of rhetoric among its members, who have ranged from Allen Ginsberg to Jacques Barzun. Over the years, Philo has evolved significantly. While we honor our predecessors, we don't believe we're living in the 19th century. We just think it might be fun to pretend.

Roone Arledge Auditorium (Media)
Affiliation: Lerner Hall
Location: Alfred Lerner Hall

School of the Arts (Media)
Location: 305 Dodge Hall
Phone: 212-854-2875
Website: http://arts.columbia.edu/
We are a community of artists inside a great university --Columbia University-- in one of the greatest arts centers of the world --New York City. We take advantage of this fortunate location by connecting our students to the excitement and creativity of the arts in New York. At our doorstep are the resources and opportunities offered by hundreds of museums and galleries, theatres and theatre companies, publishing houses, reading spaces, and production companies.

Equally important, within the walls of Columbia University are resources critical to the development of emerging artists, including libraries, performance spaces, and some of the best faculty -in all disciplines -in the world. The teaching and mentoring of our regular faculty is supplemented by a remarkable adjunct faculty, as well as by visiting artists and guest lecturers.

School of the Arts- Student Affairs (Media)
Website: http://wwwapp.cc.columbia.edu/art/app/arts/student_affairs/index.jsp
Whether you're a continuing student or new to the School of the Arts, the Office of Student Affairs is designed to make your time in the M.F.A. program easier and enrich your School of the Arts experience as whole. Aside from providing information to students regarding registration, financial aid, housing, student activities, general orientation and graduation (among others), we also serve as a bridge to the rest of Columbia University.

Southern Asian Institute (Media)
Location: International Affairs Building, 11th Floor
Phone: 212-854-3616
Website: http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/regional/sai/
E-Mail: southasia@columbia.edu
Contact: Vidya Dehejia- Director
The Southern Asian Institute coordinates the many activities at Columbia University that relate to Southern Asia -- mainly the countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. Its conferences, seminars, exhibits, films, and lecture series bring together faculty and students with widely varying interests and backgrounds. It works with many South Asia groups on campus and off. Because of its location in New York City, the Institute has lively ties with persons serving in the United Nations, the diplomatic community, and many international agencies. It is also in the midst of the largest South Asian ethnic community in North America, with all its cultural richness.

Student Development & Activities (Media)
Phone: 212-854-3611
Website: http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/sda/
E-mail: activities@columbia.edu
Student Development and Activities (SDA) is committed to helping students enhance their leadership skills and explore the co-curricular opportunities available at Columbia. SDA forges a sense of community by providing opportunities for social interaction and student participation in community life and governance. Whether you are looking for advice in running your organization, planning an event, organizing your financial records, starting a group, or if you just want to brainstorm, the SDA staff is here to support you.

Taal (Dance)
Website: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/taal/
E-Mail: taal@columbia.edu
Taal was founded in January 2001 at Columbia University. The fundamental intent of Taal is to promote awareness of South Asian dance, thereby promoting awareness of both Indian culture and the arts. It serves to establish a forum for South Asian dance, open to all members of the Barnard/Columbia community. It is a medium through which the many students who have studied South Asian dance may continue the art through choreography and performance, and provides those students who have an interest in South Asian dance and culture to explore one of its primary facets by attending performances, and attending or participating in practices or workshops.

Theatre Division- School of the Arts (Theatre)
Affiliation: School of the Arts
Location: 601 Dodge Hall
Phone: 212-854-3408
Website: http://www.app.cc.columbia.edu/art/app/arts/theatre/index.jsp
E-Mail: theatre@columbia.edu
The Theatre Arts Division attracts students of acting, directing, playwriting, dramaturgy, and management who have the talent, vision, and commitment to become exceptional artists. At Columbia they interact with some of the leading creators, practitioners, producers, and analysts of today's theatre, acquiring disciplines rooted deeply in the classics while branching out into new forms and exploring the cutting edge of theatrical art. The best theatre in every culture and in all eras has not only reflected its time but also shaped its society and often helped point it toward the future. We believe we can restore the theatre to a place of influence in our culture by reminding audiences of the parts they play in forming a civilization that aspires to the highest ideals of human endeavor.

The Varsity Show (Theatre)
Website: http://www.thevarsityshow.com/
E-Mail: varsity@columbia.edu
The Varsity Show, founded in 1894, is one of the oldest traditions at Columbia University, and certainly its oldest performing arts tradition. The long list of alumni includes such distinguished names as Rogers '23. Hammerstein '16, Hart '18, and I.A.L. Diamond' 41. Each year, the Varsity Show attracts some of Columbia and Barnard's finest actors and creative talents. Dedicated to producing a unique full-length show that skews and satirizes many dubious aspects of life at Columbia, the Varsity Show is often written and inspired by a long list of contributors, including the cast, production and creative teams.

Don't see your group? See a mistake? Drop us a note: cuarts@columbia.edu