Students in TDM have the opportunity to take theater courses including dramatic literature, directing, theater history, acting, dramaturgy, design, and playwriting. The concentration combines theory and practice, emphasizing both academic research and production in a range of theaters on campus. As the professional theater of Harvard University, the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) plays a central role in the TDM concentration. Students take courses with professional artists at the A.R.T., and have opportunities to participate in internships that immerse them in the work of the theater and engage them with leading practitioners from around the world.
Dance studies in the TDM interarts concentration are rooted in tradition, and committed to innovation. Courses support studies in dance composition, improvisation, performance, choreographic design and history of dance with an emphasis on collaboration and trans-disciplinary inquiry. Opportunities to perform wide-ranging repertory, commissioned work, and installations are a focal component of coursework, and digital technology is leveraged to devise new methods for making and capturing the form. Guest artist faculty teach master classes, courses, hold residencies and create original work each academic year, fostering exceptional opportunities for students to work with luminaries and innovators who engage diverse and dynamic perspectives in the field and in disciplines linked to dance.
As new media technology becomes an increasingly integral part of the theater and dance experience, students in TDM will investigate a wide range of questions about the possibilities of media in live performance. How can live camera feeds be used on stage? What different personalities and perspectives does new media technology offer on stage? How can live performers relate to and interact with live feed and previously recorded material? How do video, live sampled audio, projected text and other forms of media help tell stories on stage? TDM students explore these questions through hands-on experience in classes, workshops, and performance.