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Introduction to the MA in Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies

The MA/PhD program in Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at York is a leader in graduate training, both in Canada and internationally. The program's curriculum is guided by an innovative, socially engaged, and interdisciplinary vision for graduate research.

Critical Interdisciplinarity: Arts, Media, Performance, & Design

The program encourages students to develop a rigorous interdisciplinary understanding of theatre, dance, and performance by taking courses and working closely with supervisory faculty from diverse backgrounds in a range of disciplines, including:

• Theatre Studies
• Performance Studies
• Anthropology
• Business
• Cinema & Media Studies
• Dance Studies
• English
• Environmental Studies
• Humanities
• Gender, Feminist, and Women's Studies
• Nursing
• Sociology
• Visual Arts The program's location within the School of Arts, Media, Performance, and Design (AMPD) facilitates this interdisciplinary approach, distinguishing it from other national and international programs. Students take courses offered by the School's graduate programs in Art History & Visual Culture, Visual Art, Music, Design, and Cinema & Media Studies.

Practice-Based Research

The program bridges the divide between theory and practice in the study of performance, with many graduate courses exploring how performance practice serves as a vital form of critical inquiry. These courses take place in state-of-the-art studios and diverse cultural spaces throughout Toronto. Many MA and PhD students have developed innovative research projects in which practice-based research plays an integral role.

Professional Placements and Fieldwork Experiences

The program provides exciting professional placement and fieldwork experiences for students at both MA and PhD levels. Students receive course credit for placements with leading theatre, dance, and performance companies, artists, festivals, and conferences, both in Toronto and abroad. These placements often lead to jobs in the arts and culture sector and meaningful long-term artistic collaborations.

Program Specializations

The program's fields of specialization structure the curriculum and degree requirements, highlighting faculty strengths and interests in exploring intersections of theatre, dance, performance, and cultural politics. These areas include:

• Canadian Theatre, Dance, and Cultural Politics
• Postcolonialism and Globalization
• Cultural Policy and Theatrical Economies
• Gender and Sexuality
• Embodiment and Cultural Memory
• Environment and Cultural Geography
• Performance and Popular Culture
• Critical Pedagogy and Community Engagement
• Intermediality and Technology

Canadian Theatre, Dance, and Cultural Politics

This specialization includes the study of:

• The history of government funding in Canada at the local, provincial, and federal levels
• Regional and Alternative Theatre Structures in Canada
• Language Politics in Canadian and Quebecois Theatre
• Theatre and Indigeneity
• Canadian Theatre-Makers as Cultural Producers
• Festivals and Street Performers
• Canadian National Identity and Imagined Communities
• Theatre, Multiculturalism, and Diaspora
• Canadian Theatre Criticism
• Canadian Actor Training
• Canadian Theatre Dramaturgy