Program Overview

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

The PhD in Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies at York University is a leading program in its field, 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

Location and Interdisciplinary Approach

The program's location within the School of Arts, Media, Performance, and Design (AMPD) facilitates an 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
• 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.

Professional Placements and Fieldwork Experiences

The program provides professional placement and fieldwork experiences for students at both MA and PhD levels, with opportunities to work with leading theatre, dance, and performance companies, artists, festivals, and conferences.

Program Specializations

The program's fields of specialization 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 explores topics such as:

• 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