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Universities That Offer Graduate Programs in Theatre Management:

Why a degree in theatre management?

“Unlike professionals in many other fields, theatre administrators do not need certification in order to do their jobs, says Dan J. Martin, associate professor for carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama and associate dean of the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management.

That said, he believes there are many benefits to formal training such as gaining a balance of theoretical and practical experience, developing the skills to be an effective and efficient manager and viewing the arts world in a larger context. “Having as complete a skill set as possible is key,” he says.

Perhaps the strongest advantage of an arts management degree is that it can accelerate the learning curve. “I honestly believe that in my two years of graduate school, I picked up five to six years of on the job training,” said Martin who holds an MFA in performing arts management from Brooklyn College/City University of New York.” -Full article at Dramabiz.com-

MFA in Theatre Managment at Wayne State University (Hilberry Repertory Company)

Description from website:

MFA Theatre Management students are organized in to three managerial teams: Audience Development, Marketing, and Operations. The teams function in their assigned areas as they would in any regional theatre - creating a budget and plan of operation, then implementing and evaulating the plan. Students progress each year to a higher level of managerial experience, ultimately managing a team in the third year of study.

In addition to the major area of assignment, theatre managers serve as publicists for department productions. If not assigned to the Hilberry Theatre box office or house management, students also house manage in the Bonstelle Theatre.
Intensive seminars that focus on particular subjects and skills in theatre management are also part of this vigorous program.

Theatre management students take courses from different areas of the university: the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts as well as the College of Business. This varied course of study, combined with three years of intensive practical experience, creates a unique managerial opportunity that prepares the theatre management students to competitively enter the job market.

The following selection of courses is typical for theatre managers:

Human Resources and Financial Management for the Theatre
Public Relations and the Theatre
Marketing for the Theatre
Fund Development and the Theatre
Advanced Studies in Theatre Management
Leadership in the Theatre
Theatre Management Practicum

Some of the electives from which the student may select include:

Dramatic Criticism
Theatre History
Development of Drama
Financial Reporting and Analysis
Management Principles and Organizational Process
Organizational Communication
Grantwriting for Nonprofits
Legal Environment of the Arts

MFA in Theatre Management at Florida State University

Description from website:

The School of Theatre was founded in 1973 and offers degrees in all areas of Theatre. The MFA in Theatre Management was established in 1978. The three-year terminal degree program consists of two years in residence on the FSU campus in Tallahassee and a third year spent in an internship at the FSU/Asolo and Ringling Center for the Performing Arts in Sarasota, Florida or pursuing internship opportunities in other theatres or arts organizations. Yearly enrollment consists of approximately eight students in residence and four on internships. Typically, four new students are admitted each year. Alumni of the program are working in professional regional theatres, major orchestras, performing arts centers, and related arts and culture organization across America.

The mission of the Theatre Management program is to help enhance the professional management of theatres and arts organizations in America by developing future theatre managers and leaders. The objective of the program is to give students the skills they need to continue their own development and growth. Students graduate with an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of producing theatre as well as an understanding of management principles, personnel, finance, marketing and fundraising and a working knowledge of computer applications in arts management. The dynamics of a strong School of Music, and the Schools of Visual Arts and Dance, Film, Communications, Public Policy and Business help create an environment for a student to pursue a specialized professional education.”

Yale School of Drama Theater Management M.F.A. and M.F.A./M.B.A.

Description from website:

The Theater Management department prepares aspiring leaders and managers to create organizational environments increasingly favorable to the creation of theatre art and its presentation to appreciative audiences. Recognizing that there is no substitute for experience, the department provides students with the knowledge, skills, and values to enter the field at high levels of responsibility, to move quickly to leadership positions, and ultimately to advance the state of management practice and the art form itself.

Although the focus is on theatre, many graduates have adapted their education successfully to careers in dance, opera, media, and other fields.

In the context of an integrated management perspective, students are grounded in the history and aesthetics of theatre art, production organization, hiring and unions, the collaborative process, decision making, organizational direction, motivation, organizational design, human resources, financial management, development, marketing, and technology. While focused primarily on theatre organizations, discussions incorporate other performing arts organizations, other nonprofits, and for-profit organizations to help identify the factors that make theatre organizations succeed. It is training in the practice, informed by up-to-date theoretical knowledge.

The training program combines a sequence of departmental courses, approved electives in other departments and schools, topical workshops, a case study writing requirement, and professional work assignments. In a distinctive feature of the Theater Management curriculum, students have the opportunity to engage in the management of Yale Repertory Theatre from the beginning of their training, and to collaborate with students and faculty from other departments in productions of Yale School of Drama and Yale Cabaret.

In the first year the student enrolls in seven departmental courses per term, is assigned a case study on a theatre organization to be completed during the second year, attends a variety of topical workshops, and is given professional work assignments.

In the second and third years the student enrolls in four departmental and elective courses per term, attends a variety of topical workshops, and is given one or two professional work assignments. In another distinctive feature of the Theater Management program, the second-year student has the option of replacing one term residence with a fellowship in a professional setting away from the campus, selected by the faculty.

Joint-Degree Program with Yale School of Management

The Theater Management department offers a joint-degree program with Yale School of Management, in which a student may earn both the Master of Fine Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees in four years (rather than the five years that normally are required). A joint-degree student must meet the respective admission requirements of each school. The typical plan of study consists of two years at Yale School of Drama, followed by one year at the School of Management, culminating with one combined year at both schools. Generally, students have until the beginning of their second year at the School of Drama to decide whether they are interested in the joint degree option.

MFA in Theatre Management at The University of Alabama

Description from website:

The Master of Fine Arts Program in Theatre Management was founded in 1984 at The University of Alabama. Students gain invaluable academic and objective experience from two environments…on-campus academic courses and hands-on practical experience. The program allows for a very high degree of personal contact and involvement in the operation of the University theatres. To maintain that environment, enrollment in the program is limited to a small number of students being admitted each year. Applicants who are asked to interview are encouraged to present a portfolio of related work (i.e. marketing materials, writing samples, budget samples, or other projects to showcase their strengths).

The Faculty…
While at the University, students will be taking courses with the faculty of the university’s Department of Theatre and Dance. Additional courses are taught by faculty of the College of Commerce and Business Administration.

MFA in Theatre Management & Producing at Columbia University

The goal of the program is to educate and inspire a new generation of creative managers and producers. The curriculum balances content-driven courses that emphasize the skill sets necessary for a career as a producer and manager with issue-oriented courses that explore the challenges facing the theatre industry. Study of commercial and not-for-profit theatre is equally weighted with an emphasis on the collaboration between the two business models. The program features a unique blend of two years of classroom study under the supervision of a faculty consisting of leading New York City-based theatre professionals, and a minimum of three internships that may be pursued at any time during the first two years or in the third year while writing the thesis. Students attend classes and theatrical performances both on campus and throughout the city; and, with access to selected courses offered through Columbia Law School, Columbia Business School, Teachers College, and the Film Program of the School of the Arts, our students take advantage of the best that Columbia University has to offer. In addition, through classroom projects and departmental and extracurricular productions, students are given the opportunity to hone their skills by working with student directors, playwrights, dramaturgs, actors and stage managers. Our graduates are highly employable, and our growing network of adjunct faculty, guest speakers, and alumni continues to promote the program and raise the profile of program graduates both nationally and internationally.

Joint JD/MFA Theatre Management & Producing Program

Through a joint-degree program with Columbia Law School, students complete the requirements for both the JD and the MFA in Theatre Management & Producing. Rather than the six years that would be required to pursue the degrees separately, the joint program allows the student to fulfill all requirements in four or five years, depending on how quickly the thesis is completed. Over four years (8 semesters), students spend two and a half years (5 semesters) based in the Law School and one and a half years (3 semesters) based in the School of the Arts. All applicants must complete separate applications and be accepted to both schools before they may be matriculated into the joint program. Candidates for the JD degree should consult with the Law School and with the School of the Arts Admissions Office before applying and should note that they must meet the separate admissions deadlines established by the School of the Arts and the Law School. For more information, please contact Steven Chaikelson, Director of the Theatre Management & Producing Concentration at sec11@columbia.edu.

More information about the JD/MFA program can be found here: http://www.law.columbia.edu/jd_applicants/admissions/jointdegree

MFA in Theatre Management at California State University Long Beach
(California Repertory Company)

The Graduate Program in Theatre Management is one of just a handful of such MFA programs across the nation to be accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre. It focuses on the skills and understanding necessary to successfully practice in America’s theaters and performing arts organizations. It is also a useful means to qualify for a university post in theater or the other performing arts.

At CSULB we align ourselves with a not-for-profit, organizational management approach. Our students take courses in principles of nonprofit management, fundraising, strategic planning, producing, marketing, and leadership. Their opportunities to gain skill and understandings are enhanced by the generous cooperation of the faculty in the College of Business and by the opportunity to intern in Los Angeles’ many professional theaters.

Our courses are open to the graduate students of other disciplines who might benefit from any of our work. And all of our students practice what they are learning by being actively involved in the management of California Repertory Theatre.

MFA/MBA Theatre Management

The MFA/MBA is a three year full time program (including two summer sessions) offered jointly between the Theatre Arts Department and the Graduate School of Business. Students enrolled in the MFA/MBA program will participate in all the practical training required of the MFA students. In addition to the core courses in theatre management, the MFA/MBA student will take an additional 30 units of business courses including finance, accounting, marketing, strategic business management and operations. The GMAT is required for admission into the MFA/MBA.

MFA CURRICULUM

The MFA degree in Theatre Arts is the terminal degree offering the professional training deemed necessary by the major theatre arts schools in the United States for university and college teaching positions as well as professional theatre positions in management in the theatre, television, film, stage, opera, and the theme park industry.

The MFA curriculum emphasizes full-time professionally oriented study of specific theatre practice. It requires three years of full-time graduate study and the completion of sixty semester credit hours. In addition to academic and professional studies, internships under professional conditions with California Repertory Company are an integral part of the program.

The option in Theatre Management requires work in a number of different areas including front of house, box office management, fundraising, marketing, publicity, production and stage management. Successful completion of practical assignments in differing areas is necessary for advancement in the program.

60 Units: THEA 502, 503, 504, 507, 517 (4 units), 518 (4 units), 519 (4 units), 523, 524, 550, 602 (6 units), 603, 696, 699 (3 units); MKTG 500; ACCT 500; and 6 units of electives. Electives, with advisor’s approval may be taken from the university at large.

Repertory Theatre I, II, III
Seminar in Theatre Management I & II
Leadership in the Arts
Marketing Concepts
Fundraising
Contemporary Drama
Managerial and Financial Accounting
Dramaturgy
Computer Graphics
Entertainment Law
Managing Not for Profit Theatre
Producing Commercial Theatre
Aesthetic Theory and Conceptualization
Thesis/Project

Management students have the opportunity to take classes in other disciplines depending on their interests and previous experience.

MFA/MBA CURRICULUM

The MFA/MBA degree will prepare arts professionals in all areas of both arts administration and business for professional careers in arts management—in performing and exhibiting arts organizations, in arts service organizations, in government, funding agencies and arts councils. The program prepares students for high level administrative positions and provides the background essential for advancement in professional management careers.

90 Units: THEA 502, 503, 504, 507, 517 (4 units), 518 (4 units), 519 (4 units), 523, 524, 550, 602 (6 units), 603, 696, 699 (Thesis)(3 units); 6 units of theatre electives. Electives, with advisor’s approval, may be taken from the university at large. Business Core: MKTG 500; ACCT 500; MAN 500; FIN 501; ACCT 610; FIN 600; HRM 652; IS 601; IS 602; MGMT 647; MKTG 661; and 3 units of business electives.

Repertory Theatre I, II, III
Seminar in Theatre Management I & II
Leadership in the Arts
Marketing Concepts
Business Policies, Operations, Organizations
Contemporary Drama
Managerial and Financial Accounting
Financial Management Concepts
Quantitative Methods Managerial Decision Making
Advanced Cost Accounting, Budgeting, Control
Seminar in Human Resources
Dramaturgy
Computer Graphics
Entertainment Law
Management of Information Systems
Managing Not for Profit Theatre
Producing Commercial Theatre
Aesthetic Theory and Conceptualization
Seminar in Management Planning & Control
Seminar in Business Finance
Thesis/Project

Several weeks ago, I gave the Head of the Culture and Tourism Department of Shangdong Province a tour of Goodspeed Musicals. He wanted to learn more about Goodspeed Musicals and the American style of theatre management. I offered to send him a list of useful theatre management books. In China, theatre is subsidized by the government and he was curious how our theatres remain financially sustainable without that funding. Many of the best books I could think of were assigned for my classes in the MFA Theatre Management program at Wayne State University. It took me a while to write them down, so I thought I would include them on this page. Here is the message with the books:

Dear Zhang,

It was a pleasure meeting you and here are some of the most important American Theatre Management books in no particular order:

Subscribe Now!: Building Arts Audiences Through Dynamic Subscription Promotion by Danny Newman

This book is Excellent for building and executing subscription campaigns.

Arts Marketing Insights: The Dynamics of Building and Retaining Performing Arts Audiences by Joanne Scheff Bernstein and Philip Kotler

This book provides some creative marketing ideas for the Theatre.

Theatre Management by David M. Conte and Stephen Langley

This is an extremely comprehensive book on producing and managing the performing arts.

Leadership Without Easy Answers by Ronald Heifetz

This is a great book on the topic of leadership.

Standing Room Only: Strategies for Marketing the Performing Arts by Philip Kotler and Joanne Scheff Bernstein

This is a popular arts marketing text.

Management and the Arts, Fourth Edition by William Byrnes

This is an excellent book on many theatre management topics.

Principles of Marketing, 12th Edition by Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong

This is a thorough and comprehensive marketing textbook.

Enterprising Nonprofits: A Toolkit for Social Entrepreneurs by J. Gregory Dees, Jed Emerson, and Peter Economy

This book contains many interesting ideas for improving nonprofits.

Harvard Business Review - Current Business Articles and Case Studies

This publication has excellent articles and case studies to help foster innovative ideas.

Essential Principles for Fundraising Success: An Answer Manual for the Everyday Challenges of Raising Money by G. Douglass Alexander and Kristina J. Carlson

This is a straightforward book on proven development techniques and strategies.

Strategic Public Relations Management: Planning and Managing Effective Communication Programs (LEA’s Communication Series) by Erica Weintraub Austin and Bruce E. Pinkleton

This book lives up to its title.

Public Relations Writing Worktext: A Practical Guide for the Profession (Paperback)
by Joseph Zappala (Author), Ann R. Carden (Author)

Coauthored by my outstanding public relations professor in undergrad.

History of the Theatre by Oscar G. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy

This is an extremely popular textbook on the history of theatre.

Books from Board Source:

Many helpful books on the topic of board governance.

All the best,

Joshua S. Ritter
Education Director/Music Librarian
Goodspeed Opera House
East Haddam, CT 06423
860-873-8664, ext. 745
Fax 860-873-2329
JRitter@goodspeed.org

Useful Theatre Management and Arts Administration Websites:

Universities that Offer Undergraduate Programs in Theatre Management and Arts Administration: