The College of Performing Arts at The New School (CoPA) was formed in 2015 and brings together the iconic Mannes School of Music, the legendary School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and the ground-breaking School of Drama. With each school contributing its unique culture of creative excellence, the College of Performing Arts is a hub for cross-disciplinary collaboration, bold experimentation, innovative education, and world-class performances.
As a part of The New School, students across CoPA experience a supportive and rigorous environment that provides abundant opportunities for collaboration with students and faculty in a wide array of disciplines including the visual arts, fashion, design and technology, architecture, philosophy, psychology, public policy, advocacy, and more. CoPA has over 1100 students seeking degrees and diplomas in performance, composition, acting, writing, as well as arts management and entrepreneurship. New York City’s Greenwich Village provides the backdrop for the College of Performing Arts, which is housed at Arnhold Hall on West 13th Street and the historic Westbeth Artists Community on Bank Street.
Our School of Drama combines rigor with creative experimentation. We focus on authenticity of expression and confront today's most pressing societal issues through the making of theater, film, and emerging media. Our faculty is made up of New York's contemporary legends-award-winning actors, playwrights, and directors who bring a currency of professional experience, artistic training, and project-based learning into the classroom. Our four-year BFA program in Dramatic Arts prepares students to be artists in today's changing world, creative thinkers, and engaged citizens. Our MFA program throws students into an intensive, highly collaborative, and ensemble-driven training, with a focus on the creation of new works and relevant reinterpretation of existing plays. We take inspiration from the greats who walked these halls before us, including Marlon Brando, Harry Belafonte, and Tennessee Williams, as well as our more recent graduates, like Adrienne C. Moore and Jason Kim.
Founded in 1919, The New School was established to advance academic freedom, tolerance, and experimentation. A century later, The New School remains at the forefront of innovation in higher education, inspiring more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students to challenge the status quo in design and the social sciences, liberal arts, management, the arts, and media. The university welcomes thousands of adult learners annually for continuing education courses and public programs that encourage open discourse and social engagement. Through our online learning portals, research institutes, and international partnerships, The New School maintains a global presence.
|