The Lewis Center is your Pathway to the Arts! This page offers information for incoming first-year students interested in pursuing the arts while at Princeton.
A message from Michael Cadden, Chair of the Lewis Center
Don’t Miss the First-Year Student Open House!
The Lewis Center will host an Open House on Monday, September 10, from 9-10:30 a.m. in the Wallace Theater at the Lewis Arts complex, during which program directors and current students will provide a brief overview of each program. Come meet the faculty and learn more about how to enroll in arts courses for the fall.
We will also have a table at the Academic Expo for the Class of 2022 on Monday, September 10, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Stop by and chat with Lewis Center students and faculty members. Lewis Center faculty members Elena Araoz (Theater), Tina Fehlandt (Dance), Jeff Whetstone (Visual Arts), and Monica Youn (Creative Writing) will also lead an info session during the Expo from 11-11:45 a.m. in Frick A81.
Fall 2018 Courses and Applications
Courses are offered at the Lewis Center for the Arts in Creative Writing, Dance, Film/Video, Theater, Music Theater, Visual Arts, and through the interdisciplinary Princeton Atelier. Certificates are awarded in the areas of Creative Writing, Dance, Theater, Music Theater, and Visual Arts (including Film). You will also find additional courses offered by other departments that may be cross-listed with the arts.
CREATIVE WRITING
Courses are offered at introductory and advanced levels in poetry, fiction, literary translation, and screenwriting. All creative writing courses require an application, which consists of a short writing sample; please see the guidelines. The online application will be available beginning August 1, 2018 with a deadline of Monday, September 10 at 2 p.m. Application decisions will be emailed to you by late afternoon on September 11 and you will be instructed to immediately select a class section, which are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Explore fall 2018 Creative Writing course offerings and consult this introduction for incoming first-year students for further guidance. Questions about the program? Email Program Associate Erin West: erin.west@princeton.edu
DANCE
Performance Opportunities & Auditions
Perform in the Princeton Dance Festival on the beautiful Berlind Theater stage on November 30-December 2, 2018! Featuring works by Robert Battle (staged by Elisa Clark), Marguerite Hemmings, Malcolm Low, Mark Morris (staged by Tina Fehlandt), Crystal Pite, and Abigail Zbikowski. Interested students should consider 2 options (you may do both!):
- Enroll in DAN 319, 320, 419 or 420, which offer technical training and repertory rehearsals partnered with the study of the evolution of choreographic thought. Students must enroll in both an A section (Choreography Workshop I, II, III or IV) and a B section (Dance Performance Workshop: Repertory I, II, III or IV). Rehearsals take place during class time. In order to enroll, come to the mandatory placement class (all class years) on Tuesday, September 11 at 3 p.m. in the Hearst Dance Theater.
- Audition for a Guest Choreographer’s work, featuring Marguerite Hemmings and Crystal Pite (staged by Alexandra Damiani). Audition with Marguerite Hemmings on Thursday, September 13 at 4:30 p.m. in the Hearst Dance Theater. Audition with Crystal Pite on Tuesday, September 18 at 4:30 p.m.
Courses
Dance courses are offered in technique, choreography, history, criticism and aesthetics of dance at introductory, intermediate and advanced levels in the genres of modern, ballet, hip-hop and African dance. Some courses require an interview for pre-registration. Please attend a dance program info session in the Hearst Dance Theater on Monday, September 10, immediately following the main LCA Open House. Faculty and staff will also conduct informal studio tours and answer questions between 1-3 p.m. that day in the Hearst Dance Theater. A placement class for all students (all class years) interested in dance will be held on Tuesday, September 11, at 3 p.m. Following the class, faculty will walk you through the enrollment process and fall performance schedule. Placement decisions will be emailed to students by 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 12. View fall 2018 Dance course offerings, and be sure to check out some important additional information regarding enrollment. Questions about the program? Email Program Associate Cindy Rosenfeld: cr17@princeton.edu
Co-curricular Classes
Co-curricular offerings are non-curricular classes offered to students free of charge. Classes include ballet, pilates, conditioning, and yoga/anatomy for dancers. Learn more about co-curricular class offerings
FILM/VIDEO
Within the Program in Visual Arts, courses are offered at introductory and intermediate levels in film and video production, filmmaking, screenwriting, film history and special topics in cinema. Courses in screenwriting and film/video production require an application for pre-registration. View fall 2018 Film/Video course offerings. Questions about the program? Email Program Associate Kristy Seymour: kseymour@princeton.edu
THEATER + MUSIC THEATER
The Programs in Theater and Music Theater have organized an exciting set of activities and opportunities for the start of the academic year.
Auditions
On September 10-11, the Programs in Theater and Music Theater will hold open auditions for remaining roles in a diverse season of classic, contemporary, and student created musicals and plays. Some student theater groups will also participate in these auditions. Performing roles, production, and design opportunities are available for first-year students — a great way to dive in right away to Princeton’s exciting theater community! No experience required in any area. View the 2018-19 season line-up and check the auditions page for more details. Also, be sure to check out an exciting schedule of student theater workshops planned for the fall. Non-performers with interest in creative and backstage roles should contact Program in Theater Director Jane Cox: Janecox@princeton.edu
Theater Courses
The Program in Theater offers courses at the introductory and intermediate levels in acting; directing; playwriting; lighting, costume and sound design; theater history and criticism; and special topics. View fall 2018 Theater course offerings. Most available courses are open enrollment via TigerHub, including THR 101 (Introduction to Theater Making — a recommended class for freshmen and sophomores), THR 218 (Acting and Directing Workshop – acting section), THR 205 (Introduction to Playwriting), THR 334 (Nature of Theatrical Reinvention) and THR 365 (Theater and Society Now). First-year students interested in acting classes can contact Jane Cox, janecox@princeton.edu, for entrance into THR 201 (Introduction to Acting); first-year students with prior acting training may apply for permission to enroll in THR 301 (Intermediate Acting) by contacting Mark Nelson, msnelson@princeton.edu. THR 451 is by audition (for acting roles) or by application (for stage managing or other creative team roles). THR 210A and THR 210B do not have available spots this fall; THR 400 and THR 418 are not open to first-year students. For enrollment in THR 361 (The Art of Producing), please contact Jane Cox. Questions about the program? Email Program Associate Joe Fonseca: jfonseca@princeton.edu
Music Theater Courses
The Program in Music Theater offers courses at the nexus of music, theater, and dance, taught by faculty across the University as well as guest artists who teach, compose, write, create, perform, and research music theater’s various forms of music, dance, scripted text, and design. All Music Theater courses are open to first-year students. View fall 2018 Music Theater course offerings. Questions about the program? Email Program Associate Joe Fonseca: jfonseca@princeton.edu
Special Events
On September 11 at 8 p.m., catch a student reading of a new musical, Foreign Bodies, by theater program alumni Whitney Mosery ’08, Joshua Williams ’07 and Yve Blake. Associate Professor of Theater Brian Herrera offers a conversation on “The History of Casting” on September 24 at 4:30 p.m.
VISUAL ARTS
Immerse yourself in an introductory course in Sculpture, Painting, Graphic Design, and more in the Program in Visual Arts. Work intimately with stellar contemporary artists and dirty your hands in the trenches of materiality and object-making while exploring and analyzing the structures that form the core of our experience, illuminating the meta questions underlying society, culture, and progress. All 200-level VIS courses are geared towards first-year students and welcome all levels of experience. View fall 2018 Visual Arts course offerings. Questions about the program? Email Program Associate Kristy Seymour: kseymour@princeton.edu
PRINCETON ATELIER
Unique, one-time interdisciplinary courses are offered, taught by Princeton faculty and professional guest artists focusing on the collaborative creation of new work. A limited number of seats in fall 2018 Atelier courses will be available for first-year students. ATL 498 is open enrollment within Tigerhub. For interest in either ATL 498 or ATL 499, email Mary O’Connor at oconnorm@princeton.edu. Visit the Atelier page to view fall 2018 Atelier course offerings and applications. Questions about the program? Email jfonseca@princeton.edu.
MUSIC
For information on programs of study and courses in music, visit the Department of Music’s website.
