Perspectives

Alumnus Joan Hawley McClain, M.F.A.
The experiences of my first four semesters led to my most valuable experience as an MFA candidate. I spent the fall semester of my third year as an intern at the Tony Award- winning La Jolla Playhouse, a cutting-edge regional theatre in San Diego. I worked closely with the entire artistic staff, and contributed to season planning, casting, production research, educational outreach programs, and understudy rehearsals. I read nearly one hundred scripts, preparing reports and recommendations for the literary manager and associate artistic director. In my first two years at Stony Brook, the courses I took provided a strong foundation in history, theory, and script analysis, as well as vital production experience on Cabaret and department main stage shows. My experience at Stony Brook gave me the background to discuss plays and performances, which was crucial to my performance as an intern.

Through my internship I gained a more accurate concept of how regional theatre operates, balancing budget, artistic standards, and audience reception. Without my involvement in an M.F.A. dramaturgy program I doubt that the Playhouse would have let me work so closely within their department, where I made valuable contacts and forged professional relationships with some of the most exciting minds in theatre. Classes that were especially valuable in preparing me for this internship were Theatre in New York, in which students see a variety of shows and write critiques for each, as well as Theatre History, which requires its students to visualize the texts and create a mini production. Both courses provided me with a frame of reference to gauge new works, as well as assess new adaptations and translations of classics. When I arrived in La Jolla I felt prepared for my internship, and I left the Playhouse ready for a career in professional theatre.

Elizabeth Bojsza, M.F.A. Class of 2004
This dramaturgy program is the only one like it in the country, and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to study here. Nowhere else would I have had the opportunity to explore so many different aspects of dramaturgy and have gained so much hands-on experience in an intensive three-year period.

People are often surprised to hear about the responsibilities and empowerment that are given to us in this program. The graduate students at Stony Brook write their own plays, run their own theatre, and contribute in many invaluable ways to the main stage productions. We serve as teachers and mentors to the undergraduates, and serve as leaders both in the theatre department and the university as a whole.

I find that as I am completing my internship in my final semester, the M.F.A. Dramaturgy program here has prepared me well for a career in professional theatre and dramaturgy. I thought I would be lucky to get any work after graduation, and I already have two job offers! The program has served me well in its mission to provide a balanced education for “the complete dramaturg.”

Petra Lammers, M.F.A. Class of 2003
My studies at Stony Brook allowed me unusual freedom. The choices in classes as well as the closeness to New York City helped me learn a great deal about theatre. The practical work on productions—on one main stage show and on plays at the Cabaret—furthered my understanding. My knowledge expanded with an administrative and dramaturgical internship in New York City and an internship with Richard Foreman in my second year. The third year I interned in Berlin, Germany, where I had the great luck of working with one of Germany’s best directors, Frank Castorf.

I believe the Department of Theatre Arts to be heaven for those who know what they want to learn. The University provides excellent teachers and incredible possibilities for doing work locally and in New York City.

Stony Brook introduced me to different styles of performance and allowed me to do them in the safe world of the University while pushing me to grow by going to the city. I am still in Germany, having worked on several other productions with the Volksbuehne in Berlin, and have now an offer to go to Luzern, Switzerland, on a two-year contract as a director’s assistant.

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