The Theatre Arts and Performance Studies Ph.D. program takes a broad-spectrum approach to the study of histories, theories and methods of theater and performance.
The program offers a rigorous environment for pursuing doctoral research. Taking a broad-spectrum approach to the histories, theories, and methods of theatre and performance studies from a global perspective, the program trains doctoral students to use performance as an analytical lens to explore the labor of mimesis in the social. The PhD program provides students with a firm grasp of the fields of theatre studies and performance studies, an understanding of the historical underpinnings of theatre and performance practices globally, and an ability to employ performance theory and criticism in the service of scholarship across a range of objects of study.
Brown's environment is alive with the intersections of performance practice and theory. PhD students benefit from formal and informal cross-currents with Brown's acclaimed MFA Playwriting Program, the Brown/Trinity MFA Programs in Acting and Directing (offered in consortium with the Tony Award winning Trinity Repertory Company), the Brown Arts Institute, and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Brown's libraries provide exceptional special collections for performance-related research, including the Harris Collection of American Drama and Poetry, the Smith Collection of Conjuring, Magicana, and Popular Entertainment, and the Albert-Bernard Shaw Collection. Our students take full advantage of Brown's unique interdisciplinary opportunities-including the Open Graduate Education Program, which enables doctoral students to apply to pursue a Master's degree in a secondary field of study at Brown-and gain teaching experience through a variety of opportunities in and beyond the department.