Riccardo Hernández, Co-Chair
Toni-Leslie James, Co-Chair
The purpose of the Design program is to develop theater artists who are accomplished, committed, daring designers of costume, lighting, projection, set, and sound for the theater. The program encourages students to discover their own process of formulating design ideas, to develop a discriminating standard for their own endeavors, and above all to prepare for a creative and meaningful professional life in the broad range of theater activities.
It is hoped that through their David Geffen School of Drama experience, design students discover a true sense of joy in working with other people and realize the excitement of evolving a production through the process of collaboration.
The program endeavors to create an atmosphere conducive to creative experimentation, tempered by honest, open criticism and disciplined study.
Students are admitted to the program on the basis of their artistic abilities as shown in their portfolios, as well as their commitment to the theater and their ability to articulate their ideas.
Approximately seventeen students are admitted each year. There is a high faculty-to-student ratio. We make a strong personal commitment to each student who is accepted, and we work to provide the resources necessary for all students to succeed in the program.
The student’s training is accomplished through approximately equal parts classroom work and production experience. A balance between theoretical work, which students conceive of and develop in the classroom, and projects that are realized on stage, is the ever-present goal. Collaboration among disciplines, both within and without the Design program, is a constant practice.
All Design concentrations are closely interrelated. Each is part of a greater whole. Therefore, with some exceptions, students in their first year of study take classes in all five design concentrations. Starting in the second year, the required sequence of courses for each student focuses more closely on the student’s primary area or areas of concentration.
The program reserves the right to alter the required sequence when necessary in order to provide each student the experience best suited to the student’s particular circumstances and goals.
The Design program is committed to dismantling racism by engaging in an ongoing examination of the policies and practices of the program and the profession in general in order to expose biases and systemic advantage/oppression where they exist and to build a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment through anti-racist practices.
Plan of Study: Costume Design
Our Costume Design concentration is dedicated to the training of new generations of designers in a diverse community of students and teachers where we fully embrace different perspectives and backgrounds as we actively promote diversity through our curriculum, performances, and student experiences. The study of costume design requires us to continuously explore new ways of storytelling as we examine the human spirit to be able to communicate the life condition of the character through clothing on the stage. Students must have knowledge of the vocabulary of design and be able to communicate all aspects pertaining to the profession in order to achieve this goal in a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment that promotes anti-racist practices. Through class projects, practical and theoretical, and real experience working on academic and professional productions, students will leave the university setting and become valuable, vocal, and seen members of the entertainment industry.
The first year of study is dedicated to the background and practice of costume design to develop the students’ technical skills in life drawing and costume construction, their knowledge of costume history, and a thorough grounding in the business of professional costume design, integrating technical skills with theoretical understanding as students take courses in every design concentration. The second year enhances the students’ analytical/dramaturgical thinking and critical aesthetic voices in the execution of designs in collaboration with student and professional directors, with advanced classes in life drawing and digital costume illustration. The third-year students continue their training based on professional-level processes and practices with an established director, culminating in the design of a professional production. Our training strives to create new and lasting relationships between designers, directors, actors, and technicians, evolving into a diverse community that shares a unique and bold aesthetic as our students enter the professional world.
Required Sequence
Year One
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 3(02)a/b | Toward Anti-Racist Theatre Practice in Design |
| DRAM 4b | Critical Response Process® |
| DRAM 105a/b | Introduction to Costume Design |
| DRAM 112a/b | Introduction to Set Design |
| DRAM 115a/b | First-Year Costume Design Project Review |
| DRAM 125a/b | The History of Costume |
| DRAM 162a/b | Life Drawing Studio |
| DRAM 189a | Costume Production |
| DRAM 289b | Draping |
| DRAM 489a/b | Costume Seminar |
| Costume Design assistant assignment(s) | |
Year Two
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 124a/b | Introduction to Lighting Design |
| DRAM 135a/b | Advanced Costume Design |
| DRAM 185a/b | Digital Costume Illustration |
| DRAM 232a/b | Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography (2YCC) |
| DRAM 489a/b | Costume Seminar |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second and third years of study | |
| Design assignments for School productions | |
Year Three
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 145a/b | Advanced Professional Costume Design |
| DRAM 155a/b | Evolution of Cut and Cloth |
| DRAM 185a/b | Digital Costume Illustration |
| DRAM 489a/b | Costume Seminar |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second and third years of study | |
| Design assignments for School and/or Yale Repertory productions | |
| Thesis Project: a comprehensive design for a theoretical production | |
Plan of Study: Lighting Design
Lighting cannot be taught in the classroom. Words and two-dimensional representations are not adequate to express all that needs to be expressed or to communicate all that needs to be communicated when exploring and discovering the role light can play in live theatrical performance. Light must be experienced firsthand, in space and in time. Moreover, like playing an instrument, the skills involved in lighting must be practiced constantly. Therefore, in the Lighting Design concentration, we prioritize realized production work and exercises done in theaters or the light lab over theoretical, paper projects.
Light is intricately intertwined with all the other design concentrations. The configuration of the scenery determines what lighting possibilities exist in any given production; the silhouettes created by the costumes and their color palette have everything to do with the composition of the stage picture and the color palette of the lighting; the aural landscape and the rhythm of the lighting are two parts of a single whole; projected imagery is a kind of light itself. For these reasons, lighting students study the other concentrations, and we include students of the other concentrations in our lighting classes, as far as the schedule will allow. Lighting students also study figure drawing, as the human figure is the basis of our sense of composition, and drawing is the best possible training for the eye.
Required Sequence
Year One
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 3(02)a/b | Toward Anti-Racist Theatre Practice in Design |
| DRAM 4b | Critical Response Process |
| DRAM 104b | Computer-Assisted Design Techniques for Lighting Design |
| DRAM 105a/b | Introduction to Costume Design |
| DRAM 112a/b | Introduction to Set Design |
| DRAM 122b | History of Set Design and Stagecraft |
| DRAM 134a/b | Advanced Lighting Design |
| DRAM 162a/b | Life Drawing Studio |
| DRAM 222a | Drafting for Set Designers |
| DRAM 224b | Introduction to Projection Design |
| DRAM 404a/b | Lighting Seminar |
| DRAM 836a | Deciphering Modernity* |
| Lighting Design assisting assignment(s) and Design assignment(s) for School productions. | |
*Class of 2027 required to take DRAM 836a in year three
Year Two
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 104b | Computer-Assisted Design Techniques for Lighting Design* |
| DRAM 158a/b | Introduction to Sound Design |
| DRAM 164a/b | Professional Lighting Design |
| DRAM 202a/b | Advanced Set Design for Non-Majors |
| DRAM 204b | Collaboration Laboratory |
| DRAM 232a/b | Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography (2YCC) |
| DRAM 244a | 3D and So Can You! |
| DRAM 314b | Dance and Design in Performance |
| DRAM 404a/b | Lighting Seminar |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second and third years of study | |
| Design assignments for School productions | |
*Year-two students can test out of DRAM 104b, Computer-Assisted Design Techniques for Lighting Design
Year Three
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 174a/b | Advanced Professional Lighting Design |
| DRAM 184b | Concert Lighting Design and Pre-Visualization |
| DRAM 404a/b | Lighting Seminar |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second and third years of study | |
| Design assignments for School and Yale Rep productions | |
| Thesis Project: a comprehensive design for a theoretical or Yale Rep production. Proposals for thesis projects must be approved by the faculty. Detailed thesis requirements will be published at the beginning of each school year. | |
Plan of Study: Projection Design
Over the course of a three-year study, it is our goal to provide opportunities to explore opera, dance, installation, and self-devised work in addition to text-based works to strengthen student skills in all areas. While projection design can be technical in its practice, it is vital for students to acquire drawing and research skills. Semesters of Life Drawing, Visual Storytelling, and Drama History are required. The focus of the first-year core curriculum is to explore communication in the various modalities and languages of theatrical design as well as development of storytelling skills, whether it be through the generating of technical drawings, the expressive communication of a sketch, the construction of a scenic model, or setting moving image to music. Student designers may be assigned as assistants, content creators, or programmers.
Collaborative projects anchor the second year of study. Students take part in an interdepartmental course DRAM 232a/b, Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography. This course seeks to cultivate and reinforce the creative relationship and professional-level processes between directors and designers, concentrating on an in-depth analysis of a selection of twentieth- and twenty-first century plays and operas. Shorter collaborative projection projects range from classroom exploration of a moment from a new play, student curiosity, as well as two produced evenings of Opera Scenes with Yale School of Music. In the second year, there are elective slots students should program according to their specific needs and interests and in conversation with the faculty. Student design assignments can include design work on student directors’ thesis projects and Shakespeare Repertory Projects, or projection-based installation projects.
In their third year, students prepare and present an original work as their thesis project as well as a dance collaboration. There may be a professional assignment at Yale Rep as well. As teachers our role is to mentor and support the exploration, discovery, and creation of a thesis project, as well as to prepare students to enter the ever-changing landscape of media design.
Technical classes and workshops are offered on a rotating basis.
Required Sequence
Year One
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 3(02)a/b | Toward Anti-Racist Theatre Practice in Design |
| DRAM 4b | Critical Response Process® |
| DRAM 50a | The Collaborative Process |
| DRAM 104b | Computer-Assisted Design Techniques for Lighting Design |
| DRAM 112a/b | Introduction to Set Design |
| DRAM 122b | The History of Set Design and Stagecraft |
| DRAM 124a/b | Introduction to Lighting Design |
| DRAM 162a | Life Drawing Studio |
| DRAM 172b | Content Creation I: 2D and Camera |
| DRAM 224b | Introduction to Projection Design |
| DRAM 239a | Projection Engineering |
| DRAM 322a | Foundations in Drafting and Model Making |
| DRAM 384a/b | Projection Production Process |
| DRAM 414a/b | Projection Seminar |
| DRAM 836a | Deciphering Modernity |
| Projection Design and assisting assignment(s) | |
Year Two
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 158a/b | Introduction to Sound Design |
| DRAM 204b | Collaboration Laboratory |
| DRAM 232a/b | Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography (2YCC) |
| DRAM 234a | Visual Storytelling |
| DRAM 244a | 3D and So Can You! |
| DRAM 272b | Content Creation 2: 3D and Previz |
| DRAM 334a/b | Projection in Practice |
| DRAM 339b | Media Servers |
| DRAM 364b | Animation Studio |
| DRAM 414a/b | Projection Seminar |
| DRAM 434a/b | Second-Year Professional Development |
| Two one-term electives in consultation with faculty | |
| Projection Design and assisting assignment(s) | |
Year Three
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 141b | Law and the Arts |
| DRAM 234a | Visual Storytelling |
| DRAM 254a | Advanced Projection Integrations |
| DRAM 274a | Projection Shots and Focus |
| DRAM 334a | Projection in Practice |
| DRAM 339b | Media Servers |
| DRAM 344a | Advanced Professional Projection Design |
| DRAM 414a/b | Projection Seminar |
| DRAM 444a/b | Professional Development |
| Two one-term electives in consultation with faculty | |
| Projection Design and assisting assignment(s) | |
| Thesis Project: conception, creation, and presentation of a live performance in which projection ideas and content are fully integrated into the performance and are essential to the design | |
Plan of Study: Set Design
The Three-Year Curriculum Arc (Scenography)
In the first year, students delve into a wide spectrum of classic texts, operas, and musicals alongside modern and contemporary works. The goal is to create three-dimensional models every week and present the completed model (1/8-in. or 1/4-in. scale) the following week. This structure provides the foundation on which the following two years are based. During the course of the year the students also assist on student productions and at the Yale Repertory Theater.
In the second year, the set designers meet twice per week. On Wednesdays the students take part in an interdisciplinary course in DRAM 232a/b Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography. This course seeks to cultivate and reinforce the creative relationship and professional-level processes between directors and designers, concentrating on an in-depth analysis of a selection of twentieth- and twenty-first-century plays and operas. On Mondays the students meet with the Set Design faculty in discussions that expand and deepen the exploration of the texts discussed in the Wednesday collaborative class from a scenographic perspective. There are two projects per term, each culminating in a final presentation. Students also design for David Geffen School of Drama productions. At the end of the second year, students interview with directors for the opportunity to design a Yale Repertory Theatre production the following school year.
In the third year, the students choose their own texts and operas, including adaptations. Having a strong foundation in classic, modern, and contemporary works to draw on, the students are able to develop a more personal approach. The second term of the third year concentrates on a thesis that is presented to the entire Design faculty. It is also during this year the students may design a Yale Repertory Theatre or Yale Opera production.
The overall mission of the program is to nurture a thorough appreciation of existing scenographic traditions as well as a vigorous commitment to developing individual voices for a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive American theater.
Required Sequence
Year One
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 3(02)a/b | Toward Anti-Racist Theatre Practice in Design |
| DRAM 4b | Critical Response Process® |
| DRAM 105a/b | Introduction to Costume Design |
| DRAM 112a/b | Introduction to Set Design |
| DRAM 122b | The History of Set Design and Stagecraft |
| DRAM 124a/b | Introduction to Lighting Design |
| DRAM 162a/b | Life Drawing Studio |
| DRAM 222a/b | Drafting for Set Designers |
| DRAM 224b | Introduction to Projection Design* |
| DRAM 242a/b | Drafting Review |
| DRAM 332a | Embodied Design |
| DRAM 402a/b | Set Seminar |
| DRAM 836a | Deciphering Modernity |
| Set Design assisting assignment(s) | |
*Class of 2027 required to take DRAM 224b in year two
Year Two
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 132a/b | Advanced Set Design |
| DRAM 152a/b | Scenic Painting |
| DRAM 232a/b | Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography (2YCC) |
| DRAM 242a/b | Drafting Review |
| DRAM 244a | 3D and So Can You! |
| DRAM 262a | Architectural Drawing for Set Design |
| DRAM 332a | Embodied Design |
| DRAM 402a/b | Set Seminar |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second and third years of study | |
| Design assignments for School productions | |
Year Three
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 142a/b | Advanced Professional Set Design |
| DRAM 242a/b | Drafting Review |
| DRAM 262a | Architectural Drawing for Set Design |
| DRAM 402a/b | Set Seminar |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second and third years of study | |
| Design assignments for School and/or Yale Repertory productions | |
| Thesis Project: a comprehensive design for a theoretical production | |
Plan of Study: Sound Design
The Sound Design concentration is dedicated to training the next generation of sound designers. The program blends an advanced study of theatrical sound design with modern, interdisciplinary applications in order to prepare students to excel in every branch of this growing industry, including theater, film and TV, experiential design, podcasting, video games, and more.
Our student community is exposed to a variety of perspectives and backgrounds as we actively promote diversity through our curriculum, performances, and experiences. Openness, inclusiveness, and a rigorous work ethic enable students to thrive in the Sound Design concentration. Students are given many opportunities to collaborate with members of the other concentrations, whether in the classroom or the professional stage at Yale Repertory Theatre, so as to sharpen their technical skills and develop their creative voice.
The coursework covers design aesthetics, script interpretation, dramaturgy, music composition, critical listening, professional collaboration, sound and music technology, acoustics, aural imaging in large spaces, podcasting, video-game design, electronic music composition, post-production audio and mixing, studio management, digital audio production, advanced sound-delivery systems, advanced problem solving, production organization, and professional development, all in concert with a wide variety of practical assignments. Each year builds on the knowledge and practical skills from the previous year, and at the end of the final semester students have a complete and diverse portfolio of work.
Required Sequence
Year One
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 3(02)a/b | Toward Anti-Racist Theatre Practice in Design |
| DRAM 4b | Critical Response Process® |
| DRAM 122b | History of Set Design and Stagecraft |
| DRAM 124a | Introduction to Lighting Design |
| DRAM 138a/b | Production Sound Engineering |
| DRAM 158a/b | Introduction to Sound Design |
| DRAM 168a/b | Recording Arts |
| DRAM 188a/b | Music Lab I |
| DRAM 228a | Drafting for Sound Design |
| DRAM 418a/b | Sound Seminar |
| DRAM 438b | Advanced Audio Software and DAWs |
| DRAM 478b | Post-Production Sound Design for Film and TV* |
| DRAM 836a | Deciphering Modernity |
| Sound Design and assisting assignment(s) | |
*Classes of 2026 and 2027 required to take DRAM 478b in year three
Year Two
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 204b | Collaboration Laboratory |
| DRAM 224b | Introduction to Projection Design |
| DRAM 232a | Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography (2YCC) |
| DRAM 238a | Advanced Engineering for Sound Design |
| DRAM 248a | Designer and Director Dialogue |
| DRAM 288a/b | Music Lab II |
| DRAM 338b | Professional Audio Engineer Development Skills for the NY Sound Practitioner |
| DRAM 344a | Advanced Professional Projection Design |
| DRAM 348a/b | Sound Design for Podcast* |
| DRAM 418a/b | Sound Seminar |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second and third years of study | |
| Design assignments for School and/or Yale Rep productions | |
*Class of 2026 required to take DRAM 348a/b in year three; Class of 2027 required to take DRAM 348b in year two and DRAM 348a in year three
Year Three
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 141b | Law and the Arts |
| DRAM 308a/b | Applied Creative Techniques in Sound Design |
| DRAM 358a/b | Professional Development |
| DRAM 398a | Storytelling in Sound Design |
| DRAM 418a/b | Sound Seminar |
| DRAM 458a/b | Sound Design for Video Games |
| DRAM 488a | Beatmaking and Electronic Music Composition |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second and third years of study | |
| Design assignments for School and/or Yale Rep productions | |
| Thesis project with approval and under consultation of the head of sound design | |
Additional Requirements for the Degree
Anti-Racist Theater Practice Requirement
Design students are required to enroll in DRAM 3(02)a/b, Toward Anti-Racist Theater Practice in Design, in order to fulfill the School’s anti-racist theater practice requirement. This course offers vital strategies for the lifelong development of individual and communal anti-racist practice.
Theater History Requirement
First-year costume design students are required to enroll in DRAM 125a/b, The History of Costume, and first-year lighting, projection, set, and sound-design students are required to enroll in DRAM 836a, Deciphering Modernity, and DRAM 122b, The History of Set Design and Stagecraft, in order to fulfil the School’s theater history requirement. These courses are considered a crucial foundation for the program’s students.
Participation in Commencement
Design students are eligible to participate in Commencement ceremonies with the completion of all course requirements in their program and written permission from their respective head of design concentration. Degrees will only be conferred after the submission of a completed design thesis approved by the Design faculty.
Courses of Instruction
DRAM 2a, Everyday Justice: Anti-Racism as Daily Practice Led by faculty member Carmen Morgan and facilitators from artEquity, this course serves as an introduction to key frameworks and strategies for the development of an anti-racist practice. Aligning anti-racist values with one’s thoughts and actions can only occur with everyday practice. A cure for racism is doing the work of everyday justice. How might we engage in this work? This course provides frameworks and a baseline analysis for antiracism strategies and action. As a member of an ever-changing community, what is your role? What is your responsibility for social change? Where do you have agency?
DRAM 3(02)a/b, Toward Anti-Racist Theater Practice in Design This course meets five times per term with students, using readings, viewings, and discussions in pursuit of these goals: to identify the roots and branches of racism and white supremacy in the structures and practices of theater making in the United States, including at David Geffen School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theatre; to interrogate where the practices do harm and hinder; and to invest in the future by inviting students and faculty to imagine and uplift systems and cultures that do not depend upon or promote supremacy, to build a more just and equitable field. Required for first-year students and open to middle- and final-year students. Zahida Sherman
DRAM 4b, Critical Response Process® Developing methods for giving and receiving feedback on works in progress is central to the curriculum of the School. Therefore, all first-year students and technical interns in their first year are enrolled in this course. Devised by choreographer Liz Lerman in 1990, the Critical Response Process® (CRP) is a structured process for getting feedback on works in progress as well as a source of tools for general communication and collaboration. Applicable for all art forms, CRP is in broad use throughout North America and Europe. In a course facilitated by faculty members Liz Lerman and Paloma McGregor that combines conversation, demonstration, and participation, students and technical interns reflect on their experiences as givers and receivers of feedback and consider the role of critique in various aspects of their work. The course provides an opportunity to practice CRP’s four steps and the ways it puts such values as meaning, agency, inquiry, and consent into action while also considering the implications of those values for our work on stage, in rehearsal halls, and in making for more just institutions. The course is scheduled by the School over two days at the beginning of the spring term.
DRAM 6a/b, Survey of Theater and Drama See description under Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism.
DRAM 50a, The Collaborative Process See description under Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism.
DRAM 66a/THST 414a, Lyric Writing for Musical Theater See description under Playwriting.
DRAM 89a, Costume Construction See description under Technical Design and Production.
DRAM 104b, Computer-Assisted Design Techniques for Lighting Design This course covers techniques, workflows, and best practices for using computer-assisted design (Vectorworks) to bring a lighting design from concept to professional drawing package. Students develop skills including drawing techniques; drawing structure and layout; utilizing working drawings; managing data and working with Lightwright; developing templates and libraries; and creating clear, well-styled drawings. Students receive individual guidance on approaching design project challenges and critiques of their drafting presentation. Open to non-Design students with prior permission of the instructor. Joshua Benghiat
DRAM 105a/b, Introduction to Costume Design This course addresses the process and documentation of designing costumes. Designers are encouraged to develop their eye by careful study of primary source research, while developing the student’s knowledge of paperwork and budgeting used by professional costume designers in the creation of industry-standard production costume bibles. Coursework requires that students produce design sketches weekly. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Toni-Leslie James
DRAM 112a/b, Introduction to Set Design A two-term introduction for all first-year designers and interested non-design students to the process of scenic design through critique and discussions of weekly projects ranging from classic texts, operas, and musicals alongside modern and contemporary works. There are projects every two weeks. The goal is to create an in-depth examination of the assigned works leading to a three-dimensional model (1/8-in. or 1/4-in. scale) at the end of the second week. Emphasis is given to the examination of the text and the action of the play, the formulation of design ideas, the visual expression of the ideas, and especially the collaboration with directors and all other designers. There are invited speakers and playwrights discussing some of the works in class, expanding on the history and context in which the texts were written in order to have a more comprehensive and dramaturgical understanding of the play. Riccardo Hernández, Michael Yeargan
DRAM 115a/b, First-Year Costume Design Project Review This course addresses the process and documentation of designing costumes. Designers are encouraged to develop their eye by careful study of primary source research, while developing the student’s knowledge of paperwork and budgeting used by professional costume designers in the creation of industry-standard production costume bibles. Course work requires that students produce many design sketches weekly. Toni-Leslie James
DRAM 122b, The History of Set Design and Stagecraft A survey of the history of the visual aspects of storytelling through the ages, from the Greeks to the present day. Though the course focuses primarily on the history of western culture, comparisons with theater techniques of other international cultures are also explored. A key element of the course is the relationship of the actors, storytellers, and performers to the observers of the events we call “theatre” and the evolution of the architectural structures that focuses this exchange of ideas, that have become known as “theatres.” Michael Yeargan
DRAM 124a/b, Introduction to Lighting Design This course is an introduction for all non-lighting design students to the aesthetics and the process of lighting design through weekly critique and discussion of theoretical and practical assignments. Emphasis is given to the examination of the action of the play in relation to lighting, the formulation of design ideas, the place of lighting in the overall production, and collaboration with directors, set, costume, and sound designers. This year-long course is open non-Design and non-Drama students with permission from the instructor. DRAM 124a is a prerequisite for DRAM 124b. Students who wish to take only one semester should enroll in the fall. Brandon Stirling Baker
DRAM 125a/b, The History of Costume A detailed survey of the history of apparel worn throughout Western civilization to provide the student with a working vocabulary of period clothing and the ability to identify specific garments throughout history. Fall term: Ancient Greece–1600. Spring term: 1600–1900. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Toni-Leslie James
DRAM 132a/b, Advanced Set Design This course continues the work started in DRAM 112a/b. The course seeks to cultivate and reinforce advanced, professional-level processes and practices in scenography. It concentrates on an in-depth analysis of twentieth- and twenty-first-century plays and operas, with emphasis on transitions as a fundamental rhythmic element of contemporary design. This course is an extension of DRAM 232, focusing on design realization involving story boards, model making (1/4-in. and 1/2-in. scales), and detailed plans. Prerequisite: DRAM 112a/b. Riccardo Hernández, Michael Yeargan
DRAM 134a/b, Advanced Lighting Design This course is designed to help the student develop a sense of, and a facility with, light as an element of a production. By the culmination of the course students should be comfortable calculating and predicting the behavior of light in three-dimensional space, the interaction of color in light with color in pigment and have an understanding of the contributions light can make to the meaning and style of a production. Projects are prepared consistent with best professional practices. Open to non-Design students who have taken DRAM 124a/b with permission of the instructor. Four hours a week. Donald Holder, Alan C. Edwards
DRAM 135a/b, Advanced Costume Design In parallel with DRAM 232, and building on the foundation established in previous classes, costume design students work on a conceptual design conceived through discussions and practices that give equal weight to all collaboration members. This course focuses on in-depth dramaturgical study, character analysis, and the psychology of clothing, exploring how character and story are revealed through clothing choices, starting at the beginning of the process with the text/music and culminating in a complete, conceptual design. Oana Botez
DRAM 138a/b, Production Sound Engineering This intensive engineering course covers the process of planning and installing professional sound delivery systems, focusing on the fundamentals of professional practice with the goal of preparing students for their production assignments. The course consists of lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on lab work. Software requirements are updated annually by the instructor and include programs for budgeting, drafting, and tuning large sound systems. Four hours a week. Mike Backhaus
DRAM 141b, Law and the Arts See description under Theater Management.
DRAM 142a/b, Advanced Professional Set Design The course seeks to cultivate and reinforce advanced, professional-level processes and practices in the work of third-year set designers. In designing plays, operas, and other dramatic works of their choosing, students are encouraged to evolve their own points of view and aesthetics. Work must be complete and comprehensive. Riccardo Hernández, Michael Yeargan
DRAM 145a/b, Advanced Professional Costume Design The course seeks to cultivate and reinforce advanced, professional-level processes and practices in the work of third-year costume designers. Students are encouraged to evolve their own points of view and aesthetics as designers. Ilona Somogyi
DRAM 152a/b, Scenic Painting A studio class in painting techniques. Problems in textures, materials, and styles, preparing students to execute their own and other designs. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Two hours a week. Mikah Berky
DRAM 155a/b, Evolution of Cut and Cloth This class is taught collaboratively with Costume Design faculty and senior drapers of the Costume Shop staff. This is a hands-on class examining the development of cloth with respect to fiber and technology paralleling the development of clothing creation throughout the world. Ilona Somogyi, Clarissa Wylie-Youngberg
DRAM 158a/b, Introduction to Sound Design In this course, students develop an understanding about how sound and music can be used effectively as a tool to enhance meaning in a play. Students analyze scripts, develop critical listening skills, and learn the fundamentals of sound delivery systems as well as terms used to describe the perception and presentation of sound and music in a theatrical setting. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Limited enrollment. Two hours a week. Jill BC Du Boff
DRAM 162a/b, Life Drawing Studio A course in figure drawing for design students. Drawing is not merely a technique for presentation; it is the language that reveals one’s thoughts and thus creates a dialogue among the director, the designers, and their colleagues. Through drawing, one observes and records one’s world. Drawing informs and clarifies one’s vision and is an integral part of the formulation of a design. Drawing should be as natural to the visual designer as speaking; therefore, the program offers a weekly life drawing class so that design students can keep their skills honed. Two hours a week. Jon DeMartin
DRAM 164a/b, Professional Lighting Design This course aims to prepare students for the demanding artistic and practical situations faced in the professional theater environment. Projects will involve large-scale, complex challenges such as multi-set plays, musical comedies, operas, ballets, and repertory situations. Students are encouraged to evolve their own points of view and aesthetics in finding their solutions. Projects are prepared consistent with best professional practices. Open to non-Design students who have taken DRAM 134a/b with permission of the instructor. Two hours a week. Donald Holder, Alan C. Edwards
DRAM 168a/b, Recording Arts In this course students learn basic recording practice for remote and studio sessions. Topics include analog and digital recording systems, spatial audio, elements of psychoacoustics, microphone theory and application, field recording, music recording, foley recording, monitoring, mixing practice, mastering, and setting expectations for professional practice in a studio environment. There are five recording projects. Required of all sound designers. Open to non-Drama graduate and professional-school students with prior permission of the instructor. Not open to undergraduates. Enrollment limited to six. Two hours a week. Matthias Winter
DRAM 172b, Content Creation I: 2D and Camera A comprehensive overview of modern compositing and creation techniques for creating 2D and some 3D content. The creation of digital content and digital art has many far-reaching applications across disciplines and across styles of work and thought. This course is focused on the fast-paced professional workflow of content creation for entertainment professionals, but the methods are universal in their scope and application. The course starts with fundamental industry standards such as Photoshop and AfterEffects and explores emerging generative and AI-driven workflows. Camera basics for stills and video capture are taught as a foundation to later 3D and advanced applications. Best professional practices are taught and adhered to throughout. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Joey Moro
DRAM 174a/b, Advanced Professional Lighting Design This course seeks to cultivate and reinforce advanced, professional-level processes and practices in the work of third-year lighting designers. In designing plays, operas, and other dramatic works, students are encouraged to evolve their own points of view and aesthetics. In the fall semester the class meets concurrently with DRAM 164a/b, Professional Stage Lighting Design. Projects align with the projects in that class. (See syllabus for DRAM 164a/b). In the spring term projects will be based on theoretical or realized productions chosen by the student with advice from faculty. The second project will constitute the lighting designer’s’ thesis. This project should be large in scale and should be completed according to the highest professional standards. Donald Holder, Alan C. Edwards
DRAM 184b, Concert Lighting Design and Pre-Visualization An overview of principles and processes for concert lighting design and an exploration of best practices for approaching designs that are specific to the nuances, challenges, and tools encountered in the world of concert design and touring. Concentration is placed on 3D pre-visualization and rendering as the foundation for completing fully realized work. Students design and program the lighting for at least two full musical selections using a theatrical or concert lighting control system configured to drive one of several industry-standard visualizers. The course also includes instruction in the use of pre-visualization software, recommended drafting techniques for use in pre-visualization and 3D rendering, and an introduction to visualization inside the Unreal Engine platform. Donald Holder and guests
DRAM 185a/b, Digital Costume Illustration This course provides instruction in introductory and intermediary digital illustration techniques, focused on costume design application. Emphasis is placed on creating cohesive digital artwork through direct painting and drawing in Photoshop, as well as using existing photo resources to assist in the design and illustration process. Students begin with the basics of creating and manipulating line work, layer management and blending, and color application. Intermediary skills include understanding Smart Objects and their use, shading techniques, creating and manipulating patterns and layer fills, use of special tools and brushes, blending modes, nondestructive editing procedures, and the manipulation of existing photos into the cohesive whole. Prerequisites: a drawing tablet and access to and basic familiarity with Photoshop. Emily Tappan
DRAM 188a/b, Music Lab I This is a music lesson that will take the form of a laboratory for exploring music; for exploring how musical ideas, techniques, theory, traditions, and improvisation can be of use to designers for all sorts of problem solving. Sessions will be group-oriented and will involve a combination of improvisation, instruction in musical technique, and the sharing of our ideas and curiosities as the year progresses. This student-driven course is aimed at addressing the musical concerns and needs of the individual by strengthening performance skills and expanding our musical vocabulary. Musicians of any level of “experience” are welcome: this is not a class about “becoming” an accomplished musician, but about broadening our abilities to think musically. James Monaco
DRAM 189a, Costume Production See description under Technical Design and Production.
DRAM 202a/b, Advanced Set Design for Non-Majors Focusing on idea building, discovery, and point of view, this course concentrates on design development, allowing students to explore theatrical space for several productions. The class work builds upon students’ first-year experiences by giving a longer design and exploration period to dive deeper into both the text and the design process, while also exploring fundamentals of craft using the various means and materials available to communicate effectively in the collaborative process. Maruti Evans, Mikiko MacAdams
DRAM 204b, Collaboration Laboratory This course is an opportunity for students in the various design disciplines to exercise their imaginations and build collaborative skills using the resources of the Iseman theatre, including the light plots, sound plots, projection plots, and spatial configurations of the Shakespeare Repertory Projects which remain in place for a period of time after each of those productions closes. The class is divided into groups consisting of one designer from each discipline. Students from the Stage Management Program also participate in these collaborations. Groups are announced prior to the first class. Projects are based on iconic moments from plays and operas familiar to the students. Finished, polished presentations are not the goal; the focus is on process, not product. Design faculty
DRAM 212a/b, Independent Study There may be special circumstances in which a student is allowed to pursue a particular area of inquiry independently, and on the student’s own time. Faculty supervision and approval is required in formulating the goals and the methods to be employed and a timetable. Faculty
DRAM 222a/b, Drafting for Set Designers The fall-term course focuses on hand drafting for the stage. Students learn how to create a complete set of drawings suitable for budgeting and/or soliciting bids from shops in the professional theater. The spring-term course covers techniques, workflows, and best practices for using AutoCAD and Vectorworks to bring a set design from concept to professional drafting package. Students develop skills and techniques needed to create clear, well-styled drawings that communicate effectively. The class offers individual guidance on approaching design project challenges and critiques of drafting presentations. Open to non-Design students with prior permission of the instructor. Maruti Evans, Mikiko MacAdams
DRAM 224b, Introduction to Projection Design Beginning in the spring semester, this class helps students develop an understanding of how projection can be integrated into the theatrical space and the consideration of media as a storytelling tool. Emphasis is on exploration, non-narrative storytelling collaboration, and thinking in pictures. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Wendall K. Harrington, Shawn Boyle
DRAM 228a, Drafting for Sound Design The goal of the class is to familiarize students with contemporary professional drafting tools and processes. We focus on the end product as well as the pathways to get there. This course covers AutoCAD, Vectorworks, acoustical modeling software, and the drafting processes of collaborating departments. In supporting the drafting work required in professional work assignments, students acquire skills that are universal. While exploring each program and its subtleties, students develop a sense of their own drafting style and software preferences. Two hours per week. Michael Backhaus
DRAM 232a/b, Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography (2YCC) Second Year Collaboration Class. This course seeks to cultivate and reinforce the creative relationship and professional-level processes between directors and designers. The class concentrates on in-depth analysis of twentieth- and twenty-first-century plays and operas, with emphasis on unearthing visual landscapes and mise en scène from the given texts and scores. Design faculty and guests
DRAM 234a, Visual Storytelling This is a lecture, film, and discussion course that explores the various ways in which idea and emotion have been expressed for the eye and mind. Lecturers and filmed documentaries cover topics in art history from cave painting to the graphic novel, color theory, cinema history, graphic design, typography, photography, and an exploration of the visual in avant-garde theater. Vision is our language; we see before we speak. The goal of this course is to create expressive polyglots. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. No shoppers. The first class of each term must be attended. Course is graded Pass/Fail. Wendall K. Harrington and guests
DRAM 238a, Advanced Engineering for Sound Design This course is designed to provide a practical examination of large-scale sound delivery systems using examples from professional production practice as well as current production assignments. The objective is to explore all aspects of sound reinforcement and conceptual design theory, practice, and contemporary tools including networks, large-format consoles, and loudspeaker arrays, and the use of assessment tools such as SMAART. Students have the opportunity to shape the course content through the critique of their current design projects. Enrollment limited to second-year sound designers. Two hours a week. Michael Backhaus
DRAM 239a, Projection Engineering See description under Technical Design and Production.
DRAM 242a/b, Drafting Review Session This class provides an open studio environment for students to receive support for both production and in-class work on model making, drafting, and general design techniques and processes. Maruti Evans, Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams
DRAM 244a, 3D and So Can You! The world is a three-dimensional plane. We live and work and operate in it every day. Yet often we communicate with synthetic 2D simplifications of space that are not universally understood. What really is a ground plan? 3D capture and composition operates in the real world, in real time. Students use emerging techniques to 3D scan, manipulate, and generate objects both familiar and entirely new. No prior 3D modeling/drafting/animation skills required. Students create worlds and environments from their everyday surroundings and in conjunction with scenic design models. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Joey Moro
DRAM 248a, Designer and Director Dialogue In this course, designers and directors are given opportunities to practice collaboration and develop a richer understanding of their mutual practices. This semester-long workshop is open to all designers, directors, and playwrights. Jill BC Du Boff, Kimberly Senior
DRAM 254a, Advanced Projection Integrations This course focuses on projection and media outside of the traditional theatrical performance space. This may include video design for live music, VJing, node based video synthesis, generative AI creation, and more. We also touch on the video engineering and system design required for each type of projection integration. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Joey Moro
DRAM 262a, Architectural Drawing for Set Design This course is focused on hand sketches which represent designers’ concept and ideas. Through the class lecture and demo students practice on pen drawing, sepia painting, watercolor, and acrylic. Hand-rendering used to be a common form of presentation to designers before digital media and 3D models became involved in the design process. It has a long history for designers to use hand-rendering as their tool for their important communication and expression. Working on hand-rendering provides a unique opportunity to understand visual language and the link between our time and past. Riccardo Hernández, John Lee Beatty
DRAM 272b, Content Creation II: 3D and Previz This course builds on the skills introduced in DRAM 172b Content Creation I: 2D and Camera and advances them to include rapid content creation and cross-platform 3D compositions. We bring 3D assets and workflows into the traditional animation and composition space as a time saving asset. Design is always a team sport, and “previz” is the way to communicate those visual ideas. We start with simple but effective 2D representations and advance to fully physically accurate 3D renders for clients and directors. 3D previsualization that takes into account the physical properties of the world allows for unparalleled realism is the final product. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Joey Moro
DRAM 274a, Projection Shots and Focus Through drawings, a designer can communicate the needs, limitations, and possibilities of their system with the team long before they have entered the theater for technical rehearsals. Using existing scenic designs and projection scenarios, designers in this course focus on creating the drawings and support documents that communicate the system parameters to vendors, managers, and colleagues. Emphasis is put on the drawings and documents necessary to send the show out to bid with a commercial shop. Shawn Boyle
DRAM 288a/b, Music Lab II This course engages students in the creative and technical practices of composing and producing music for dramatic storytelling. Emphasizing the role of music in shaping character, structure, and emotional arc, students explore its function across multiple performance contexts including theater, film, and audio narrative. Through a combination of analysis, hands-on assignments, and collaborative exercises, students develop original musical material and refine production workflows suited to live and recorded formats. Particular attention is given to dramaturgical thinking, integration of music into rehearsal and performance processes, and communication within the collaborative environment of design. The course centers on inspiration, creation, and delivery, guiding students toward the development of professional-grade work using industry-standard tools and techniques. There are music lab sessions every three weeks. Justin Ellington, James Monaco
DRAM 289b, Draping See description under Technical Design and Production.
DRAM 308a/b, Applied Creative Techniques in Sound Design This independent study course is both a progression from the first two years of Music Lab courses and a workshop in support of a creative career. Classes are a combination of full group sessions and scheduled one-on-one meetings between the student and the instructor. The focus is on supporting students in their independent study work topics (which each student individually proposes and which are agreed upon with the instructor) and on supporting them in their design positions for the year. Goals include students developing their abilities to create art on a fixed timeline, to set their own schedules, to work meaningfully with collaborators, to chart their own courses for personal and artistic growth, to identify needed resources and find ways to resource themselves, and to use all they’ve learned about music and narrative over the last two years to make engaging designs and compositions. James Monaco
DRAM 314b, Dance and Design in Performance This course serves as an introduction to dance and theatre performance traditions from around the world, along with a practical exercise in creating costumes, sound, and lighting for non-textual devised theatrical works that focus on movement. The class into structured into two to three teams. Each team designs a performance over the semester under the guidance of a choreographer and two to three dancers or actors. The culmination of this process creates a dynamic and innovative environment where the body interacts with costume, lighting, and sound. The sonic and lighting landscape engages the human body, while the costumes enhance storytelling and function as an architectural organism moving through space. Oana Botez, Don Holder, Justin Ellington, and guests
DRAM 322a, Foundations in Drafting and Model Making This course offers the opportunity to explore various approaches to designer communication including: drawing, drafting, and physical modeling to expand methods, accuracy, and expediency of idea sharing. Required for all first-year projection designers and open to others with instructor approval. Alexander Woodward
DRAM 332a, Embodied Design This course brings students out of the studio and into the rehearsal room, inviting designers to investigate their craft in terms of physical bodies in time and space. Drawing inspiration from director-theorists such as Anne Bogart, Peter Brook, and Dmitri Krimov, students explore design as a form of physical dramaturgy—one that responds to and activates presence, proximity, and gesture. Through assigned readings, physical exercises, and creation of short theatrical pieces, students investigate the core ingredient of their craft: mutual embodied presence. Rather than designing around performance, they learn to design through it—developing an intuitive and kinetic understanding of space, storytelling, and aliveness. Sammy Zeisel
DRAM 334a/b, Projection in Practice This course is built in a series of modules preparing students for the collaborative task of creating projection for the stage. For grading purposes, any two modules constitute a full-term course. Opera Scenes anchor every fall; other modules rotate yearly. Fall Module 1: Projection design in collaboration with Yale Opera to create for the Fall Opera Scenes in Sprague Hall. Fall Module 2: Exploration of imagery for new plays. Spring Module 1: A look at the technical requirements for use of projection in the collaborative space, testing surfaces, equipment and problem solving while exploring 2YCC projects. Modules may rotate in any given year. Consult the syllabus for more detail. Wendall K. Harrington, Shawn Boyle
DRAM 335a, Traditional Clothes and Ritual: A Cultural Language of the Body in Movement This course encourages students to adopt a global perspective on traditional clothing, costumes, and performative rituals. It explores how clothing acts not only as an extension of personal identity but also as an important expression of cultural heritage, societal values, and communal narratives. The course highlights how clothing embodies and reflects the diverse tapestry of societies, cultures, and communities. Each week, students participate in engaging discussions with the professor and occasional guest scholars from the featured cultures, fostering a deeper understanding of an inclusive world around them. Oana Botez
DRAM 338b, Professional Audio Engineer Development Skills for the NY Sound Practitioner Working in sound in New York is like working nowhere else. In this course, we discuss the skills needed to navigate life in the city, both from the industry’s standpoint and from a more human angle. We discuss assistant design paperwork, Broadway-style mixing, unions as well as finances, subsistence jobs, and finding an apartment. This class is mostly in the form of discussion with limited homework or suggested readings. Elizabeth Sesha Coleman
DRAM 339b, Media Servers See description under Technical Design and Production.
DRAM 344a, Advanced Professional Projection Design An exploration of historical and contemporary connections between Western theatrical dance and visual design (including photography, film, and costume/scenic design) as a means to inform and augment participants’ design practice. Considering selected theatrical dance works from the eighteenth to the late twentieth centuries, we examine how movement and design in performance function not only as sites of aesthetic, cultural, and political expression but also as focal points for issues of visibility and change. Our work encompasses critical readings of primary and secondary sources; class discussion; viewing of images, film, and, as applicable, live performance or exhibition, culminating in the creation and workshop performance of collaborative movement/design projects. Marjorie Folkman, Wendall K. Harrington, Shawn Boyle
DRAM 348a/b, Sound Design for Podcasts Good sound design is crucial in today’s digital media landscape, especially in the world of podcast production, where audio reigns supreme. In this class students learn to apply the tools they already know to pitching, writing, recording, editing, and mixing their own documentary narrative, as well as fiction podcasts. The podcast industry standard DAW is Pro Tools, which is taught in the class along with the plug-ins and software management structure for a sharable working file and successful final product. Through guest speakers and hands-on experience, the class also dives into how to navigate a career in the radio and podcast industries. Zachary Goldberg, Jill BC Du Boff
DRAM 358a/b, Professional Development This class is limited to sound design students and is focused on the development and execution of the final year thesis project. The class will also serve as a professional mentorship seminar for developing students’ careers through their portfolio and other online materials as well as networking techniques to be most effective as an independent working professional. Two hours each week. Limited enrollment. Jill BC Du Boff
DRAM 364b, Animation Studio A hands-on workshop aimed at creating expressive animations. From a simple movement to an expressive action, how do we create the appearance of intention, emotion, and materiality in moving images? The class is focused on experimentation: after reviewing the fundamentals of a particular style of animation, such as hand-drawn animation, stop-motion, cutouts, pixilation, or digital animation, students apply the concepts to exercises resulting in short films. The course emphasizes fundamental animation tools—timing interpolation, arcs, eases and squeezes, storyboarding, animatic—as well as animation software and basic camera techniques. Students learn how to use appropriate techniques to portray personality, create fluid body motions and organic movements, staging gesture, thought, material, weight, and lip-synch. The sessions consist of demonstrations, viewing of related works, hands-on experimentation, and critique. Computer editing and the use of digital cameras, scanners, and Wacom tablets are critical skills that provide the foundation for this class. Manuel Barenboim
[DRAM 365b, Film and Television Costume Design and Management This course is a study of the professional processes of costuming for film and television production. The emphasis of the course is on the key components of organizational techniques currently in use by costume professionals and learning the language of the different paperwork distributed during the film process, in addition to two design projects incorporating Synconset. Production procedures are scrutinized for each stage of production from preproduction to wrap. Not offered in 2025–2026]
DRAM 384a/b, Projection Production Process This course explores the projection designer’s process on projects including drama, opera, dance, musical theater, and themed entertainment. Students encounter, discuss, investigate, and prepare for the design challenges found in each unique production environment. The course functions as a guided brain trust for experimentation in design planning, presentation, and execution. Students are challenged to explore and refine the process by which they generate, develop, and communicate their design ideas, as they would in the process of developing a production. Permission of the instructor required. Shawn Boyle
[DRAM 394b, Advanced Topics in Projection Design This course is a series of scheduled workshops in technology and design craft with invited specialists. It offers a range of opportunities, from insight into an artist’s way of working and exposure to new control systems, to exploring one’s own artistic interest and deeper explorations of known control software. Past technical workshops include: Touch Designer, Isadora, Mapping Matter, and Disguise. Previous guest artists include Miwa Matreyek, Cynthia Hopkins and Jeff Sugg, Dan Braun, Larry Reed, Lenore Malen, Josh Weisberg, and Kym Moore. Not offered in 2025–2026]
DRAM 398a Storytelling in Sound Design This graduate-level course explores the role of sound and music in shaping narrative across media, including film, television, theater, interactive environments, and games. Through advanced work in field recording, Foley, synthesis, mixing, and spatial audio, students learn to build immersive sonic worlds that enhance and drive story. The course also considers sound design as a cultural and historical practice, emphasizing research methodologies and ethical engagement with sonic traditions beyond one’s own. Students critically examine how sound and music support, interrupt, or transform narrative, developing strategies to make intentional, culturally responsive design choices that deepen the impact of storytelling. Justin Ellington
DRAM 402a/b, Set Seminar A weekly meeting of student set designers in all years of the program to discuss specific issues arising out of current School and Yale Rep productions so that all can learn from the challenges encountered and solutions discovered in actual production. The focus is on a horizontal, student-to-student exchange of knowledge, as opposed to the vertical, faculty-to-student teaching that happens in many classes. This forum is also open for discussion of any other topics that might influence the thinking of designers in the contemporary world, such as the work of influential designers, artists, and films. Michael Yeargan, Riccardo Hernández
DRAM 404a/b, Lighting Seminar A weekly meeting of student lighting designers in all years of the program to discuss specific issues arising out of current School and Yale Rep productions so that all can learn from the challenges encountered and solutions discovered in actual production. The focus is on a horizontal, student-to-student exchange of knowledge, as opposed to the vertical, faculty-to-student teaching that happens in many classes. This forum is also open for discussion of any other topics that might influence the thinking of designers in the contemporary world, such as the work of influential designers, artists, and films. Donald Holder, Stephen Strawbridge, Alan Edwards
DRAM 414a/b, Projection Seminar Each production has unique challenges, and this course is an opportunity for all projection design students to learn vicariously through the productions designed by their colleagues. The seminar provides a time and space for the community of projection designers to examine their process throughout the production period, getting weekly feedback in areas where they have asked for help or guidance in areas where their mentors see they need support, and brainstorming with the group. Using the analogy of Yale Repertory Theatre as a teaching hospital, this seminar is the skills lab. This is also a time to discuss what’s happening in theater, film, motion graphics, music, dance, opera, visual art, and sculpture as it relates to, or inspires, our field. Facilitated by Shawn Boyle
DRAM 418a/b, Sound Seminar These regular meetings are required of all sound designers. Sound Seminar is a lab for sound designers to unpack their process for current projects they are developing for their production assignments at the School as well as an opportunity to further cultivate their skills with in-class creative assignments. As for the School production assignments, each sound designer and assistant sound designer formally presents their current production as they are working on it; tools like PowerPoint and Google Slides can be used. From design, dramaturgy, budgeting, and a post-mortem analysis of the production, the class dissects and discovers the nuances of each show at the School. All sound design students must read each play. In addition, sound design students have an opportunity to develop their sound skills on the fly with in-class creative assignments meant to develop their impromptu skillset. We also include guest artists (designers, composers, directors, engineers, consultants, and other theater professionals) to further understand the sound design industry at large. Class meets two hours a week. Jill BC Du Boff, Justin Ellington, Michael Backhaus
DRAM 434a/b, Second-Year Professional Development Preparation of students for Rep interviews in the spring of their second year, covering portfolio and resume review as well as professional presentation. Scheduled by arrangement with the faculty. Wendall K. Harrington, Shawn Boyle
DRAM 438b, Advanced Audio Software and DAWs This course is about software-based signal processing and mixing of analog recordings. The curriculum covers foundational techniques in balancing, EQ, compression, and various effects, as well as unique sound-shaping tools, providing hands-on experience with industry-standard software. Students engage in practical projects, learning to shape and refine sound for various media. Matthias Winter
DRAM 444a/b, Professional Development Limited to graduating design students and focused on thesis development as well as the review of student portfolios and internet-based materials for professional promotion. Professional materials review and thesis support are individual, one hour a week by appointment. Wendall K. Harrington and Shawn Boyle
DRAM 458a/b, Introduction to Video-Game Sound Design Provides students with the foundational knowledge to successfully engage in a professional game audio environment. This course is designed to give theatrical sound design students a background and full introduction to video games. Students can then begin to adapt their existing sound design skills to a game development environment. Next, the course takes a deep dive into technical sound design—an aspect of sound that is unique to gaming—to ensure students leave the class with a fully rounded understanding of game audio. Students are required to have preexisting knowledge and experience in sound design, DAWs, and hands-on experience in using sound design to enhance a narrative. We cover game audio re-designs, game engines, audio middleware, industry trends and practices, and how to prepare yourself for the industry. William N. Lowe
DRAM 468a/b, Programming in Sound Design The student who desires to pursue a specialized course of study in the area of Sound Design may elect an independent study. A proposal might focus on a guided research project, artistic exploration, or advanced audio technology. Proposals must be submitted in writing, and program approval must be obtained prior to enrollment for credit. Subsequent to enrollment, the student must meet with the project adviser to plan an appropriate course of action and discuss assessment. Credit is awarded based on the project adviser’s recommendation in consultation with any other assigned advisers/tutors. Regular meetings are scheduled to track progress. Konrad Kaczmarek
DRAM 478b, Post-Production Sound Design for Film and Television This is a one semester course that covers mixing, sound design, and composition for both genres, as well as ADR and on-set recording. A basic knowledge of Pro Tools is required for this class. Limited enrollment. William Lacey
DRAM 488a, Beat Making and Electronic Music Composition In this course, students learn how to create, arrange, and mix beats in various electronic music genres. The course covers popular production software and hardware tools with hands-on projects, to develop skills in crafting sounds, sampling, sequencing, and remixing. Matthias Winter
DRAM 489a/b, Costume Seminar See description under Technical Design and Production.
DRAM 836a, Deciphering Modernity See description under Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism.