Riccardo Hernández, Cochair
Toni-Leslie James, Cochair
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.
Class of 2026
Required Sequence
Year one (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 3(02)a/b | Toward Anti-Racist Theatre Practice in Design |
| DRAM 89b | Costume Construction |
| DRAM 112a/b | Introduction to Set Design |
| DRAM 115a/b | Introduction to Costume Design |
| DRAM 125a/b | The History of Costume |
| DRAM 162a/b | Life Drawing Studio |
| DRAM 189a | Costume Production |
| DRAM 489a/b | Costume Seminar |
| Costume Design assistant assignment(s) | |
Year two (2024–2025)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 124a/b | Introduction to Lighting Design |
| DRAM 135a/b | Advanced Costume Design |
| DRAM 165b | Costume Life Drawing |
| 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 (2025–2026)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 145a/b | Advanced Professional Costume Design |
| DRAM 155a/b | Evolution of Cut and Cloth |
| DRAM 165b | Costume Life Drawing |
| 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 | |
Class of 2025
Required Sequence
Year two (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 124a/b | Introduction to Lighting Design |
| DRAM 135a/b | Advanced Costume Design |
| DRAM 165b | Costume Life Drawing |
| 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, third and fourth years of study | |
| Design assignments for School productions | |
Year three (2024–2025)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 145a/b | Advanced Professional Costume Design |
| DRAM 155a/b | Evolution of Cut and Cloth |
| DRAM 165b | Costume Life Drawing |
| DRAM 185a/b | Digital Costume Illustration |
| DRAM 489a/b | Costume Seminar |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second, third, and fourth years of study | |
| Design assignments for School and/or Yale Rep productions | |
| Thesis Project: a comprehensive design for a theoretical production | |
Class of 2024
Required Sequence
Year four (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 225a/b | Costume Thesis Class |
| DRAM 489a/b | Costume Seminar |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second, third, and fourth years of study | |
| Design assignments for School and Yale Rep 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.
Class of 2026
Required Sequence
Year one (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 3(02)a/b | Toward Anti-Racist Theatre Practice in Design |
| DRAM 104b | Computer-Assisted Design Techniques for Lighting Design |
| DRAM 112a/b | Introduction to Set Design |
| DRAM 115a/b | Introduction to Costume Design |
| DRAM 122a/b | The History of Set Design |
| DRAM 134a/b | Advanced Lighting Design |
| DRAM 162a/b | Life Drawing Studio |
| DRAM 222a | Drafting for Designers |
| DRAM 224a/b | Intro to Projection Design |
| DRAM 404a/b | Lighting Seminar |
| Lighting design assisting assignment(s) and Design assignment(s) for School productions. | |
Year two (2024–2025)
| 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 II |
| DRAM 204b | Collaboration Laboratory |
| DRAM 232a/b | Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography (2YCC) |
| DRAM 314a | 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 three (2025–2026)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 174a/b | Advanced Professional Lighting Design |
| DRAM 184b | Pre-visualization for Lighting Design |
| 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. | |
Class of 2025
Required Sequence
Year two (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
| DRAM 104b | Computer-Assisted Design Techniques for Lighting Design |
| DRAM 164a/b | Professional Lighting Design |
| DRAM 202a/b | Advanced Set Design II |
| DRAM 204b | Collaboration Laboratory |
| DRAM 232a/b | Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography (2YCC) |
| DRAM 314a | Dance and Design in Performance |
| DRAM 404a/b | Lighting Seminar |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second, third and fourth years of study | |
| Design assignments for School productions | |
Year three (2024–2025)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 122a/b | The History of Set Design |
| DRAM 174a/b | Advanced Professional Lighting Design |
| DRAM 184b | Pre-visualization for Lighting Design |
| DRAM 404a/b | Lighting Seminar |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second, third and fourth 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. | |
Class of 2024
Required Sequence
Year four (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 184b | Pre-visualization for Lighting Design |
| DRAM 404a/b | Lighting Seminar |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second, third and fourth 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
The professional future of projection designers will most likely expand beyond collaborative work in text-based, director-driven work to include independent work in concerts, ballets, installation, and even film. The goal of this program is to strengthen student skills in all areas. 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 with the Directing Program called 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.
In their third year, students prepare and present an original work as their thesis project. 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.
Over the course of three years it is our goal to provide significant opportunity to explore opera, dance, installation, and self-devised work in addition to text-based works. Technical classes and workshops will be offered on a rotating basis.
Class of 2026
Required Sequence
Year one (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 3(02)a/b | Toward Anti-Racist Theatre Practice in Design |
| DRAM 50a | The Collaborative Process |
| DRAM 104b | Computer-Assisted Design Techniques for Lighting Design |
| DRAM 112a/b | Introduction to Set Design |
| DRAM 122a/b | The History of Set Design |
| DRAM 124a/b | Introduction to Lighting Design |
| DRAM 162a | Life Drawing Studio |
| DRAM 172a | Digital Compositing and Creation for Designers |
| DRAM 222a | Drafting for Designers |
| DRAM 224a/b | Introduction to Projection Design |
| DRAM 239b | Projection Design Engineering |
| DRAM 272b | Content Capture and Manipulation for Designers |
| DRAM 384a | Projection Production Process |
| DRAM 414a/b | Projection Seminar |
| Projection design and assisting assignment(s) | |
Year two (2024–2025)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 141b | Law and the Arts (module) |
| DRAM 158a/b | Introduction to Sound Design |
| DRAM 202a/b | Advanced Set Design II |
| DRAM 204b | Collaboration Laboratory |
| DRAM 232a/b | Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography (2YCC) |
| DRAM 244a | Motion Graphics and Film Production |
| DRAM 254b | Content Previsualization and Advanced 3D Workflows |
| DRAM 264a/b | 2YCC Projection Design Companion Class |
| DRAM 274a | Projection Shots and Systems |
| DRAM 334a/b | Projection in Practice |
| DRAM 364a/b | Animation Studio |
| DRAM 384a | Projection Production Process |
| DRAM 394b | Advanced Topics in Projection Design |
| DRAM 414a/b | Projection Seminar |
| Electives in consultation with Projection faculty | |
| Projection design and assisting assignment(s) | |
Year three (2025–2026)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 314a | Dance and Design in Performance |
| DRAM 334a | Projection in Practice |
| DRAM 384a | Projection Production Process |
| DRAM 394b | Advanced Topics in Projection Design |
| DRAM 414a/b | Projection Seminar |
| DRAM 444a/b | Professional Development |
| Six one-term electives (in consultation with Projection 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 | |
Class of 2025
Required Sequence
Year two (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 141b | Law and the Arts (module) |
| DRAM 158a/b | Introduction to Sound Design |
| DRAM 202a/b | Advanced Set Design II |
| DRAM 204b | Collaboration Laboratory |
| DRAM 232a/b | Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography (2YCC) |
| DRAM 244a | Motion Graphics and Film Production |
| DRAM 254b | Content Previsualization and Advanced 3D Workflows |
| DRAM 264a/b | 2YCC Projection Design Companion Class |
| DRAM 274a | Projection Shots and Systems |
| DRAM 334a/b | Projection in Practice |
| DRAM 364a/b | Animation Studio |
| DRAM 384a | Projection Production Process |
| DRAM 394b | Advanced Topics in Projection Design |
| DRAM 414a/b | Projection Seminar |
| Electives in consultation with Projection faculty | |
| Projection design and assisting assignment(s) | |
Year three (2024–2025)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 314a | Dance and Design in Performance |
| DRAM 334a | Projection in Practice |
| DRAM 384a | Projection Production Process |
| DRAM 394b | Advanced Topics in Projection Design |
| DRAM 414a/b | Projection Seminar |
| DRAM 444a/b | Professional Development |
| Six one-term electives (in consultation with Projection 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 | |
Class of 2024
Required Sequence
Year four (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 244a | Motion Graphics and Film Production |
| DRAM 254b | Content Previsualization and Advanced 3D Workflows |
| DRAM 274a | Projection Shots and Systems |
| DRAM 314a | Dance and Design in Performance |
| DRAM 334a | Projection in Process |
| DRAM 394b | Advanced Topics in Projection Design |
| DRAM 414a/b | Projection Seminar |
| DRAM 444a/b | Professional Development |
| Four one-term electives (in consultation with Projection 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 with the Directing program 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 Fridays 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 Yale Repertory Theatre productions which they design 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 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.
Class of 2026
Required Sequence
Year one (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 3(02)a/b | Toward Anti-Racist Theatre Practice in Design |
| DRAM 112a/b | Introduction to Set Design |
| DRAM 115a/b | Introduction to Costume Design |
| DRAM 122a/b | The History of Set Design |
| DRAM 124a/b | Introduction to Lighting Design |
| DRAM 162a/b | Life Drawing Studio |
| DRAM 222a/b | Drafting for Set Designers |
| DRAM 242a/b | Drafting Review |
| DRAM 402a/b | Set Seminar |
| Set Design assisting assignment(s) | |
Year two (2024–2025)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 132a/b | Advanced Set Design |
| DRAM 152a/b | Scenic Painting |
| DRAM 172a | Digital Compositing and Creation for Designers |
| DRAM 224a/b | Introduction to Projection Design |
| DRAM 232a/b | Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography (2YCC) |
| DRAM 242a/b | Drafting Review |
| 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 (2025–2026)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 142a/b | Advanced Professional Set Design |
| DRAM 242a/b | Drafting Review |
| DRAM 402 a/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 | |
Class of 2025
Required Sequence
Year two (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 132a/b | Advanced Set Design |
| DRAM 152a/b | Scenic Painting |
| DRAM 172a | Digital Compositing and Creation for Desginers |
| DRAM 224a/b | Introduction to Projection Design |
| DRAM 232a/b | Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography (2YCC) |
| DRAM 242a/b | Drafting Review Session |
| DRAM 402a/b | Set Seminar |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second, third, and fourth years of study | |
| Design assignments for School productions | |
Year three (2024–2025)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 142a/b | Advanced Professional Set Design |
| DRAM 242a/b | Drafting Review Session |
| DRAM 402a/b | Set Seminar |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second, third, and fourth years of study | |
| Design assignments for School and/or Yale Repertory productions | |
| Thesis Project: a comprehensive design for a theoretical production | |
Class of 2024
Required Sequence
Year four (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 242a/b | Drafting Review Session |
| DRAM 402a/b | Set Seminar |
| DRAM 412a/b | Set Thesis Class |
| Two one-term electives over the course of second, third, and fourth years of study | |
| Design assignments for School and/or Yale Rep productions | |
| Thesis Project: a comprehensive design for a theoretical production | |
Plan of Study: Sound Design
Sound is inherently personal. Beautiful sonics for any two people will be different, yet the overall goal of the Sound Design concentration at David Geffen School of Drama is to find the bridge between the personal and the universal, to discover the essence and atomic quality of sound such that one can bring one’s personal perspective while being able to effectively communicate one’s concepts with anyone. Openness, inclusiveness, and rigorous work ethic are the necessary qualities one must have to achieve this goal in the Sound Design concentration. There will be many collaborative circumstances, from the classroom to the professional stage at Yale Repertory Theatre, for students to have an opportunity to sharpen their technical skills and develop their creative voice.
The Sound Design experience at the School is unique in that the five areas of design—set, costume, lighting, projection, and sound—are integrated. This ensemble approach provides a foundation for the collaborative experience at the School. Students must be dedicated and willing to work hard. The course work covers design aesthetics, script interpretation, dramaturgy, music composition, critical listening, professional collaboration, sound and music technology, acoustics, aural imaging in large spaces, investigations into psychoacoustics, digital audio production, advanced sound delivery systems, advanced problem solving, advanced digital applications, production organization, and professional development, all in concert with a wide variety of practical assignments.
Class of 2026
Required Sequence
Year one (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 3(02)a/b | Toward Anti-Racist Theatre Practice in Design |
| DRAM 6a/b | Survey of History and Drama |
| DRAM 124a | Introduction to Lighting Design |
| DRAM 138a/b | Production Sound Engineering |
| DRAM 158a/b | Introduction to Sound Design |
| DRAM 168b | Recording Arts |
| DRAM 188a/b | Music Lab I |
| DRAM 228a | Drafting for Sound Design |
| DRAM 418a/b | Sound Seminar |
| Sound design and assisting assignment(s) | |
Year two (2024–2025)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 204b | Collaboration Laboratory |
| DRAM 224a/b | Introduction to Projection Design |
| DRAM 232a/b | Advanced Discussions in Directing and Scenography (2YCC) |
| DRAM 238a | Advanced Engineering for Sound Design |
| DRAM 248b | Designer and Director Workshop |
| DRAM 258a/b | Music Production for Drama |
| DRAM 278b | Advanced Sound Design |
| DRAM 288a/b | Music Lab II |
| DRAM 418a/b | Sound Seminar |
| Two one-term electives (in consultation with Sound faculty) | |
| Design assignments for School and/or Yale Rep productions | |
Year three (2025–2026)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 338a | Professional Audio Engineer Development Skills for NY Sound Practitioner |
| DRAM 358a | Professional Development |
| DRAM 388a/b | Music Lab III |
| DRAM 398a | Storytelling in Sound Design |
| DRAM 418a/b | Sound Seminar |
| Two one-term electives (in consultation with Sound faculty) | |
| Design assignments for School and/or Yale Rep productions | |
| Thesis project | |
Class of 2025
Required Sequence
Year two (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 204b | Collaboration Laboratory |
| DRAM 258a/b | Music Production for Drama |
| DRAM 278b | Advanced Sound Design |
| DRAM 288a/b | Music Lab II |
| DRAM 418a/b | Sound Seminar |
| Up to three production assignments (if prepared) | |
| One term of music elective (optional) | |
| One term of general elective (optional) | |
Year three (2024–2025)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 358a/b | Professional Development |
| DRAM 388a/b | Music Lab III |
| DRAM 398a | Storytelling in Sound Design |
| DRAM 418a/b | Sound Seminar |
| Up to three production assignments (if prepared) | |
| One term of music elective (optional) | |
| One term of general elective (optional) | |
| Thesis (full production, research paper, or an original creation) | |
Class of 2024
Required Sequence
Year four (2023–2024)
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| DRAM 348a/b | Sound Design for Podcast, Film, and Television |
| DRAM 358a/b | Professional Development |
| DRAM 418a/b | Sound Seminar |
| Up to three production assignments (if prepared) | |
| One term of music elective (optional) | |
| One term of general elective (optional) | |
| Thesis (full production, research paper, or an original creation) | |
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. Combined with the prerequisite workshop, Everyday Justice: Anti-Racism as Daily Practice, this course offers vital strategies for the lifelong development of individual and communal anti-racist practice.
Theater History Requirement
Lighting and sound design students are required to enroll in DRAM 6a/b, Survey of Theater and Drama in order to fulfil the School’s theater history requirement. First-year costume design students are required to enroll in DRAM 125a/b, The History of Costume, and first-year projection, lighting, and set-design students are required to enroll in DRAM 122a/b, The History of Set Design, in order to fulfil the School’s theater history requirement. These courses are considered a crucial foundation for the program’s students.
Courses of Instruction
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 6a/b, Survey of Theater and Drama See description under Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism.
DRAM 66a/THST 414a, Lyric Writing for Musical Theater See description under Playwriting.
DRAM 89b, Costume Construction See description under Technical Design and Production.
DRAM 104b, Computer-Assisted Design Techniques for Lighting Designers 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 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, 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. Course work requires that students produce many design sketches weekly. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Toni-Leslie James
DRAM 122a/b, The History of Set Design 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. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Alan C. Edwards
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. Stephen Strawbridge
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. Not offered in 2023–2024]
[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. Not offered in 2023–2024]
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. Three hours a week. Ru-Jun Wang
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 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. Ru-Jun Wang
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. Stephen Strawbridge and Alan C. Edwards
DRAM 165b, Costume Life Drawing The course serves as a visual language that translates human body and space through conscious observation. Each designer can look at the same object and/or space, but the translation becomes personal. Learning to observe and personalize the translation is the main goal of the course. The two-hour class sessions are an opportunity to focus only on the drawing task at hand. Using notebooks and journals, as well as reading and research methods to process ideas, students utilize the act of drawing to advance and integrate their individual studio practice both technically and conceptually. Group critiques, in conjunction with the drawing sessions, as well as individual meetings with the instructor, serve as integral components of the course. Permission of the instructor required. Oana Botez
DRAM 168b, 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. Faculty
DRAM 172a, Digital Compositing and Creation for Designers A comprehensive overview of modern, fast-paced compositing and creation techniques for creating 2D and 3D content. The creation of digital content and digital art has many far-reaching application across disciplines and across styles of work and thought. This course is focused on the fast-paced professional work flow 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; explores alternative emerging prosumer workflows and mobile platform creation; and begins to touch on advanced workflows in modeling/shading/rendering as fundamental components of Unreal engine, Unity, and Blender. 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. Not offered in 2023–2024]
DRAM 184b, Previsualization for Lighting Design A survey of pre-visualization programs, their uses and application in the field of lighting for live entertainment. Joshua Benghiat
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 II 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 spacial 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 224a/b, Introduction to Projection Design In this yearlong course, 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 225a/b, Costume Design Thesis This course is for Design students in their fourth year who are preparing a costume- design thesis needed to achieve their M.F.A. degrees. Students are given individual guidance and support as they continue to develop ideas and approaches for a large-scale theoretical project of their choosing. This class offers the space to hone their individual voice as professional costume designers. Ilona Somogyi
DRAM 228a, Drafting for Sound Design This course is designed to introduce students to drafting principles and techniques, with an emphasis in drafting for sound design. The course consists of participation-based demonstrations and practical assignments. It will focus primarily on VectorWorks but will also equip students with a working knowledge of AutoCAD, and will address 2D and 3D drafting in both programs. Drafting practices covered in this course will provide tools directly relevant to professional work assignments at the School of Drama and the Rep, but the drafting skills developed will be universal Stephanie Smith
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 and Directing faculty 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, Motion Graphics and Film Production This course builds on the skills introduced in DRAM 172a and DRAM 272b and advances them to include rapid iterative content creation and cross-platform compositions. This course is aimed at theatrical projection designers and content creators for live events, however the skills are universal through the digital-art world. Most digital content workflows rely heavily on animation in the 2D space, so that is a main workflow, however 3D modeling and rendering is integrated throughout. Creation based on the physical properties of light and the surrounding world is paramount in the creation process. Exact course projects shift based on the needs of currently enrolled students. New projection mapping software and technology is integrated in class as an expansion of working holistically in 3D space. Open to non-design and non-drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Joey Moro
DRAM 254b, Content Previsualization and Advanced 3D Workflows This course builds on the skills introduced in DRAM 172a, DRAM 272b, and DRAM 244a and advances them to include rapid content creation and cross-platform 3D compositions. 3D previsualization that takes into account the physical properties of the world allows for unparalleled realism is the final product. Design is always a team sport, and “previz” is the way to communicate those visual ideas. We take animations from projects prior and current,and build them into 3D previz deliverables. We start with simple but effective 2D representations and advance to fully physically accurate 3D renders for clients and directors. 3D previz is a powerful and easy tool when approached with the interdisciplinary mindset this series of courses offers. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Joey Moro
DRAM 258a/b, Music Production for Drama This course covers making and dealing with music for drama, with a focus on workflows, methods, and practical skills. Topics include: spotting, writing methods, demos, orchestration, creative studio techniques, sampling, budgeting, recording session preparation, mixing, delivery. Required of all sound designers. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor. Limited enrollment. Two hours a week. Justin Ellington
DRAM 264a/b, 2YCC Projection Design Companion Class This companion course seeks to support the projection designer in navigating the creative relationship and design process between directors and designers. This section concentrates on strategies for meaningful participation in the design process prior to the realized vision of a physical space. The class interrogates the dramaturgical implications and impact of projection design on each production and the ways projection design could layer into, or lead, the visual storytelling. Shawn Boyle
DRAM 272b, Content Capture and Manipulation for Designers An overview and application of content capture. This course includes video shoots, video capture for greenscreen, Lidar 3D scanning, photogrammetry capture for 3D, and more. We then use these assets in digital compositing situations as in the fall term of DRAM 172a. Guided-capture projects are assigned to exercise specific compositing situations. This course is greatly enhanced by the multidisciplinary nature of the work. Professional practices in lighting, film, digital media, as well as traditional art workflows all function together to create something greater than the mere sum of their parts. We use cameras, both full-size and mobile, extensively in the capture and creation of media. Knowledge of photographic practices is encouraged but not required. 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 274a, Projection Shots and Systems 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 278b, Advanced Sound Design This course focuses on design techniques associated with the challenges that face many sound designers and composers in theater, film, podcasting and audiobook production. Students execute seven to nine challenges with a variety of potential outcomes, each critiqued in class. Critical listening, musicality, dramaturgy, system design, editing, and audio delivery. All class work is intended to promote creativity, ingenuity, and adaptation. Required of all second-year sound designers. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students who have completed DRAM 158a/b and 168a/b. Limited enrollment. Two hours a week with substantial homework. Justin Ellington
DRAM 288a/b, Music Lab II 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 289a, Draping See description under Technical Design and Production.
DRAM 314a, Dance and Design in Performance This course of eight modules explores 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, Oana Botez
[DRAM 324b, The Personal Film: Exploration and Expression The mining of memory and personal history is crucial to expanding our consciousness of the interplay of self with all humanity. It is at the core of all art making. This Spring Module 1 course explores examples of the craft while supporting students in producing a short film or personal essay. Open to non-Drama students only with permission of the instructor. No prerequisites. Not offered in 2023–2024]
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: Exploring the use of projection in dance. Spring Module 1: A consideration of new plays or a look at installation and performance art in practice. Modules may rotate in any given year. Consult the syllabus for more detail. Wendall K. Harrington, Shawn Boyle, and others
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, Advanced Projection Engineering See description under Technical Design and Production. Not offered in 2023–2024]
DRAM 348a/b, Sound Design for Podcast, Film, and Television Sound Design can be applicable to many mediums and that has never been truer than it is today. In this class you’ll learn how to apply the tools you already know to creating a narrative podcast, mixing music dialogue for television and film, and everything leading up to those points. This class will cover the differences in terms, software, design, and application across these three mediums. Zachary Goldberg, Jill BC Du Boff
[DRAM 354b, Advanced Media Production This combined classroom/online course focuses on the production of a collaborative music video utilizing advanced imaging and motion graphics techniques—including visual synthesis, motion tracking and stabilization, compositing, audio synchronization, and motion design—combining four on-site class sessions with custom-scheduled online production meetings, virtual tutorials and instruction, progress reviews, and a real-world, virtual digital production pipeline. Not offered in 2023–2024]
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 the student’s careers through their portfolio and other online materials as well as networking techniques to be most effective as an independent working professional. One hour each week. Limited enrollment. Jill BC Du Boff
DRAM 364a/b, 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. Toni-Leslie James, Joshua Quinn, Nicole Kyrtsis
DRAM 368a, Spatial Audio Sadah Espii Proctor
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 instructors required. Shawn Boyle
[DRAM 388a/b, Music Lab III See description under DRAM 188a/b. Not offered in 2023–2024]
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. Facilitators: Wendall K. Harrington, Shawn Boyle
[DRAM 398a Storytelling in Sound Design In this course students explore the role of sound in story and how the character of a sound may influence both psychological and biological response. Students investigate the effect that audio frequencies have on mood and emotion and the function of music and sound throughout varying cultures. Students explore the balance of contemporary and historical sound when developing a period piece. There are three projects. Required of all sound designers. Not open to undergraduates. Enrollment limited to six. Two hours a week. Not offered in 2023–2024]
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. Stephen Strawbridge, Alan Edwards
DRAM 412a/b, Set Design Thesis This course seeks to continue to cultivate and reinforce advanced, professional-level processes and practices in the work of fourth-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. During the second semester students complete a comprehensive thesis project with the approval and guidance of the faculty to be presented at the end of the school year. Riccardo Hernández, Michael Yeargan
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 for DGSD as well as an opportunity to further cultivate their skills with in-class creative assignments. As for the DGSD 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 DGSD. 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, Mike Backhaus
DRAM 424a/b, Lighting Field Study In their third year, schedule allowing, students are permitted to accept observance-ships and/or positions as assistants with professional theater productions in New York or at nearby regional theaters. The student participation/involvement is intended to be sustained, so that the evolution of the design, from focus to public performances, can be seen.
[DRAM 428b, Auditory Culture How do we listen to the world around us, and how does that awareness inform our sound practice? This course is a deep dive into our own listening practices, tendencies, and habits. Through readings, writing, soundwalks, and various sonic studies, we reflect on our work and expand our knowledge as designers and creatives. Open to non-Design and non-Drama students with prior permission of the instructor; preference given to theater, music, and art majors. Enrollment limited to twelve. Two hours a week. Not offered in 2023–2024]
[DRAM 440b, The World of the Play Offered to students in Projection Design and open to other students by permission of the instructor. See description under Directing. Not offered in 2023–2024]
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 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 489a/b, Costume Seminar See description under Technical Design and Production.