About the Playwriting, Directing, and Dramaturgy Major
Emerson provides a vibrant setting for building a career in theatre. Whether you are a future producer, director, playwright, or dramaturg, the BFA in Playwriting, Directing, and Dramaturgy program will help you grow into a multifaceted practitioner in your field.
Housed in the Department of Performing Arts in the School of Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies, the Playwriting, Directing, and Dramaturgy program exposes you to all aspects of theatre creation through a curriculum that is balanced between theory and practice and grounded in human-centered skills. Students engage in every step of the theatrical process, from an idea to a fully realized theatrical production.
This program targets skills that remain competitively human in our digital age: complex ethical judgment, empathy, creativity, critical thinking, and adaptive resilience. With a focus on career readiness, the program leads students through the collaborative process to develop their ability to tell stories, connect with audiences, and create original solutions out of intricate situations.
Students learn to analyze texts, narratives, and social systems. They test ideas in rehearsal and workshop environments, and present arguments and stories with clarity and precision. Courses are structured to require real-time decision-making, negotiation with collaborators, and accountability for decisions and outcomes.
The program allowed me to have a well-rounded experience and education….I would highly recommend it to any student who is passionate not only about theatre but also [about having] the space to explore their passions and hobbies outside of it.
Real-World Experience as a Theatre Professional
Playwriting, Directing, and Dramaturgy majors gain real-world learning experience to practice their craft:
- Our campus is home to a vibrant student theater scene with 30 student performance organizations, including Kidding Around, Blue Jay Theatre Collective, Musical Theatre Society, Emerson Comedy Workshop, EmShakes, and many more.
- Emerson Stage is the producing organization within the Department of Performing Arts. It offers hands-on opportunities in full-scale productions, including classics, contemporary plays, new works written by students, musicals, and devised theatre.
- As the professional presentation and production organization of the Office of the Arts at Emerson College, ArtsEmerson brings industry-leading theater and film from all over the world to the heart of downtown Boston. Through master classes, networking events, discounted tickets, and free student rush, ArtsEmerson gives students the chance to learn from a global array of cutting-edge artists.
- Beyond campus, students intern at local theater companies, such as SpeakEasy Stage Company, Huntington Theatre Company, and Lyric Stage Company, and companies in Los Angeles at our campus on Sunset Boulevard.
- Students can study theatre in Europe at Kasteel Well and through Global Pathways programs, such as our programs in London and Chile.
- They may also pursue additional courses through the Professional Arts Consortium (ProArts), an association of six neighboring Boston institutions of higher education dedicated to the visual and performing arts.
Careers for Playwriting, Directing, and Dramaturgy Majors
Graduates are equipped not only for work in theatre and the arts, but also for fields that depend on advanced communication, leadership, and creative problem-solving—areas where human depth, storytelling, and intelligence remain the decisive factors. Careers that our alumni become established in include:
- Playwright
- Director
- Dramaturg
- Casting Director
- Literary Manager
- Artistic Director
- Drama Therapist
- Teaching Artist
- Operations Manager
- Community Organizer and Outreach Specialist
- Theatre Critic and Journalist
- Arts Administrator
- Grant Writer and Fundraiser
- Publicist
- Researcher and Archivist
Notable Performing Arts Alumni
- Peter G. Anderson, Producing Artistic Director, Oak Park Festival Theatre
- Michael Bello, Director, Jersey Boys, Paper Mill Playhouse
- Guy Ben-Aharon, Freelance Director, Founder and Executive Director of The Jar
- Rebecca Bradshaw, Producing Artistic Director, Gloucester Stage Company
- Ari Conte, two-time Tony-nominated Co-Producer, Suffs and Gypsy
- Alex Lonati, Freelance Director, Director of Artistic and Community Programs, SpeakEasy Stage Company
- Anne Morgan, Programs Director, National New Plays Network
- Andrew Siañez-De La O, Playwright and Audio Dramatist, Writer-Designer on the Award-Winning MMO The Elder Scrolls Online
- Emily White, Freelance Dramaturg, Editorial Manager, New York City Center
- Alison Yueming Qu, Co-Founder and Executive Director of CHUANG Stage, Boston’s first Asian American theatre company
