The first monologue Daniel Dae Kim ever performed was by David Henry Hwang.He had to do one for his college summer program at the National Theater Institute in Connecticut. Kim chose a scene from “FOB,” Hwang’s play about the assimilation struggles of a Chinese American. So, it’s fitting that 35 years later Hwang — the first Asian American to win the Tony Award for best play — would be the one to bring Kim into the Tony spotlight.For a long time, Hwang felt the only way to get a play with Asian characters made was to set it… read more about Esther Kim Lee on Bringing Asian Americans Into the Theater »
The following is a partial list of national, university, school and departmental awards presented to the members of the Class of 2025. In some awards where there are multiple winners, only members of the Class of 2025 are included. read more about Department Honors and Laurels for the Class of 2025 »
Each year, Duke University awards Benenson Awards in the Arts, which provide funding for arts-centered projects proposed by undergraduates, including graduating seniors. This year, the Student Arts Award Committee awarded prizes to fifteen students for creative projects spanning film, theater, creative writing, music, dance, and visual art. read more about Announcing the 2025 Benenson Award Winners »
When is a lie acceptable, perhaps even a catalyst for creativity?This is a central question in Pierre Corneille’s “The Liar,” and it remains as thought-provoking today as it was at the play’s premiere in 1644.Directed by Darren Gobert, Duke Theater Studies’ Mainstage production of David Ives’ adaptation of the comedic masterpiece is impish, full of physical humor and surprisingly relevant. It follows the romantic misadventures of Dorante, a young man with a penchant for creative invention, and his servant, Cliton, who is… read more about "The Liar” Showcases the Joy of Theatrical Make-Believe »
For Khiyali Pillalamarri, pursuing a double major in Theater Studies and Mathematics is completely rational. Inspired by her grandmother’s mantra that “All knowledge is one,” the senior finds harmony in blending the creativity of the arts with the precision of mathematics, proving that logic and imagination can be two sides of the same equation. Homeschooled until high school, Pillalamarri thrived in a world where exceptional math resources were always within reach, and she had the freedom to decide her path of study.… read more about Equations and Encores »
For over 35 years, the Benenson Awards in the Arts has provided Duke undergraduates with funding to pursue summer arts training, research, or projects. But what happens after the grant? How does that experience shape an individual’s creative journey years down the line? We reached out to four Duke alums who received Benenson Awards to hear where they are today. From launching professional opportunities to shaping new creative directions, their stories reveal the lasting impact of this grant on their professional and… read more about From Grant to Growth: Duke Alums Reflect on Their Benenson Award »
Rebecca Wahls is Duke Theater Studies’ Artist-in-Residence for the 2024-2025 academic year.A director, writer and producer of film, theater and new media, Wahls holds an MFA in Directing from Carnegie Mellon University, where she was a John Wells Fellow from 2020-2023. Her first feature film, “Him," is currently playing festivals across the U.S. This semester, Wahls is teaching Acting for the Camera and the first-year seminar Investigating Adaptation. She is also directing a new musical play, “GOOD,” which she wrote… read more about Artist-in-Residence Rebecca Wahls Creates “GOOD” »
The Department of Theater Studies at Duke University in Durham, NC invites applications for an Artist in Residence to begin July 2025. This full-time, one-year position is intended for a recent graduate of an MFA program (2022 or later preferred) in either Acting or Directing; the position requires an MFA at the time of hire. Job duties will include a 2/1 teaching load in small laboratory-based acting classes as well as ancillary coaching in the successful candidate’s areas of expertise, whether as a choreographer, movement… read more about New Opportunity: Artist-in-Residence »
What would you sacrifice to pursue your dream?This is the question that the women in “By The Way, Meet Vera Stark,” Duke Theater Studies’ Fall 2024 Mainstage production, must grapple with as they struggle to forge careers as actors in 1930s Hollywood. Breaking into the movie business is challenging under any circumstances, but it was particularly difficult for Black actors in the early 20th century. The compromises they had to make, and the consequences of their choices, are deftly illustrated in Lynn Nottage’s play,… read more about What Would You Do to Make Your Dream Come True? »
A personal connection with one of the iconic folk rock groups of the 1960s piqued Ken Cerniglia’s interest when he was approached to co-write a stage adaptation of Michael Walker’s book, “Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story of Rock-and-Roll's Legendary Neighborhood.” Michael Walker (L) and Ken Cerniglia (R) at the public reading for “Laurel Canyon: The Musical” on September 20 in Sheafer Theater. (Elizabeth Thompson/Trinity Communications) “I grew up in LA — not in Laurel Canyon — but… read more about New Works Lab Brings Theater Professionals and Students Together »
Alumnus Paul W. Downs (’04) came home on September 15 with two Emmys under his arm. Downs was awarded one Emmy as Executive Producer when his HBO/Max production Hacks received the 2024 Award for Best Comedy Series. He garnered a second Emmy, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, for penning the Hacks episode titled “Bulletproof."Since 2021, Downs has received seven Emmy nominations for Hacks. The pilot episode of the series gave him an Emmy in 2021 for Outstanding Writing for a… read more about Alumnus Paul W. Downs Wins Two Emmy Awards for “Hacks” »
The Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) has recognized Ryan Donovan, assistant professor of Theater Studies, and Esther Kim Lee, Frances Hill Fox Professor of Theater Studies, with their 2024 Outstanding Book Award. The ATHES Outstanding Book Award recognizes books that demonstrate complex and critical engagement with dramatic texts, performances, histories, theories, practices and/or pedagogies. A maximum of five awards are given per year. Donovan, who is vice president and… read more about Lee and Donovan Receive Outstanding Book Awards »
When the Tony Awards ceremony highlighted the year’s best work in the theater on Sunday, a Duke alumna walked away with one of the most prestigious awards. Danya Taymor (T’ 10) won the award for Best Direction of a Musical, for her work on “The Outsiders.” The play, based on the classic novel by S.E. Hinton and the movie by Francis Ford Coppola, follows working-class teen Ponyboy and his friends in 1967 Tulsa as they struggle against an affluent rival gang. It was the first nomination for Taymor. In winning the directing… read more about Duke Alumna Danya Taymor Wins Tony Award for Direction »
Hannah Haverkamp, Lecturing Fellow of Theater Studies in the Department of Theater Studies at Duke, immerses herself in the performing arts on campus. In her role, she oversees the costume shop, making garments alongside work-study students, while also teaching the fundamentals of theatrical construction. The costume shop is responsible for creating garments for annual main stage productions as well as faculty led projects. Haverkamp, who recently finished her first academic year in the department, brims with excitement… read more about A Duke Workday: Working Hand in Hand with Students to Create Theatrical Performances »
Ben Davies is a graduating senior with majors in Italian Studies and Theater Studies and has served as a Trinity Ambassador for the Department of Theater Studies. Trinity Ambassadors are student volunteers, nominated by their departments, to serve in this unique and important role. We asked a few of the ambassadors from the Class of 2024 to share their favorite memories from Duke. The below interview has been slightly edited for clarity. What was one of the most impactful classes you took during your time at Duke… read more about Class of 2024: Ben Davies »
Emi Hegarty’s distinction project, Biology, Movement and Theater, is a true synthesis of the senior’s four years at Duke. It encompasses not just what she’s learned in her undergraduate career, but also the connections she’s made between her two majors, Theater Studies and Biology. The idea for the project was born when Hegarty was introduced to the concept of Umwelt in Professor Stephen Nowicki’s Mechanisms of Animal Behavior class. Umwelt, she explained, is a notion that Baltic-German… read more about Using Biology to Build a Character’s World »
“As a playwright, you have the freedom to tell the audience what kind of world they are experiencing,” said Isa Mellody, “but the rules have to be well thought out and specific.” Mellody, who is graduating with a major in Theater Studies, spent her senior year developing rules for the world she built for her distinction project, Do I Know You?, an original play written under the direction of Professor Neal Bell. "Do I Know You? is about a college student, Kat, who's in the often painful, often… read more about Discovering the Playwright Within: Isa Mellody Asks Do I Know You? »
This spring, students in Chauntee’ Schuler Irving's course Acting for the Camera: On Location had a very specific location in mind: The Hunger Games arena. With funds made possible through the David L. Paletz Innovative Teaching Fund, Irving rented a studio and hired a professional director, director of photography and makeup artist for the filming of a scene from The Hunger Games. The experiential learning and innovative teaching methods Irving deployed in the course helped… read more about Student Reflections on Acting for the Camera: On Location with Chauntee’ Schuler Irving's Course »
The Department of Theater Studies is proud to announce the student award winners for 2024. To learn more about these awards, visit the student awards and grants page. Harold Brody Award for Excellence in Musical Theater Sam Carpenter John M. Clum Distinguished Theater Studies Graduate Award Emi Hegarty and Isa Mellody The Dale B.J. Randall Award in Dramatic Literature Not Awarded 2024 Award for Excellence in Directing Khiyali… read more about Congratulations to Our 2024 Student Award Winners »
Are memories — unflinching reminders of who we used to be and what we used to love — a blessing or a curse? This is a central question in Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, the Department of Theater Studies’ Spring 2024 Mainstage production. Poster for Duke Theater Studies’ Spring 2024 production of Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice." (Miel Creative Studio) Directed by Jules Odendahl-James, Eurydice offers a modern examination of the classical Greek story of doomed lovers Orpheus and… read more about Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice” Tackles Love and Loss »
The Department of Theater Studies is hiring for the position of Lecturing Fellow, full-time nontenure track union position specialized in design & theater technology. The candidate filling the position will need to meet the following requirements: an MFA in Theater or a related field at the time of hire teaching up to three courses per year in the area of Design and Theater Technology, focused on sound or video or projection design or some combination of the three designing sound and/or video and/or… read more about Job Announcement: Lecturing Fellow »