Broadway is gearing up for its biggest night. The Tony Awards will be held Sunday at Radio City Music Hall. Ryan Donovan, assistant professor of theater studies at Duke University, says there'll be plenty of surprises. There's a toss up for best play and best musical, which almost never happens. There's no clear front runner in a lot of the big races. read more about Ryan Donovan: Broadway is Gearing Up for the Tony Awards »
As Broadway prepares for the Tony Awards, where a few televised minutes can influence the fate of a multimillion-dollar production, Ryan Donovan won’t be distracted by the glitz and glamour. He’ll be focused on the sweat, tears and very real pain behind the spectacle. Still deep in archival research for his forthcoming book, “Eight Nights a Week: How Broadway Turned Backbreaking,” the assistant professor of Theater Studies is tracing how musical theater performance has undergone… read more about Ryan Donovan Traces the Physical Costs of Broadway’s Perfection »
"The nostalgia wave on Broadway is coming for us in Gen X." That's Ryan Donovan, assistant professor at theater studies at Duke University. if you think about Broadway, 20 years ago, you knew Jersey Boys was hot, Mamma Mia was still playing, all of these shows that appeal to Boomers. Now, all of these eighties movies from Gen X-ers' childhoods are big business on Broadway and in the West End. read more about Duke Theater Expert Ryan Donovan Discusses the Nostalgia Wave on Broadway »
During my time at Duke, I’ve had the opportunity to be part of several productions, including Fury by Blair Cadden my freshman year, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove my sophomore year, and Six Characters in Search of an Author my senior year. In addition to acting, I also worked as the assistant stage manager for She Kills Monsters, which gave me a new perspective on the collaborative process behind the scenes.I actually found Theater Studies by accident. I took… read more about Class of 2026: Nidhi Deepak Khiantani »
Caroline Edmondson is a director, performer, choreographer, and writer from Raleigh, North Carolina. She is graduating with majors in Theater Studies and Dance and an Education minor. She directed A Chorus Line, Dance Nation, and in a word, which was a part of her Graduation with Distinction project about directing the Theatre of Wonders, recently awarded Highest Distinction. Her capstone research project in Dance, Stories in the Studio, explores how tap dance pedagogy can… read more about Class of 2026: Caroline Elizabeth Edmondson »
Alaina Guo is a psychology/theater studies major from Philadelphia (Go Birds)! At Duke, she’s performed in a number of Hoof ‘n’ Horn and Mainstage shows, such as: She Kills Monsters, RENT, Twelfth Night, Great Comet, and Mr. Burns: a post-electric play. When she's not being semi-funny, you can find her playing percussion for HnH (In the Heights, Ragtime) or arranging for her acapella group. She'd like to thank her family, mentors, and friends for all… read more about Class of 2026: Alaina Guo »
JR Cassidy is a senior from Seattle, Washington, double majoring in English and Theater Studies. At Duke, his work has centered on music, literature and theater. Cassidy studied abroad in the Duke in London - Arts and Duke in Seoul programs. In 2025, Cassidy directed Euripides’ “The Bacchae” for Duke Players, which earned him a Duke Arts Award for excellence in directing. He also received the Reynolds Price Award for Screenwriting for a screenplay he wrote through the Duke Arts Studio program. He is a contributing editor… read more about JR Cassidy '26: From Directing “The Bacchae” to Writing for Film »
The Office for Faculty Advancement has awarded seed grants to seven new projects led by Duke faculty members. The theme for this grant cycle is “Building Community and Strengthening Networks to Improve the Faculty Experience.”Faculty were invited to propose innovative initiatives to build community, creative approaches to address specific mentorship needs, and novel approaches to improve the faculty experience.The seed grant program will provide financial support for these projects through April 2027. Project leaders… read more about Trinity Faculty Awarded Seed Grants by Duke Office of Faculty Advancement »
The CUNY Graduate Center has announced the winners of its 2026 Alumni Awards recognizing graduates whose distinguished work spans research, education, public service, health and the arts. Ryan Donovan, assistant professor of Theater Studies, is one of the seven awardees. Together, this year’s honorees embody the Graduate Center’s commitment to research for the public good. Their work has shaped fields, informed practice, expanded access to knowledge and care, and strengthened institutions in New York and around the… read more about Ryan Donovan Receives CUNY Alumni Award »
Theater Studies’ artist-in-residence for the semester, Jonathan Cullen, will bring the metatheatrical production “Six Characters in Search of an Author” to Sheafer Lab Theater in April. Written by Luigi Pirandello in 1921, the play opens on a rehearsal suddenly interrupted by six figures: the Father, Mother, Step-daughter, Son, Boy and Child. Claiming that their creator abandoned them, the group demands an author to finish their story. But what began as a straightforward staging of the spring mainstage has quickly… read more about One Story, Many Truths: Rethinking "Six Characters" at Duke »
One of the year’s most talked-about films has left audiences pondering a haunting literary “what if”: Did the death of William Shakespeare’s young son shape the writing of “Hamlet”? Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling novel of the same name, “Hamnet” the film stars Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley as Shakespeare and his wife Agnes, navigating their grief after the death of their 11-year-old son during the plague of the 1590s. While the film imagines an intimate family tragedy, the questions it raises about grief and… read more about From the Red Carpet to the Classroom, Shakespeare is Having a Moment »
What happens to a parka without a body? To a house that can’t stay put? To a tree who orbited the moon?For her latest work-in-progress, Torry Bend is letting go of the single, sweeping narrative. Instead, she has built a trio of self-contained puppetry-based vignettes bound by the shared theme of exploring change not as loss but as something generative — even hopeful. Set squarely in the Anthropocene (our current geological period, defined by the changes human activity imposes on Earth), “Tilt/Shift” has a notable lack… read more about A Parka, a House, a Tree — and a World in Flux »
The Department of Theater Studies at Duke University in Durham, NC invites applications for an Artist in Residence to begin July 2026. This full-time, one-year position is intended for a recent graduate of an MFA program (2023 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 Applications Open: Artist-in-Residence »
What happens when Chekhov meets clown?Chelsea Thaler, Duke Theater Studies’ 2025–2026 Artist-in-Residence, is exploring that question with “The Trio,” a contemporary, ensemble-driven adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters.” Developed through an intensive devising process with Duke students and professional collaborators, the production reframes Chekhov’s meditation on longing, frustration and endurance through physical comedy, gesture and experimental lighting and projection technology.Thaler’s background in… read more about In "The Trio," Chekhov Meets Clown »
Duke’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences has invited its faculty to submit proposals for the creation of new research initiatives on campus.Following the successful launches of the SPACE Initiative and the Society-Centered AI Initiative, the Trinity Research Initiative will support new directions for interdisciplinary research through seed funding for nascent research collaborations, community-building, and complementary educational and outreach activities.Open to all areas of research and… read more about Trinity College of Arts & Sciences Invites Proposals for New Research Initiatives »
A musical theater rendition of “The Simpsons” — featuring Itchy and Scratchy as the comically evil Mr. Burns’ minions attempting to murder Bart’s family — may not be on your apocalypse bingo card. But from Nov. 14 to 23, the Duke Theater Studies department’s Fall Mainstage show, “Mr. Burns, a post-electric play,” whirled its audience in Sheafer Lab Theater into a post-apocalyptic “near future” where theater is the only hope illuminating a (literally) pitch-dark world. read more about ‘Mr. Burns, a post-electric play’ Illuminates Our Need for Storytelling and Community »
Program II has launched a bold initiative that puts students directly into the worlds they hope to change. The inaugural cohort of Annenberg Fellows for Interdisciplinary Learning and Engagement (AFIRE) represents the start of a dynamic program open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Powered by a generous gift from the Annenberg Foundation, AFIRE provides funding for internships and research opportunities that enrich and expand on a student’s individually crafted academic track. “Program II has long been known for… read more about Program II Annenberg Fellows Are Fueling the Future »
Assistant Professor of Theater Studies Ryan Donovan is quoted in this story about a growing trend of rewriting and reimagining older, successful Broadway musicals rather than mounting expensive productions of new and untried musicals. In reference to "the exciting and renewed production of the 1955 musical 'Damn Yankees' currently ending its run at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.," Donovan says: "None of the creators of 'Damn Yankees' are still around, but the show as written in the 1950s would no longer play as… read more about 'Bat Boy' Returns After 20 years. Does It Hold a Key to Broadway's Future? »
Jeff Storer, professor of the practice in Theater Studies, first produced “Mr. Burns, a post-electric play” on another planet.It was 2013, and Storer was directing Anne Washburn’s newly written play for Manbites Dog Theater. The tale, described by the author as a “pop culture narrative pushed past the fall of civilization,” is set in a near future where the world has been decimated by a global pandemic. Washburn’s characters use their memories of the TV show “The Simpsons” to create a new mythology, which they… read more about “Mr. Burns, a post-electric play” Shines Bright Through Inspiration and Collaboration »
Cynthia Bunn, remembered fondly by many Theater Studies students and alumni, retired at the end of July.For 27 remarkable years – two in Women’s Studies before bringing her talents to Theater Studies for twenty-five more -- Cyndi has been the heart, soul, and mastermind behind the curtain. She's not just been our business manager in TS; she's been our mentor, guide, and advocate, as well as a dear friend to so many of us. Her hard work has steered our department to success.Many will remember her unwavering support of… read more about Cynthia Bunn Retires After 27 Years at Duke »
Mildred Ruiz-Sapp and Steven Sapp, co-founders of Universes Theater Company, are in residence in Theater Studies from September 15-26 as guest artists for the Fall 2025 New Works Lab. A public performance, An Evening with Universes: Celebrating 30 Years of Art and Activism, will take place on September 26 at 5:30 pm in the Sheafer Lab Theater, Bryan University Center. Admission is free.Mildred and Steven, who met while attending Bard College, formed Universes Theater Company in the Bronx in 1995. They… read more about Universes: 30 Years of Arts and Activism »
It was late in the evening in December and I was sitting at my desk crying. I don’t mean dainty tears, I mean ugly crying. Why? Because the ongoing impact of Covid-19 had exhausted all my mentoring tools (not to mention exhausted me!) and, as a result, I worried that I was failing mentees in crisis in my role as DGS. I simply did not know what to do, and that lack of knowing felt awful. read more about A Humanist’s Very Human Perspective on the Realities of Mentoring »
Jeff Storer, professor of the practice in Theater Studies, received a Pillars of Leadership Award from Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), a national leadership honor society. The award honors individuals who exemplify ODK’s five pillars of campus life: Academics and Research, Athletics, Service to Campus and Community, Communications and the Arts. Storer was recognized in the category of Arts for his decades-long impact on theater at Duke, in the Durham community and beyond. Since joining Duke in the early 1980s, Storer… read more about Jeff Storer Wins Pillars of Leadership Award from Omicron Delta Kappa »
Fresh from the Outer Banks, sun-kissed, slightly sore yet fully inspired, Torry Bend is eager to continue the work started at Duke’s Marine Lab this summer. The professor of the practice in Theater Studies spent six weeks in Beaufort, North Carolina, directing Arts+ Resilience Through Puppetry and exploring the art form’s roles in teaching climate sustainability and community building. They came. They saw. They built a leviathan. The Arts+ team (from… read more about When Puppetry and Environmental Resiliency Go Hand-in-Hand »
“The Outsiders” and “John Proctor Is the Villain” showcased Danya Taymor’s adept staging of teen stories. Off Broadway, next: the teen satire “Trophy Boys.” read more about Meet Broadway’s Teen Whisperer, Duke Alumna Dayna Taymor »
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 »