The department seeks well-educated and highly motivated students who will best be able to use the resources of the School of Drama, the Repertory Theatre, and Yale University to expand their professional abilities and deepen their professional interests in theater and the performing arts. The interdisciplinary program provides academic and practical training for professionals who can perform with excellence in production organizations, consulting firms, manufacturing companies and universities. Each student is expected to complete a sequence of required courses that stresses the knowledge of physical and social sciences needed to apply technology effectively to the performing arts. Concurrent with the required sequence, each student enrolls in an elective sequence of courses leading to a concentration in Technical Direction, Production Management, or Theater Engineering and Planning. Degree candidates also prepare a research thesis in their chosen area of concentration.
American theater is no longer a centralized commercial structure.
Technical managers must command a wide range of skills, knowledge, and diversity, requiring extensive training in the many disciplines that now comprise theater technology. The department has a faculty and staff of twenty-five. Special seminars and guest lectures by noted professionals are also conducted on a regular basis. Courses available in other departments of the School of Drama supplement this curriculum. Students may also elect courses in other schools and departments of the University including Architecture, Computer Science, Engineering, Music, and Management.