The Department of Performing and Media Arts leads students from all disciplines through artistic and scholarly explorations of live and mediated forms of creativity and expression. Students are challenged to think creatively, critically, and historically about the world around them as they identify and interpret the power of image, sound, gesture, and movement and cultivate their own artistic and academic voices.
Welcome to PMA!
We are excited to welcome you to Cornell or welcome you back! All of us here in Performing and Media Arts (PMA) look forward to helping you find opportunities to make your time in Ithaca more enriching, whether you are a budding performer, a seasoned auteur, an aspiring critic, or just a curious observer. Please use the page linked below as a springboard to the wealth of opportunities available to you in the Schwartz Center:
PMA Events
Apr
07
Tuesday
05:00 PM
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Auditions
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
Black Box Theatre
Apr
07
Tuesday
06:00 PM
“The Importance of Place: Documentary as a Tool for Community Building” keynote talk
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
Film Forum
Apr
08
Wednesday
11:40 AM
Apr
08
Wednesday
05:00 PM
Cornell in Los Angeles Info Sessions
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
3/25: Virtual only, join on Zoom; 4/8: Room 220
Apr
10
Friday
12:00 PM
Chats with the Chair
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
220
Apr
10
Friday
06:00 PM
“TCB: The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing” (2025)
Cornell Cinema
PMA Links
PMA News
Glitch Dance with Dr. Thomas DeFrantz
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Glitch Dance with Dr. Thomas DeFrantz on Sunday, April 12, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, in the Ballet Studio (Room 320), Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP by April 9 by emailing drusso@cornell.edu.
Elemental Readings III: The Matter of Earth
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts and the Department of Classics for Elemental Readings III: The Matter of Earth, a symposium spanning three days and various locations from Thursday, April 23 through Saturday, April 25. A performance of BIOphelia will take place on Thursday, April 23, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, in Room 121, Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability. The Earth Symposium show will take place on Thursday, April 23, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, in the Black Box Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. See below for a complete list of events, including guest speakers, panel discussions, art exhibitions, and workshops. Free and open to the public. First-come, first-served.
Film Screening and Conversation: “The Culture Industry of War”
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Film Screening and Conversation: “The Culture Industry of War” on Tuesday, April 21, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm, in the Film Forum, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.
Admitted Class of 2030 seeks real-world impact
Cornell admits the Class of 2030 emphasizing real-world impact, enrolling 5,776 students from 102 countries.
At Cornell University, the diverse cohort reflects the land-grant mission and applied learning goals across multiple colleges.
Professional Directions: A Conversation with Choreographer Jenn Freeman
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for Professional Directions: A Conversation with Choreographer Jenn Freeman on Thursday, April 9, from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, in Reading Room 124, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. The guest will join virtually on Zoom. Free and open to the public. Tickets are not required. During this conversation, Jenn Freeman will share her journey as a dancer, choreographer, educator, and producer. This event will be moderated by PMA Assistant Professor of the Practice Danielle Russo, and will include a Q&A with students.
From the Arctic to Broadway and Back: A Conversation with Playwright Carson Kreitzer
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for From the Arctic to Broadway and Back: A Conversation with Playwright Carson Kreitzer on Wednesday, April 22, at 5:00 pm, in Reading Room 124, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. This event is part of the Professional Directions series. Free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.
PMA 1183 Guest Performer and Speaker: DJ Quinnette
Join PMA for DJ Quinnette Presented by PMA 1183 FWS: Hip-Hop’s Global Vibrations (NYC, LA, Southeast Asia). This event will take place on Zoom on Wednesday, April 8, from 11:40 am - 12:55 pm. There will be a short DJ turntablist performance, followed by a Q&A session. Free and open to the public.
HomeBody: I'm Still Here: A Performance-Lecture with Ingrid Kapteyn
Join the Department of Performing and Media Arts for HomeBody: I'm Still Here: Transgressing the Borders of Disciplines and Dystopian World-Building in Performance. This Performance-Lecture with Ingrid Kapteyn will take place on Tuesday, March 24, from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, in the Class of ’56 Dance Studio Theatre (SB10), Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts. Free and open to the public.
Land Acknowledgement
Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' (the Cayuga Nation). The Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign Nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. The Confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York state, and the United States of America. We acknowledge the painful history of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' people, past and present, to these lands and waters.
This land acknowledgment has been reviewed and approved by the traditional Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' leadership.