About the Theatre Program

Rigorous training enriched by an expansive academic curriculum, Fordham University’s Theatre Program prepares students as theater practitioners and visionaries. In a creatively fertile, experiential and artistically rigorous environment, the Theatre Program nurtures the individual, encouraging students to follow their passions and activism. As a program centered on the values of social justice and responsibility, we aim to serve our greater global community as citizen artists, using theatrical expression to create paths for empathy, understanding and dialogue.

Located on 60th and Columbus in Lincoln Center in the heart of New York City, and within walking distance of the Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre districts, the Fordham University Theatre Program is led by award-winning director and artistic leader, May Adrales. Faculty members are working theatre professionals who help students find their artistic voice and develop their skills in an intimate and supportive environment. Through core curriculum, individual mentorship, a robust student-led Studio Season and Mainstage productions, Fordham provides multiple opportunities for students to thrive.

Learn about our mission, and dive into the experiential work we do, by perusing our training and curriculum, and recent production photos pages.

Artists that graduate from the Theatre Program are risk-takers, creative thinkers, storytellers and innovators. If this sounds like the journey for you, review the requirements for the audition/interview process, and apply during our next audition/interview season. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected].

Questions regarding the admission process, housing, financial aid, and acceptance notifications can be addressed by the Lincoln Center Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 718-817-4000.

Thank you for your interest in the Fordham Theatre Program. We look forward to meeting you!

Eliana Rowe and Rachel Ravel in Ibsanity

Fordham Theatre News

Fordham Theatre Opening Night: By The Numbers

Exactly how much work goes into a theater production? To find out, we went behind the scenes with the cast and crew of Fordham Theatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, last fall’s mainstage show, just before opening night. 138 Hours of Rehearsal After auditions were held and parts cast, Fordham student actors began conducting research and [...]

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In NYC and LA, ‘The Village’ Collective Creates Community for Emerging Artists

Fordham grads are at the heart of a new collective giving artists and audiences space to develop and discover new works. How do up-and-coming artists break through, and how do people discover new and exciting art? A group of Fordham graduates thinks they have an answer. The Village is a new collective that the graduates [...]

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‘My Heart Is Always with Fordham’: A Q&A with Patricia Clarkson

The Emmy and Golden Globe winner is creating a scholarship for Fordham Theatre students, giving back to the university that had a formative influence on her acting career. At 19, Patricia Clarkson made a decision that changed everything for her. Attending Louisiana State University, near her hometown of New Orleans, she was missing the acting [...]

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Seen, Heard, Read: ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ ‘Can You Dig It?’ and ‘The Color of Family’

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel featuring Joel Johnstone, FCLC ’01—and the Rose Hill campus After five celebrated seasons, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has come to an end. The fan-favorite comedy about a rule-breaking 1950s housewife turned raucous comedian featured Rachel Brosnahan as the title character, Miriam “Midge” Maisel, and Michael Zegen as her soon-to-be-ex-husband Joel, vice [...]

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20 in Their 20s: Miles Gutierrez-Riley

An actor finds his footing in film and TV Miles Gutierrez-Riley says it was at Fordham College at Lincoln Center that he truly grasped how to be a well-rounded actor and person—although the California native has charm and charisma that can’t be taught in the classroom. Set to appear as Hulkling in the forthcoming Marvel [...]

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High School Play Makes NYC Debut at Fordham Theatre

Fordham Theatre is taking its students back to high school. May Adrales, director of the program, came across High School Play: A Nostalgia Fest by Vichet Chum, through her colleague Rob Melrose, artistic director of the Alley Theatre in Texas where the play was first produced. “Tears sprung to my eyes when Rob told me [...]

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Patricia Clarkson Creates Scholarship for Fordham Theatre Students

Patricia Clarkson, a 1982 alumna of Fordham College at Lincoln Center and winner of numerous prestigious honors for acting, has established a scholarship at Fordham, seeking to help seniors in the theatre program who may be facing financial hurdles—just as she did. Throughout her career, Clarkson has sought out diverse and challenging roles and won [...]

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Alumni Mentor Offers Guidance as a Way to Give Back

This fall, Fordham College at Lincoln Center grad Janine (Repka) Guzzone will be among dozens of alumni paired with students through the Fordham Mentoring Program, now in its 20th year. It’s early September. A new academic year is underway. And so far, about 150 Fordham alumni are ready to be matched with a group of [...]

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Theatre Program Welcomes New Denzel Washington Chair

Tonya Pinkins, a Tony-award-winning stage and screen performer, will take the helm as the next Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre this fall at Fordham College at Lincoln Center. “We are so honored and excited to have the incomparable visionary artist Tonya Pinkins at Fordham Theatre. Her presence will have a transformational impact on the program and [...]

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Supported by Fordham Foundry, Theater Grads Live Their Dream by Starting a Business

Back when she was looking at colleges, meeting the people who ran various undergraduate theater programs, Aurora Winger found that many were lukewarm about her plans to major in theater while developing her business sense by studying economics. Fordham, however, was “unique in how excited they were by the possibility,” she said. “Fordham was like, [...]

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Seniors Shine in Fordham Theatre’s La Cocina

The final mainstage production of the year takes place in the kitchen of a New York City restaurant, where the staff juggles, dishes, orders, and dreams of a better life. Raekwon Fuller, a senior at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) from Anderson, South Carolina, credits acting with giving him a community in his hometown, [...]

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