The Performance Creation Concentration, offered in Goddard’s MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts (MFAIA) program, is designed to provide a learning context that blurs lines between authored, collaborative, and interpretive models of performance.

Goddard’s approach to performance creation is unique. By assembling a learning community of artists working in theater, dance, music and sound, spoken word and other oral forms, hybrid performance practices, digital performance, and the intersection of performance and technology (including film making), we’ve established a context in which students can work across boundaries that too often limit an artist’s practice. The concentration is designed to capitalize on Goddard’s low-residency model, allowing students to build their performance practice in their home communities and, through the use of technology, to establish working partnerships with students, alumni, and faculty across the world.

Concentration Requirements Summary

Students who successfully complete the concentration will receive a concentration notation on their final transcript.

In addition to fulfilling (or as a means of navigating) the existing MFA-IA degree requirements, the concentration requires students to:

• Engage with the concentration for a minimum of four semesters of the five-semester MFAIA program.

• Build significant creative work each semester, through direct production, experimental explorations, and research.  

• Develop 45-50 short critical reflection papers.

• Develop three longer critical essays.

• Complete a thesis presenting a fully-realized performance work.

• Participate in at least two collaborative learning opportunities during one’s course of study and two performance-related workshops during each residency.

• Demonstrate significant engagement with artworks, performance, and theory beyond one’s existing cultural experience.