Even with only 200 students, Syracuse University’s department of drama is no stranger to the national spotlight.

Housed in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the drama department was ranked No. 13 in a May 30 Hollywood Reporter article that listed the top 25 drama schools in the world.

The department offers bachelor of fine arts degrees in four areas: acting, musical theatre, stage management, and theater design and technology. It also offers a unique bachelor of science degree that lets students choose between different tracks and concentrations, department chair Ralph Zito said.

“We are known for our conservatory-style theatre training, which essentially means that our training focuses on studio-based practical learning as opposed to classroom-based theoretical learning,” he said.

Zito also stressed the importance of the department’s partnership with Syracuse Stage, which allows students to work in close association with a professional theatre company. In addition to the department’s five main musicals and plays, students are able to work on a co-production and a children’s tour with the theatre company.

“It’s the way three crucial elements come together: the conservatory-style training, the Syracuse Stage partnership and the university setting,” Zito said. “That’s what makes us different.”

Throughout many years, SU drama alumni have garnered attention in the entertainment business. Such alumni include 2005 graduate Jessie Mueller, who stars as the title role in the Broadway hit “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.” She received the award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical at the 68th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 8.

Mueller described SU drama as “a non-cookie-cutter program,” commending it for welcoming individuality and uniqueness among its students.

“No one ever felt like the department was bringing in or sending out a certain type of artist,” she said. “They all believed in bringing your stuff to the table because that’s what makes a performance truthful.”

During her sophomore year, Mueller became sick and was required to miss a semester of school. But upon returning, she changed her major from musical theatre to acting, and since has had prominent roles in Syracuse Stage productions.

Mueller also said she had built a good foundation of training from the drama program. She believed the curriculum gave her a lot of practical experience and replicated what she and her peers, as aspiring artists, would encounter in the real world.

“Sometimes you think someone’s going to give you answers of how to do this, and they don’t,” Mueller said. “But you can get tools that will help you, and that’s exactly what Syracuse gave me.”

In 2011, Mueller left Chicago and moved to New York City after landing a lead role in the Broadway musical “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever,” for which she also received a Tony nomination. Three years later, with her first Tony for “Beautiful” under her belt, she still gives credit to her alma mater for many of her opportunities.

“I’ve been so fortunate, and I try to remind myself every day of that,” Mueller said.

While at SU, Mueller participated in a program that brought drama students to New York City for one week. The students went backstage at shows, listened to lectures from producers and met working artists.

This weeklong program has grown into the immersive Tepper Semester, founded by Arielle Tepper Madover, a 1994 SU drama alumna and a life member of the SU Board of Trustees.

“Arielle had the vision to help emerging artists get that launch,” said Lisa Nicholas, director of the Tepper Semester, who has been with the program since it began.

For five years, the Tepper Semester was a weeklong agenda. As of now, it is going into its eighth year as a full semester program, and plans are underway to make it two semesters long come 2015.

The Tepper Semester also contains the first training program in the country for casting directors. Nicholas said it is the official training program for the Casting Society of America, and helps prospective students develop their skills.

“The whole experience gives students a launch in terms of understanding what’s happening with the industry now, and interfacing with professionals on a daily basis,” she said. “I can’t imagine anything better for a young artist in college.”

Nicholas said she is very supportive of the on-campus program and the experience it offers students before they go to New York City for the Tepper Semester their senior year.

“The program in New York really extends the drama department’s high visibility in the entertainment industry,” Nicholas said. “There isn’t another program of its kind.”

Published on June 21, 2014 at 10:50 pm

Contact Clare: clramire@syr.edu