[Candrama] Now Accepting Applications: MA & PhD in Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies at York University

[Magdalena Joanna Kazubowski Houston]

Dear Colleagues - Please forward to any prospective students who might be interested in pursing an MA & PhD in Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies. Thanks!

The Graduate Program in Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies (TDPS) at York University (Toronto, Canada) is now accepting applications for Fall 2026. We offer two degrees, an MA<https://www.yorku.ca/gradstudies/tdps/current-students/degree-requirements/#ma> and PhD<https://www.yorku.ca/gradstudies/tdps/current-students/degree-requirements/#phd> (coursework, research, and research-creation pathways), both of which emphasize our collective interest in theatre, dance, performance, cultural politics, and practice-based research.<https://www.yorku.ca/gradstudies/tdps/>


  *   For us, this means teaching classes that explore performance onstage, in studios, and in everyday life to highlight the cultural, political, material, and ideological dimensions of performance practices, both past and present. Studying performances across a broad range of cultural contexts – in theatres, galleries, rituals, the media, the streets, the political arena, mass spectacles, interpersonal interactions – helps to capture performance’s potential to frame critically nuanced responses to public events and to model politically and ethically engaged forms of public life. We invite prospective applicants to learn more about our program's vision,<https://www.yorku.ca/gradstudies/tdps/programs/> internationally renowned faculty research<https://www.yorku.ca/gradstudies/tdps/>, and trailblazing students<https://www.yorku.ca/gradstudies/tdps/research-excellence/> on our website.

The deadline to apply for the MA and PhD programs is January 15, 2027.

Other central features of our program include:

Critical Interdisciplinarity — We encourage our students to cultivate a rigorous, interdisciplinary understanding of theatre, dance and performance by taking courses with faculty who come from a broad range of disciplines across the university. Our location within the School of the Arts, Media, Performance, and Design <https://ampd.yorku.ca/> is essential to facilitating this approach. Each year, the School’s curriculum is collaboratively designed to promote fluid movement among programs, support joint summer institutes and speaker series, and spark high-level interdisciplinary conversations across the arts. Students in our program also have the opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary diploma programs in areas such as Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Asian Studies, and Refugee and Migration Studies, among others. Additionally, a combined MA/MBA in Arts and Media Administration<https://schulich.yorku.ca/programs/mba-mfa-ma/>, offered in partnership with the Schulich School of Business, provides a unique pathway for those interested in leadership and management within the arts.

Practice-Based Research — We are passionate about bridging the divide between theory and practice in the study of theatre, dance, performance. Many of our graduate courses explore how performance practice serves as a vital form of critical inquiry, critical pedagogy, community-based research, and ethnography. In addition to coursework and research MA and PhD pathways, we offer a research-creation MA and PhD pathway. These courses take place in our state-of-the-art studios and in diverse cultural spaces throughout Toronto and involve frequent collaborations with MFA students and faculty.

Professional Placements — Our program offers exciting professional placement and fieldwork experiences for students at both the MA and PhD levels. Students receive course credit for working with leading theatre, dance, and performance companies, artists, festivals, journals, and conferences, both in Toronto and abroad.

Excellent funding packages — York University offers competitive funding packages to all eligible full-time domestic graduate students at the MA and PhD levels, providing fellowships that cover tuition and fees, and assist with other costs associated with full-time study. All full-time MA students are guaranteed one year of funding (for the one-year MA program), and all full-time PhD students are guaranteed funding for five years, with a sixth year of funding available to students who teach during their doctoral program. More details on graduate funding can be found here<http://gradstudies.yorku.ca/graduate-funding-model/>.

If you’re interested in learning more about the program, we encourage you to attend one of our upcoming information sessions on the following dates:


Experience Grad York – Fall 2027 Admissions
Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Time: 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET
Location: Online via Zoom

Registration Link: https://yorku.zoom.us/meeting/register/lz2mhm3ST62q9wY81ZC2-w



Information Session – Fall 2027 Admissions

Date: Thursday, November 26, 2026
Time: 2:30 – 3:30 PM ET
Location: Online via Zoom

Registration Link: https://yorku.zoom.us/meeting/register/FM95xuGsRVu5E8Vx6Wpb5g


For more, see the attached handout or visit: https://www.yorku.ca/gradstudies/tdps/

We also invite you to attend our program session at our open house event entitled Experience Grad York. To register or learn more, please visit: yorku.ca/gradstudies/egy/<https://www.yorku.ca/gradstudies/egy/>.

If you have questions about the Graduate Program in Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies or the application process, please visit our website<https://www.yorku.ca/gradstudies/tdps/programs/> or contact gradthea at yorku.ca<mailto:gradthea at yorku.ca>.

Magda


MAGDALENA KAZUBOWSKI-HOUSTON, PhD
Professor
Graduate Program Director
Department of Theatre, Dance & Performance
MA/PhD Program in Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies
YORK UNIVERSITY
312 Centre for Film and Theatre (CFT) • 4700 Keele Street
Toronto ON • Canada M3J 1P3
T 416.736.2100 ext 22257
mkazubow at yorku.ca<mailto:mkazubow at yorku.ca> • www.yorku.ca<http://www.yorku.ca/>

Faculty Page: https://www.yorku.ca/gradstudies/tdps/
Website: www.performanceethnography.ca<http://www.performanceethnography.ca/>
Recent Publication: Randia’s Quiet Theatre: Performing Care and Activism with a Romani Elder, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2025<https://www.mqup.ca/randia---s-quiet-theatre-products-9780228024781.php?page_id=106406&>
Other Publications<https://www.performanceethnography.ca/publications>







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