Theater and Performance Studies (TAPS)

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Humanities at home

From their kitchen tables and their living rooms, faculty in the School of Humanities and Sciences translate poems, compose music, share childhood memories, read meaningful texts, examine visual artworks, and more.

What has been on the minds of Stanford professors as they navigate this turbulent and anxious time? Where do they find comfort and solace, challenge and struggle, beauty and grace? While many aspects of campus life are now mediated through a computer screen, the extended time apart has offered us a rare chance to hear from faculty informally,…

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The Faculty Women’s Forum presented its Outstanding Leader Award to Jisha Menon

Jisha Menon is an associate professor of theater and performance studies in the School of Humanities and Sciences, director of the Center for South Asia and faculty director of the Stanford Arts Institute.

The Faculty Women’s Forum, which acts to enable women faculty members to thrive at Stanford, presented its inaugural awards – for outstanding leadership and outstanding sponsorship – to two faculty members on Monday at a virtual ceremony. The Faculty Women’s Forum presented its Outstanding Leader Award to Jisha Menon, an associate professor of theater and performance studies in…

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Winter quarter 2020 guest artists

The roster of winter quarter guest artists includes talent from around the globe. Melbourne Australia’s Choir of Trinity College performs with the Stanford Chamber Chorale; Chinese dance legend and renowned choreographer Yang Liping presents her reimagined production of Rite of Spring to Memorial Auditorium; Maqueque, a collective of female artists from Cuba led by Canadian Jane Bunnett,…

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Two from Stanford named 2019 Great Immigrants by Carnegie Corporation

Young Jean Lee, associate professor of theater and performance studies and a native of South Korea, was named a Great Immigrant by the Carnegie Corporation.

Carnegie Corporation of New York has released its annual July 4 list of Great Immigrants in a salute to 38 naturalized citizens who strengthen America’s economy, enrich our culture and communities and invigorate our democracy through their lives, their work and their examples. Among the honorees are President MARC TESSIER-LAVIGNE, a native of Canada, and YOUNG JEAN LEE,…

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Spring quarter 2019 guest artists

Thirty different departments and organizations on campus host 80+ guest artists during spring quarter.

Over 30 departments, centers and campus organizations host guest artists each quarter. The Architectural Design Program and the University Architect/Campus Planning and Design Office co-present the annual Architecture & Landscape–Spring Lecture Series, and the theme this year is “Architecture of Humanity.” The series features five designers who believe architecture has a much greater responsibility beyond aesthetics.…

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Young Jean Lee has been awarded the 2019 Windham-Campbell Prize in Drama

Young Jean Lee’s work as a playwright and theater-maker is praised for its originality, diversity in form and subject and commitment to confronting political and social complexities.

YOUNG JEAN LEE, associate professor of theater and performance studies in the School of Humanities and Sciences, has been awarded the Donald Windham-Sandy M. Campbell Literature Prize in the category of drama. Administered by Yale University, the Windham-Campbell Prizes are awarded to eight international writers in the fields of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama. Winners will receive a $165,000 prize…

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Afro Pop dancing with a master

Philip Amo Agyapong brought the theory and practice of African traditional dance forms to Stanford students.

For a dance student, the master class is a rare and treasured opportunity. It is a chance to not only observe an expert demonstrating a particular art, but also to physically engage with the expert. Over 20 Stanford students had that opportunity in Roble Gym with Afro Pop dance master Philip Amo Agyapong. Originally from…

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Stanford unveils new Presidential Residencies on the Future of the Arts and welcomes international guest artists

Guest artists from around the world bring vitality and variety to campus in the fall.

Artists from across the globe come to Stanford to perform, create and engage. The 80-plus guest artists visiting campus this fall are hosted by over 20 Stanford departments, centers and programs. Some of the artists will be at Stanford for a single public event and others will stay for an extended visit for deep engagement…

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Community building by way of ballet and bhangra

Leaders from student dance groups are invited to co-teach a course on dance forms from around the globe.

Stanford students who took Inter-Style Choreography Workshop this spring explored a variety of dance styles as part of an effort to build a stronger community of dancers on campus. Video by Kurt Hickman Student dancers and choreographers came together in a course that merged collaboration and culture into dance practice. When School of Humanities and Sciences dance…

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Stanford’s spring quarter guest artists

Guest artists are all over campus this spring. Indie rock band Glass Animals play Stanford Stadium; the open-air literary celebration Stories of Exile, Reckoning and Hope takes place on the main stage in White Plaza; Mina Morita directs Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Person of Szechwan in Roble Studio Theater; and Stanford Live’s popular Cabaret series continues in Bing’s cozy…

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Stanford undergraduates perform an adaptation of the 17th-century Spanish play Life Is a Dream with a new ending

Under the guest direction of Tony Award-winner Dominique Serrand, Stanford cast and crew explore age-old themes from a 17th-century Spanish play while incorporating modern questions of gender and ambiguity.

When adapting a play about destiny, changing the ending might seem like tempting fate, especially when that play is considered one of the greatest of the Spanish Golden Age. But for guest director Dominique Serrand, reimagining the classic tale Life Is a Dream for an audience of today means not only exploring timeless themes, but also transforming…

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Taylor Mac brings students behind the scenes and thrusts them into performance

Through Stanford’s Arts Intensive, seven students helped bring to life a dynamic play by acclaimed performance artist Taylor Mac.

Research the cultural history of the United States. Select costume materials at a fabric shop in San Francisco. Inflate 2,000 pink balloons. So went a typical day in the life of an Arts Intensive student involved in Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, an elaborate work of performance art that was a finalist for…

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Guest artist series to expose Stanford students to innovative performance art

The Department of Theater and Performance Studies is cultivating a creative community that welcomes fresh ideas and artists at every stage of their careers.

Branislav Jakovljevic, associate professor and chair of the Department of Theater and Performance Studies (TAPS), believes that artists of all levels – up-and-comers, mid-career and masters – all have something to teach Stanford students. Branislav Jakovljevic is chair of the Department of Theater and Performance Studies.(Image credit: L.A. Cicero) Enter Vital Signs, a guest performance artist series, curated by acclaimed…

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Fall quarter guest artists

See who is on campus this fall.

One of the ways that Stanford is creating opportunities for meaningful engagement with the arts for students and the university community is by inviting over 100 artists each year to campus to create, perform and discuss their work. This fall quarter the roster of guest artists includes comedian and political commentator Samantha Bee in conversation…

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Disaster and humor are a hit at the Nitery

Stanford Rep presents "The Many Faces of Farce"

“History repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.” The famous observation by Karl Marx provided the inspiration for Stanford Repertory Theater’s 2017 summer festival, “The Many Faces of Farce,” directed by ALEX JOHNSON, SRT associate artistic director. Audiences are responding positively to the festival. Tickets for opening weekend sold out quickly, and this weekend’s performances are nearing…

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Stanford dance class brings performance to the Anderson Collection

Students in Stanford’s dance improvisation lab take their inspiration from The Anderson Collection at Stanford.

The latest Dance Improv Strategies Lab taught students that performance can happen anywhere at anytime. It could be at a theater or dance hall, or a less traditional venue like a museum or even a city street. For their final project, students chose any area in or around the Anderson Collection at Stanford University and…

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