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School of Performing Arts

Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 33: Community partnerships are one way RIT provides its students with experiential learning opportunities. James Winebrake, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and Juilee Decker, associate professor of museum studies, talk about a unique partnership between the college and one of the Finger Lakes Region’s cultural gems, the Genesee Country Village & Museum.

RIT's endowed partnership with Genesee Country Village & Museum—which was established in September by a gift from RIT alumnus Philip Wehrheim ’66 (business) and his wife, Anne—is one of the ways students connect with the Rochester community.

The Alfred Hitchcock classic Dial M for Murder has a new twist as NTID Performing Arts translates the play into American Sign Language, making it accessible to deaf audiences. Deaf and hard-of-hearing audience members can also experience cutting-edge closed-captioning technology using smartglasses developed by Vuzix Corp.

Classic sci-fi; an interpretation of a Tony Award-winning musical; a story of faith and friendship; and New Yorkers struggling with drug abuse, AIDS and homosexuality are all part of a new collaborative season by the NTID Performing Arts program and the College of Liberal Arts.

Six members of the RIT Game Symphony Orchestra took top honors and a $1,000 prize in the third annual Dr. Munson’s Performing Arts Challenge on Friday.

The diverse talents of RIT students take center stage Friday night at the third annual President Munson’s Performing Arts Challenge. The competition, sponsored by Rochester Regional Health, is free and open to the public and begins at 6 p.m. in Ingle Auditorium.

This October, the whole RIT and NTID community was treated to the first performances in the University’s joint theatrical season—performances that showcase a unique blend of Deaf and hearing actors on one stage.  The season’s first production, “I and You,” ran from October 25-27 in NTID’s 1510 Lab Theatre, and included students from degree programs across the university

In an effort to help RIT develop the leading performing arts program in the nation for non-majors, nearly 150 first-year students interested in performing arts this year received partial scholarships.

Vanesa Chiodo, a second-year museum studies student, worked as a public programs intern over the summer at The Strong National Museum of Play. Although she was only going into her second year of classes, Chiodo was eager to get some real work experience under her belt.

Rochester Beacon features Hinda Mandell, associate professor of communications, and Juilee Decker associate professor of museum studies.

Handcrafted pussyhats, subversive embroidery (“resist”), protest banners and quilts are among the politically charged textiles inspired by the rise of President Donald Trump, and they are the focus of a new exhibit and catalog curated by two RIT professors.

Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 13: What role do the performing arts play in the life of students at a university noted for its science and technology? An enormous and welcoming role, say David Munnell, director of theater arts, and Thomas Warfield, director of dance at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf.