Spring 2026 Courses

Information for Students

The program changed its name to Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies on July 1, 2024, and as of Fall 2025, our new course code is “TDPS.” 

At the bottom of Yale Course Search, please read the Class Notes section for each course you are interested in. This section contains important information that you may not find on the course’s Canvas page. 

Read the Expanded Course Description on Canvas for each course you are interested in. Expanded descriptions of most TDPS courses will be available by clicking the “Syllabus” button on the YCS listing for the course. If the Canvas page is missing or it does not have the information you need, please email the instructor of the course, the faculty member overseeing the course (Reid, Egan, or Brooks), or the TDPS Registrar, Alana Conti (alana.conti@yale.edu). 

All courses are subject to change and cancellation until the start of the semester. Courses may also be added until the start of the semester.  

FAQ: Courses

Each semester there are a number of courses offered in other departments and programs that may fulfill a requirement in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) but, for a variety of reasons, do not have a cross-listing with our program.

If you would like to take a course that you believe should be counted as a TDPS course, but isn’t currently cross-listed, please let Prof. Brooks know as soon as possible (hal.brooks@yale.edu). You might be able to take the course for TDPS credit, but you must get written permission from the DUS to do so. 

You may be invited to meet to discuss the matter or contact the course instructor for a syllabus. You may need to request written confirmation from the instructor that you will be able to write or present on topics that would allow you to earn credit in TDPS (theater, dance, opera, digital media, performance studies, etc.). You also may be told that the course will count for credit towards the major once you are able to demonstrate, usually at the end of the semester, that one or more of your assignments focused on topics relevant to the major. In all such cases, you will not be able to receive credit for the course until you have express written permission (via email) from the DUS of Theater and Performance Studies. It is possible to obtain permission once you have enrolled in the course, but again, there is no guarantee.

TDPS 4701 is our independent study course. Let Prof. Brooks know if you want to pursue a Directed Independent Study. The information/application form is due the first week of the semester. 

If you are interested in taking courses at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale or any of the professional schools, please see Enrolling in Graduate and Professional School Courses for Credit for information about which courses are currently approved for credit by Yale College.

Please note that these courses have been offered in the past and are not necessarily offered in upcoming semesters. In addition, DGSD typically does not publish its courses until the start of the semester. TDPS does not influence which DGSD courses are approved for credit. Once you determine that the course is being offered and that you can either take it for credit or are willing to audit, contact the DGSD instructor for permission. Once you receive permission, email Prof. Brooks (hal.brooks@yale.edu) and Registrar Ms. Conti (alana.conti@yale.edu) in order to complete the relevant forms. 

If you are not sure if a course counts towards the TDPS major or if you are not sure which category or categories a course may count towards, email the TDPS Registrar, Alana Conti (alana.conti@yale.edu). In most cases, this information will be clear from the course’s YCS listing. 

Graduate-level courses may or may not be open to undergraduates on a limited basis. Please contact the course’s instructor and the DUS if you are interested.

S ‘26 Required Courses For The Major 

Number Instructor(s) Title
TDPS 1001 Morrison, Elise Modes of Performance
TDPS 4901 Egan & Roberts Senior Project in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies
TDPS 4902 Stokes, Shilarna Senior Seminar in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies

S ‘26 TDPS Courses (All Domains)

Number Instructor(s) Title
TDPS 0003 Brooks, Hal Creativity, Devising and the Art of Making Theater
TDPS 1003 Rivas, Tlaloc Global Theater and Performance
TDPS 1004 Vazquez, Alex Play Theory: Having Fun
TDPS 2004 Martinez, Elijah Performance Concepts
TDPS 2005 Martinez, Elijah Intermediate Acting
TDPS 2031 Vazquez, Alex Latinx Theater and Performance
TDPS 3000 Singleton, Dexter Director and the text I
TDPS 3011 Bundy, James Acting Shakespeare
TDPS 3013/MUSI 3240 Dorfman, Toni Analyzing, Directing, and Performing Early Opera
TDPS 3037 Stokes, Shilarna American Drama, 1960–2000
TDPS 3035 Nyong’o, Tavia Black Queer Art, Literature, and Performance.
TDPS 3042 Rossmy & Rainwater Advanced Topics in Theatrical Violence
TDPS 3045 Dorfman, Toni Revenge Tragedy & Moral Ambiguity
TDPS 3055 Morrison, Elise Surveillance Art and Performance
TDPS 3057 Chambers, David Production Seminar: The Master and Margarita 
TDPS 4000 Roberts, Nathan Conceptual Sound Design for Theater
TDPS 4701 DUS (Brooks) Directed Independent Study
TDPS 4900 DUS (Brooks) Senior Independent Study

S ‘26 Dance Studies (All Domains)

Number Instructor(s) Title
TDPS 0300 Robinson, Renee Anatomy and Movement
TDPS 0301 Coulibaly, Lacina African Rhythm in Motion
TDPS 2307 Seibert, Brian Broadway to Beyonce: Dance in American Popular Culture
TDPS 3300 Phuon, Emmanuèle Dance Improvisation in Global Context
TDPS 3302 Coulibaly, Lacina West African Dance: Traditional to Contemporary
TDPS 3306 Robinson, Renee Advanced Dance Repertory
TDPS 3309 Hultman, Iréne Moving Sites and Structures
TDPS 4305/DRAM 350 Coates, Emily The Choreographic Imagination
TDPS 3311 Sibisi, Thuthuka Experimental Performance in Post-Apartheid South Africa
TDPS 3310 Reid, Amanda Dancing Till the World Ends: Performance and Political Crisis

S ‘26 Shen Curriculum for Musical Theater (All Domains)

Number Instructor(s) Title
TDPS 3502 (MUSI 488) Egan, Dan Current Trends in Musical Theater
MUSI 3230 Tesori, Jeanine Musical Theater Composition II
MUSI 2229 (TDPS 2501)  Burns, Andrea Musical Theater Performance II

Yale Course Search (YCS)

Interested in seeing Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies courses (past or present)? Visit the course search website!

Yale Course Search