News
School of Performing Arts

  • January 15, 2021

    members of concert band practicing outside.

    Performing Arts Scholars Program flourishes

    Now in its second year, the Performing Arts Scholars Program at RIT has more than doubled in participants, with 368 first-year students involved in classical or jazz instrumental music, voice, musical theater, acting, technical theater, dance, or video game composition.

  • November 4, 2020

    poster for RIT College of Liberal Arts presents SOMNIUM, conceived and directed by Omen Sade.

    ‘SOMNIUM’ merges performing arts and video gaming at RIT

    Physical distancing and the inability to perform in front of a live audience during the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t stopped the cast and director of SOMNIUM, which premieres online Friday. SOMNIUM features actors and a green screen, which provides a virtual reality space allowing the audience to participate.

  • October 23, 2020

    group of students on a stage holding a giant novelty check.

    Applications for Dr. Munson’s Performing Arts Challenge being accepted

    Video applications are being accepted for the fourth annual Dr. Munson’s Performing Arts Challenge, to be held virtually during Feb. 5 at FreezeFest. RIT President David Munson created the challenge to spotlight and encourage RIT students involved in performing arts to show their diverse talents.

  • September 11, 2020

    theater troupe wearing all black and jumping in the air.

    RIT talents shine in this year’s Fringe fest @ home

    Nearly 20 artists and groups from Rochester Institute of Technology are participating in this year’s KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival @ Home, a 12-day virtual event beginning Tuesday and continuing through Sept. 26.

  • July 27, 2020

    woman playing violin.

    Performing Arts to continue this fall at RIT

    The show must go on – even if it means virtually. While performing arts offerings at RIT may look and feel differently from how they normally operate, RIT is committed to making sure they are available in a healthy and safe manner.

  • June 25, 2020

    students performing a play in a set that looks like a college dorm room.

    RIT theater production receives Kennedy Center award

    I and You, a collaborative production between NTID's Department of Performing Arts and the College of Liberal Arts Theatre Arts Program, has won a 2020 Outstanding Production Ensemble award from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

  • June 23, 2020

    four researchers looking at ancient manuscript.

    RIT building imaging systems to help libraries and museums uncover lost texts

    Scientists from RIT are developing affordable imaging systems to help libraries and museums preserve and expand access to their historical collections. The project, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, aims to create a low-cost spectral imaging system and software that can be used to recover obscured and illegible text on historical documents.

  • June 23, 2020

    screenshot from a virtual play, where a man and a woman look up at a bird on a tree branch.

    RIT faculty create live virtual play on life with coronavirus

    It doesn’t take long for art to imitate life, as evidenced with virtual live productions of life amid COVID-19 scheduled this week on Twitch TV. The Canadian Wiggler, written, directed and produced by RIT's David Munnell, uses virtual reality and actors in a live webcast. It is set in May 2020, when the coronavirus lockdown is taking its toll.