Performing Arts Opportunities and Updates

If you are interested in taking private music instruction, please visit the Applied Music instructor listing on Music at RIT to read more about these talented and experienced faculty. We offer music instruction for many standard orchestra and band instruments as well as vocal music through
FNRT 256. Please contact the respective instructor directly to request more information and a permission code. If we do not offer lessons for an instrument you are interested in, then send us an email and we will do our best to connect you with an instructor in the area. Please note Applied Music comes with a $200 per semester course fee, which is automatically applied to your tuition bill.

RIT's School of Performing Arts and NTID's Department of Performing Arts have a growing selection of academic courses listed under the FNRT, PRFL, and PRFN course prefixes. Both academic units offer theory and history based courses such as Music Theory and Survey of Jazz, as well as more hands-on practical courses including Fundamentals of Acting and Scenic Painting and Props.

NTID Performing Arts and School of Performing Arts Theatre Courses
School of Performing Arts Music Courses
NTID Performing Arts Dance Courses

Interested in performing in small group settings? Flute choirs, woodwind groups, brass quintets, string quartets, duos, trios, and many other chamber music groups have been organized in response to students interests in the past. Plans for a chamber music group are already underway. 

Email Professor Joan Kinsella for more information about chamber music.

Beginner class music instruction, class piano, class voice, and class guitar . Enrolling in these classes will not incur a $200 course fee, but you will need a permission code to register. Please contact performingarts@rit.edu for more information or to request a code. 

New this semester, beginner level sections of West African Percussion Ensemble (FNRT 253) and Steelband Ensemble (PRFL 490) will be offered. Contact the respective ensemble directors for information on how to join these dynamic groups. 

Additionally, this fall, we are also pleased to launch African Dance (PRFN 354), offered in partnership with NTID Department of Performing Arts and taught by master drummer and dancer Professor Kerfala Bangoura. It is scheduled to be held in the soon-to-open SHED Dance Studio. 

RIT Diversity Theater is a university wide program that advances diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives for faculty, staff, students, and community partners using theater-based methods. Professional facilitators and performance artists engage participants in meaningful experiences within the context of diversity and inclusion education. Live theatre, forum theatre, reader’s theatre, film and other forms of visual and performance arts are used.

Written, directed and produced by the Diversity Theater Director, original content is created and implemented offering:

• Theatrical sketches and plays
• Playback Theatre workshops
• Diversity films
• Community-building discussions
• Customized training

Please visit the Diversity Theatre website for more information: https://www.rit.edu/diversity/diversity-theater

RIT is home to nearly 30 performing arts-focused clubs for students to join and participate in each semester. These clubs include seven a cappella groups, the RIT Pep Band, multiple percussion groups, the Game Symphony Orchestra, the RIT Jam Club, a variety of dance clubs, theatre and improv focused clubs, and so much more.

For a full listing of the student clubs, please visit CampusGroups.

The Popular Music Collective provides collaborative opportunities for musicians, producers, recording engineers, artist managers, promoters, graphic designers, music journalists, marketing teams, and arts entrepreneurs to work together to promote music on campus. Students have access to rehearsal space in the Annex (located behind the SAU), live sound and lighting equipment training, bi-weekly songwriting workshops and weekly jam sessions. Whether you are an aspiring artist or interested in the entertainment industry, there are many opportunities to participate!

Email Professors Kyle Vock and Joel Hunt for more information on how to get involved in the Collective. 

Each year, the School of Performing Arts and NTID Department of Performing Arts produce a variety of fully staged theatre and dance productions. This year’s season will include an adaptation of Hamlet, a multimedia dance production, and several immersive theatrical performances, among others. Please visit the auditions & casting webpage for additional information about the audition process for each production. Also, be sure to mark your calendars for Wednesday, August 30 at 6:30 p.m. when we will host a full season debut informational session in Ingle Auditorium.

Join us on August 30 to learn about this year's upcoming RIT and NTID Performing Arts productions. Meet the directors and other key personnel, find out about audition and tech specifics for each show, and even connect with several performing arts student clubs. If you want to work on a show (whether onstage or backstage), this is your one-stop-shop for all your audition needs.

No experience needed. All RIT & NTID students are invited to attend. Interpreters have been requested.

30+ performing arts-focused student clubs offer the chance for you to make connections with students like you who share a passion for performance. Music clubs include Game Symphony Orchestra to seven (yes, seven!) a cappella groups, the RIT Pep Band, WADAIKO Taiko drumming group, a Ukulele Club, the RIT Jam Club, and so much more. RIT Players theatre club presents a standalone theatrical season which kicks off with a 24-Hour Show offered during the first week of classes, and our dance club scene spans ballroom, Irish, tango, Latin, and options for large and small group dance of a variety of styles through the Vis Viva Dance club. 

Save the date: Tiger Activities Fair, Tuesday, August 29, 6–9 p.m., Gordon Field House to learn more about these clubs and more. 

We are currently accepting applications for student assistants for the School of Performing Arts and student assistants for facilities and events. 

Visit the Career Connect to learn more and apply. 

Are you interested in participating "behind the scenes" in a performing arts producing? There are several ways to get involved in the creative process leading up to a performance and out of the spotlight onstage! You can do this through the design, planning, logistics, and installation/operation of technical equipment during a production or performance.

Students interested in scenic, costume, sound, and lighting design support and assistance are always welcome to assist the SPA and NTID shows. Contact NTID Performing Arts Technical Director and PAS Technical Production Guide, Eric Moslow for more information on curricular technical production opportunities.

In addition, RIT Tech Crew is a technical production department on campus that provides sound reinforcement, lighting design, power distribution, staging and rigging. Tech Crew works closely with local production and rental companies in order to provide a multitude of services to its clients. Tech Crew’s parent department is the Center for Campus Life. Its primary mission is to support on-campus student activities and events. These events include, but are not limited to dance parties, lectures, concerts and Commencement. Tech Crew is comprised entirely of student employees and managed by two RIT staff members. Tech Crew employs around 60 students regularly and hires about 10 – 20 students at the start of every academic year. For more information on available positions with RIT Tech Crew, please visit rit.edu/studentaffairs/techcrew or contact Rob Lewis, Manager of RIT Tech Crew.

Each year, College of Liberal Arts’ Theatre Arts Program and NTID's Performing Arts Program offer students the opportunity to audition for plays from a wide range of theatre genres and styles, including comedies, dramas, musicals, and classics. For a listing of upcoming productions and to find information on auditions and casting, please visit the Theatre Auditions and Casting Page.

For those students who wish to explore the behind-the-scenes aspects of a theatrical production (costumes, props, scenic design, stage management, etc.), there are plenty of opportunities to get involved as well! For more information, please see Technical Production Opportunities listed below.

In addition, the RIT Players, a student club at RIT, presents their own season of theatrical productions. For more information on RIT Players theatrical season, please visit their CampusGroups website.

The School of Performing Arts, NTID's Department of Performing Arts, and the Performing Arts Scholarship Program present a variety of workshops for students each year. These range from performance-based workshops to more technical, experiential learning opportunities. All students, regardless of their scholarship status may enjoy these events --they are open to all students, faculty and staff across the RIT campus, first come first served with priority given to Performing Arts Scholars.

Dance at RIT workshops