Theatre Students Collaborate with The ArtFactory in Paterson, NJ

In the Department of Theatre & Dance’s BA Theatre Studies Program Site-Specific Performance course students create performances outside of traditional theater spaces through the integration of interdisciplinary research and theatrical practice. Students study historical and contemporary approaches to and concepts of site-specific performance and work at a site-specific location and engage in research related to that location to develop a culminating performance project.

This semester, as we did in Spring 2021, students are engaging with the rich history of Paterson, NJ’s historic district. We are partnering with The ArtFactory, a city-within-a-city with nearly 300,000 square feet of historic factory loft space on a 5-acre, 21-building campus. The venue space has adapted a 180-year-old former rope factory adjacent to the new Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park into a vibrant campus for creative business, community, shopping, dining, and events. Students also toured the Paterson Museum and visited a number of Paterson’s family-owned restaurants.

Working with Associate Professor and BA Program Coordinator Jessica Brater and Theatre Studies faculty Kaitlin Stilwell, students are creating a performance inviting audiences to learn about the history of Paterson and consider their connection to the location. MA Theatre Studies student Emilia Siracusa is serving as the class dramaturg.

Performances (free) are Saturday, May 6 at 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm and Sunday, May 7 at 1:00 pm at the ArtFactory, 70 Spruce Street in Paterson, New Jersey.