NYU Tisch’s Department of Drama is launching an exclusive digital platform this week that promises to bring casting calls, discounted theatre tickets, wellness resources and much more to the Drama community’s fingertips.
“Drama Access is the department’s first-ever internal digital portal developed exclusively to serve — and connect — the Tisch Drama community,” Drama Chair Rubén Polendo told WSN over email.
The brand new digital platform, designed on NYU WordPress, has been months in the making. Input from offices across the Department of Drama was recorded by Marketing Communications Administrators Holly Gaddy and Computer Systems and Communications Manager Gregory Chan, who built the majority of the site.
“I held many, many conversations and meetings to determine what our students, faculty and staff were needing, from audition notices to searchable faculty bylaws,” Gaddy told WSN.
Polendo said that student and faculty voices were vital to the development of the platform, and will continue to be as the program grows.
Students may access a variety of opportunities such as obtaining discounted theatre tickets, applying to other programs, scheduling appointments and locating casting calls.
“It will be super helpful for finding auditions,” Natalya Ribovich told WSN, “It will also be great for finding shows to see at Tisch because the online brochure lists shows by studio and not by date so it can be easy to miss shows.”
While discounted tickets are popular with Drama students, Gaddy tells WSN that the platform will equip students with an array of other means to find work.
“We’ll be posting casting notices to the student section, as well as internship, job and professional development opportunities,” Gaddy said.
While the platform is not an app, the department is encouraging its community to link the portal to their smartphone home screen.
“[Drama students will] be able to download it to their phone as an app for on-the-go communication, schedule appointments with relevant colleagues, request resources, apply for programs and find information on upcoming events and productions across the department.” Polendo said.
With an abundance of information forwarded to faculty and students daily, Drama community members are relieved to have all of their relevant information on one portal.
“In a school with so many connections as NYU, it can be easy to miss opportunities so it will be nice to have one [platform] to check for everything” Ribovich told WSN.
Polendo told WSN that the platform is more than a means for the Drama community to access information. Instead, the main purpose of the software is to connect a wide network of services.
“Drama Access is a practical way of unifying the department and ensuring every member of the Tisch Drama Community belongs,” Polendo said.
Email Jared Peraglia at [email protected].
