BEAT makes the performing arts accessible to the CUNY community! Since 80 percent of CUNY students remain in New York City after graduation, this partnership will help them become lifelong theatre goers, able to enjoy and participate in a vital and vibrant part of the cultural life of New York City.
CUNY, the nation's leading urban public university, and TDF, the country's largest not-for-profit performing arts service organization, share unique roles at the heart of New York City. Both represent deep traditions of service to education and the arts, enriching millions each year - CUNY, through its role in educating over half a million students in academic, adult, continuing and professional education programs at its 24 institutions citywide, and TDF by serving over one million New Yorkers and visitors each year through its TKTS Booths, membership, education and access programs.
BEAT, which was piloted during the 2010-11 school year, has just doubled in scope for its second year. The program was originally piloted on four CUNY Campuses: Baruch College, Brooklyn College, LaGuardia Community College and Lehman College. For the third year the program continues on those four campuses, along with Hunter College, Queens College, New York City College of Technology, Queensboro Community College to bring the total number of colleges served to eight. The program looks to expand each year, eventually to all 24 CUNY campuses.
BEAT has already launched four programs at the campuses involved in the initiative:
- Production Process - a theatre enrichment program in which theatre professionals from different performing arts disciplines participate in moderated discussions on various aspects of theatre production for an audience of CUNY students;
- Mentoring - a credited program in which a theatre professional mentors a group of CUNY students in a specific discipline;
- Internships - CUNY students participate in for-credit internships in their specific field of study at TDF and throughout the theatre industry; and,
- Ticketing - each school will have a group participate in TDF's "New Audiences of New York," a program which introduces theatre, through attendance and education, to underserved groups across the five boroughs. Students from each campus will attend theatre performances and participate in pre- and post-performance discussions. TDF is also offering discounted annual TDF memberships for students, faculty and staff at the eight campuses participating in CUNY/TDF BEAT.
THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK is the nation's leading urban public university. Founded in New York City in 1847 as The Free Academy, the University has 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, the Graduate School and University Center, the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, the CUNY School of Law, the CUNY School of Professional Studies and the CUNY School of Public Health. The University serves 269,300 academic credit students and 269,808 adult, continuing and professional education students. College Now, the University's academic enrichment program for 32,500 high school students, is offered at CUNY campuses and more than 300 high schools throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The University offers online baccalaureate degrees through the School of Professional Studies and an individualized baccalaureate through the CUNY Baccalaureate Degree. More than 1 million visitors and 2 million page views are served each month by www.cuny.edu, the University's website.