Director's Message

Nick Mangano: Director, MFA in Theatre / International Theatre Workshops

I am pleased to tell you about an exciting new MFA program in Theatre at Stony Brook Southampton.  We offer an MFA with tracks in Acting, Playwriting, Directing, Dramaturgy and Film, and reside within an expanding graduate arts campus just a train ride away from Manhattan.  Southampton Arts also offers programs in Creative Writing and the Visual Arts, and provides an idyllic setting for interdisciplinary collaborations.

Located in one of the most beautiful ocean side towns on the East Coast, Southampton Arts draws upon the rich artistic community of Long Island’s East End.  You can study in Southampton and Manhattan throughout the year, including during our summer International Theatre Workshops. 

We have an exceptional faculty and seek associations with professional companies to help you get your work done.  We have partnered with the renowned Michael Chekhov Association (MICHA) to create an exciting new acting program, and with legendary film producer Christine Vachon and Killer Films to offer innovative training in film.  Members of the esteemed Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) are often on hand to read and help develop student work.

So, what do Jon Robin Baitz, Annie Baker, Emily Mann, John Patrick Shanley, Marsha Norman, Austin Pendleton, Kathleen Marshall, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Rinde Eckert, Mercedes Ruehl, Jules Feiffer, Julie Andrews, Alan Alda and Tennessee Williams have in common?  Southampton Arts.  True, Williams, unlike the others, is not a faculty member.  But he lived on campus for a time in our historic windmill, a Southampton treasure built in the early 1700’s.  Here he wrote an experimental play, The Day on Which a Man Dies, in response to the death of his friend, painter Jackson Pollock.  In fact, the windmill has just been declared a Literary Landmark because of its connection to one of our greatest American playwrights.  Williams' memory inspires our mission to foster the unique voices of emerging theatre and film artists, and to encourage new forms of storytelling.

With the escalating costs of education, I am happy to say that we offer not only excellent training with a world class faculty, but also one of the most affordable MFA programs in the country. 

And then there’s the beach …

I believe we are truly unique and hope you will consider us as you embark on your graduate career. 

Welcome to Southampton Arts!