Fairleigh Dickinson University Opens New Arts Program

TEANECK, NJ — Fairleigh Dickinson University’s (FDU) Wroxton College is collaborating with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) to bring students an immersive residential program that will offer learning opportunities to aspiring actors and students.

FDU’s five-year partnership with RSC Learning will bring a unique semester-long opportunity for students enrolled at the University’s Wroxton College in England. The program, which is set to launch for the Fall semester will give students the ability to take workshops on-site at the RSC with various artists and theater professionals. Students will also have the ability to choose their own course of track between acting or design and management. FDU is the only theater program in the country to offer this opportunity and experience, according to a statement.

“The exclusive partnership between students studying at FDU’s Wroxton College and the Royal Shakespeare Company embodies the shared commitments of our institutions of educating students through a combination of innovative academic programs and immersive world-class performance experiences to foster learning both inside and outside of the classroom," said Michael Avaltroni, University Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at FDU, in a statement.

Originally known as The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, the building opened in 1879 in Stratford-upon-Avon by Charles Flower, a local brewer, who donated the land and launched the campaign to build a theater in the town of Shakespeare’s birth. In 1961, the RSC was founded and the building was reopened as the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Similar to its original intention, the theater serves as a performance center for Shakespeare’s plays as well as commissioning original work from contemporary writers.

“We’re very excited about welcoming FDU students into our community of practice,” said Tom King, RSC Learning Partnerships Manager, in a statement. “Shakespeare is a vehicle to allow us to debate some of the most important questions of our time, and this programme will allow students to experience how our actors and directors engage with Shakespeare’s language and the craft of theatre. Through the different strands of acting, performance, design and management we hope to inspire the next generation of theatre makers in Shakespeare’s home town.”

Director of FDU’s School of Arts, Todd Rosen, said the partnership will further the school’s aim to equip emerging artists with the skills necessary to succeed. “Through innovative curriculum, with an emphasis on real-world preparedness, School of the Arts students will graduate with a strong personal creative vision and impressive portfolio of work.”

For information on requirements and how to apply click here. Applications for the program are due April 15.