Trinity/La MaMa Performing Arts Program

From 1986 to 1992, Shapiro acted as Program Director. During this period, the program hosted many guest artists to teach the students, including Ping Chong,[12] Bill Irwin, Steve Paxton, Cecil McKinnon, Nina Martin, Eiko & Koma, Anne Bogart, Cathy Weis, Yoshiko Chuma, The Living Theatre, and Robbie McCauley. Specialty classes included voice, physical theatre, acting and text, kinetic awareness, piano, and the following dance forms: modern dance, jazz, ballet, African dance, Flamenco dance, and contact improvisation.

The program took a hiatus in 1993. In its place was a summer program led by Bulgarian theater director, Damyan Popchristov, in collaboration with the Nikitsky Gate Theater and Trinity College. This summer program would continue until 1999.[13]

Trinity/La MaMa made its return in fall of 1994, with Damyan Popchristov as Artistic Director, and Chris Andersson as Administrative Director.[14] The program would continue to work with guest artists for ongoing classes and workshops, including Lenora Champagne, Olga Lebedeva, Lisa Race, Patricia Hoffbauer, Maureen Fleming, Claire Porter, Jonathan Hart Makwaia, Lynn Moffat, Tiffany Mills, Joan MacIntosh, and Jonah Emsig.

From 2000 to 2001, upon Popchristov's departure from the program, performance artist George Emilio Sanchez took on the role as interim Artistic Director.

From 2001 to 2005, interdisciplinary performance artist Roberto Sifuentes took on the role of Artistic Director.[15] In 2001, the Trinity/La MaMa Advisory Board was established, containing faculty members from Trinity College, Amherst College, Brown University, Oberlin College, and Ohio University.[16]

From 2004 to 2005, the program had both a spring semester and a fall semester. The spring semester was a notably different format. With its focus on solo performance, independent rehearsal, and field studies geared more towards apprenticeships, the spring semester had a class size between 3-5 students. Upon the departure of Sifuentes in 2006, the program returned to a fall-only program.[16]

In 2006, performance artist Michael Burke became Program Director.[17] During his time as director, the program went through various changes. From 2006 to 2012, the semester was referred to as the Trinity/La MaMa Urban Arts Semester. In 2009, the program was absorbed into the Trinity College Office of Study Away, departing from its history being under the umbrella of the Theater and Dance Department.[18]

A new docket of guest artists and instructors became involved with the program, including Tim Miller, Peter Sciscioli,[19] Peculiar Works Project,[20] Lindsey Dietz Marchant, Alexandra Beller, Josh Moser, Juliana Francis, Grace Kiley, Federico Restrepo and Loco7, Snezhana Chernova,[21] Jason Trucco, and Pablo Vela, amongst many others.[18]

In 2018, Trinity college associate professor and director Barbara Karger became Program Director. The program most recently incorporated formatted workshops by Tectonic Theater Project and Anne Bogart Viewpoints with SITI Company. Most recent guest artist workshop collaborations include Trojan Women from the Great Jones Repertory Company, Lake Simons, and Jennifer Miller.[22]