Career Impact: Providing a Launchpad for Future Success

Within the context of training at SMTD, students learn more than the essential craft of their discipline – they develop the skills to build a sustainable, fulfilling professional life. Students receive vital mentorship from faculty, and SMTD amplifies that mentorship through a strong infrastructure of career support and personalized coaching. This infrastructure ranges from the array of services offered by the EXCEL Lab, to workshops and master classes presented by visiting artists, to the vital connections made through senior showcases. Taken together, the career-building resources offered to students add a critical component to their training, giving them the confidence, vision, and tools necessary to forge their own success. With robust donor support, these opportunities will expand significantly, resulting in substantial benefits for students.

Where You Can Make an Impact

Internships and Immersions

EXCEL partners with arts organizations locally and across the country to provide students with real-world context for what they’re learning on campus. EXCEL helps students attain relevant internships and provides funding support of approximately $1,000 to help offset costs associated with unfunded or underfunded internships, making those opportunities realistic regardless of a student’s personal financial means. EXCEL also takes students on journeys beyond campus for immersive experiences with leading performing arts organizations, enabling them to build their reputation within the organization and broaden their professional contacts. Immersions are heavily subsidized to minimize student costs.

Project Funding

Each year, EXCEL offers grants and prizes totaling more than $100,000 to support student projects and ventures. EXCEL project funding, which includes significant coaching and mentorship, can make the difference between a student venture stalling out or taking flight.

Visiting Artists

Through master classes, workshops, and artist residencies, SMTD students have numerous opportunities to learn directly from experts, expand their professional networks, and gain insight into how others have shaped their careers.

Senior Showcases

For students pursuing degrees in dance, theatre & drama, and musical theatre, senior showcases give them an opportunity to perform for agents, managers, producers, and other industry professionals, building a bridge from academic to professional life.