The MFA in Contemporary Theatre and Performance program at The New School College of Performing Arts School of Drama was established in 2021 as an integrative curriculum in acting, writing, and directing. This collection contains video recordings of capstone thesis projects created collaboratively by students of the program as part of the curriculum.

The New School School of Drama was established as a master’s degree program in drama in partnership with The Actors Studio in 1994. The partnership ended in 2005, but the school continues as part of The New School’s performing arts programs as of 2026. The collection contains administrative files from the school’s founding until 2019, compiled by the office of the dean of the School of Drama.

The School of Drama, the dramatic arts program of The New School's College of Performing Arts, grew out of an affiliation with the Actors Studio initiated in the 1990s. This record group primarily documents student performances in the form of publicity materials, such as posters, postcards, fliers, and other print formats advertising individual productions and seasons. The record group also contains numerous clippings and printouts of online reviews.

Video documentation of performances spans 1997 through 2002, while print records cover academic years up through 2018.