The Department of Theatre Arts offers a Master of Fine Arts with a concentration in Acting/Performance. A Graduate Certificate in African American Theatre is also offered. The department fosters creativity, collaboration, discipline, and artistry. It embraces the theatre as a means of creative expression, cultural understanding, and social development. The African American Theatre Program, founded in 1993, is integral to the department. All students are exposed to the diversity of multicultural theatre.

Admission

Prerequisites for admission to the MFA program are a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and admission to the Graduate School. The department requires that a resume of theatrical experience accompany the application.

Unconditional admission requires completion of basic undergraduate course work in each of the following areas: theatre history, dramatic literature, design/technical theatre, acting/directing. To accomplish this purpose, students may be required to take preparatory courses not to be counted toward the degree.

Applicants for admission to the MFA program must demonstrate theatrical skill which indicates their potential for excellence: students planning to concentrate on Acting/Performance must audition in person (no videotaped auditions are accepted). Students are also interviewed to determine their level of preparation and commitment.

Admission to the Graduate Certificate in African American Theatre requires a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and admission to the Graduate School. Applicants to this program must have an interview with the Director of Graduate Studies.

Requirements for the MFA in Acting/Performance

Students pursuing the MFA in acting must complete 72 semester hours of graduate work. The three-year curriculum consists of the following courses:

Academic Area (14 credits)

• Introduction to Graduate Study, Pedagogy  2
• Script Analysis and Interpretation  3
• Performance Theory  3
• Tools for a Global Theatre  3
• Approaching African American Theatre  3
  

Performance Concentration (42 credits)

• Graduate Movement I-IV 12
• Graduate Voice I-IV 12
• Graduate Acting I-V 15
• Actors Theatre of Louisville Workshop 3
  

Project Area (10 hours)

• MFA Performance Projects  7
• Thesis Guidance (monograph)  3
  

Electives  3

Community Service in the Arts (Independent Study 3)

Please observe that the sequence of graduate movement and voice classes, as well as the theory sequence, alternates years.

Academic policies

Some candidates may enter the program with insufficient knowledge in basic areas that may be important to their future success in the program. These students will be required by their Graduate Advisory Committee to complete additional courses. For example, many students enter without sufficient knowledge of Theatre History and are then required to take Theatre History during their first year of residence.

Performance/Production Project Requirements

All students enrolled in the MFA program are expected to be active in performance or production projects during each semester in which they are enrolled. TA 625 (Performance Project) provides a mechanism for implementing this expectation and for assessing the quality of the projects undertaken. The number of credits granted for TA 624/625 varies depending on the student’s concentration and year of study.

Russell J. Vandenbroucke
Professor
Chair

Garry Brown
Associate Professor
Director of Undergraduate Studies

Nefertiti Burton
Associate Professor
Director of Graduate Studies

Rinda L. Frye
Associate Professor

Zhanna Goldentul
Instructor

Albert J. Harris
Professor

Michael F. Hottois
Professor
Director of Design

Lundeana Thomas
Associate Professor
Director, African American Theatre Program

James R. Tompkins
Associate Professor

Zan Sawyer-Dailey
Adjunct Faculty