MFA Student Testimonials
What do our current MFA students think about their University of Louisville Theatre Arts experience? We asked the MFA cohort to answer a few questions about the program. Their answers highlight the many reasons why you might also be interested in pursuing your MFA in Performance at the University of Louisville.
“One of the things that sparked my interest is the Graduate Certificate in African American Theatre program. It’s the only accredited one in the country. The Department of Theatre Arts’ Art in Action mission and commitment to producing works that reflect society was also appealing.” – Dylan Fisher, 1st-year MFA
What really interested me about UofL was its commitment to working on black theatre productions and including curriculum from BIPOC authors and practitioners. In my career before graduate school, I only had a handful of experiences doing BIPOC work. The MFA program emphasizes the voices of black theatre artists as well as other marginalized peoples to give students a well-rounded acting experience.”—Darrin Mosley, 3rd-year MFA
“Part of my creative work is to cultivate environments where people can critically engage with a story and imagine new ways of seeing our experiences. It’s important for everyone, but especially students, to have these opportunities.” – Andrea Haskett, 1st-year MFA
“My creative work engages with conversation and education. Speaking from the perspective of the black community, I believe we need to discuss the issues we face and things we perpetuate in our own community. By making art that represents the issues we face, we can discuss, learn, and wash our hands of miscommunication and violence.”—MichaelJoseph Barber, 2nd-year MFA
“I am proudest of my river work in Dr. Ari Calvano’s Movement I class. My journey from the first week of class to my river work by the end of the semester was impressive”—Michael Joseph Barber, 2nd-year MFA
“My work on The Old Settler has made me the proudest I’ve ever been. While working on this production, I’ve been able to study various ideas on cultural identity, including an ideology of masculinity through a black lens. Being in a production that challenges me to research Harlem during the 1940s while exploring themes of black joy instead of tragedy has been an eye-opening experience. It’s very much what I came to this program to study, and I hope to continue the work of deconstructing toxic masculinity in my work to come.”—Darrin Mosley, 2nd year MFA
“The faculty in the UofL Theatre Arts program routinely ask me one question that continues to motivate my work: ‘Who are you?’ Often, I’m swept up in becoming other people and I sometimes forget who I am as an artist. The Theatre Arts faculty not only provide actor training but ask each graduate student to examine who they are in the work that they do. Our faculty ask us to go beyond just playing a character and to examine what it means to present the character, show, research, and dialogue that each play has to offer. The faculty also have taken large steps to put intimacy work at the forefront of our training. They constantly reinforce the value and necessity of consent on and off the stage to make our art as authentic as possible.”—Darrin Mosley, 3rd year MFA
“They have encouraged me to embrace where I am at currently so that I can appreciate where I am going.”—MichaelJoseph Barber, 2nd year MFA
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