The Theatre School’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Acting is a highly truthful, yet expressive, physical acting program informed by our Chicago roots but preparing actors to work on stage and screen all over the world. The first year experience is about expanding the size of the actors' toolbox. The subsequent two years focus on providing actors the tools – skills and technique - while helping each actor discover and apply those which work best for him or her.
Students learn from a distinguished faculty of working professionals who possess a wide variety of backgrounds and expertise. Our faculty has spent many years developing successful, personal and powerful curricula that mine a diversity of ideas from Stanislavski, Spolin, Grotowski, Suzuki, Lessac, Linklater, Yoga, Tai Chi, Feldenkrais ® Method, Laban, mask work, and more. Students are inspired through unique points-of-view within a comprehensive three-year progression of acting, movement, and voice and speech curriculum.
Equally important to the training students receive in the classroom is the opportunity they have to synthesize that learning in the production process, with each student completing 7 production assignments during their three years in the program.
First Year. The first year is focused on exploration - not only of the craft of acting but more importantly self exploration by each actor of his or her tools – imagination, impulses, voice and physicality. Acting course work includes Spolin-based improvisation to increase and refine actors ’ access to their imagination, Meisner techniques to sharpen listening and personalization,and contemporary scene study to explore how to apply their imagination to a theatrical reality. Movement courses focus on helping actors explore their bodies and expand their range of movement through yoga, Feldenkrais and contemporary style exploration. Voice and speech curriculum focus on helping actors better understand and access their voice and then refining the voice through Linklater-based technique work. Production work begins in the third quarter with first-year ensemble workshop production.
Second Year. Advanced technique work and classical style is the focus of the second year. Acting course work focuses on classical scene study and heightened language – Shakespeare, first folio technique and text founded in poetic forms. Movement and voice and speech work continues to refine actors’ technique but also focuses on period style, period movement and dialect work. Second year actors enter the Casting Pool for their production work. Each student in the Casting Pool auditions each quarter for the shows in our public production season and every student is cast each quarter in one of these shows. Our public season is a mix of contemporary, classical, children’s theatre and new works mounted in a variety of spaces from the Merle Reskin Theatre, our large proscenium stage, to intimate 30 seat studio spaces.
Third Year. The final year of the program focuses on preparing actors for the transition back to the profession through coursework focused on helping actors integrate what they learned for practical application in the profession. Acting coursework involves synthesis work in improvisation and scene study, film and television acting, audition preparation and voiceover. Movement coursework includes impulse and expression-based movement and African dance. Voice and speech coursework includes musical theatre and voiceover technique. Students also take courses focused on the business aspects of the profession which includes marketing themselves as actors and working with casting agents and casting directors. Third year actors continue in the Casting Pool and are cast in three more productions in our public season.
Graduate Showcase. At the end of each year, The Theatre School hosts a series of events to showcase the work of our graduating actors. Under the guidance of the faculty, graduating actors prepare a showcase production – usually a series of scenes and monologues – which is presented in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles for casting directors, casting agents, producers and directors from theatre, film and television. The Graduate Showcase includes a series of alumni networking events in each city to introduce and connect our graduates to our large alumni network.
Evaluation. Every student receives quarterly evaluation and feedback from the faculty each year. Students’ evaluations are based on discipline, collaboration, professional potential and progress in the program. The acting program is divided into two phases – the Probationary Phase (first year) and Production Phase (second and third years). First year acting students receive an Invitation to Return into the Production Phase of the program. The first year of the acting program has a capacity of 10 students (5 males and 5 females) with no predetermined limit of students invited into the Production Phase.
