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 that prepares actors to work on stage and screen all over the world. The first year experience is about expanding the size and specificity of the actor’s skill, imagination, and drive. The next year intensifies scenic study of a diverse spectrum of dramatic literature, with a strong path of ensemble creation and student-generated work. The final year puts the work in the context of the profession, connects the student to artistic and industry leaders while refining the actor’s entrepreneurial spirit through company created works and independent cinema experience.
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, Shurtleff, 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 curricula.
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 five production assignments during their three years in the program.
First Year. The first year is focused on self exploration—imagination, impulses, voice and physicality. Courses are designed to increase and refine actors’ access to their imagination, help actors explore their bodies and expand their range of movement, and to better understand and refine the voice. Self-generated ensemble work is presented in winter and spring quarters. Production work begins in the spring quarter with a first-year ensemble workshop production directed by a guest artist professional director.
Second Year. The second year training takes a two-level journey in classic and modern technique and scene study of texts from the Greeks to Shakespeare to plays currently in production nationwide. Movement and voice and speech work continues to refine actors' technique but also focuses on period style and dialect work. Second year actors enter the casting pool for their production work and audition each quarter for the shows in our production season. Every student is cast each quarter in one production.
Third Year. The final year of the program fully prepares actors for the transition back to the profession, delivering powerful new skills for success as working actors on professional stages, in theater companies, on film, or on TV. Courses integrate the work of the first two years into practical professional application and introduce the business aspects of the profession: investigating self-promotion, the acting business, making industry contacts, theatre company creation, as well as producing theatrical work, culminating with the Graduate Showcase.
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—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. A series of alumni networking events in each city connects students 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 with no predetermined limit of students invited into the Production Phase.
