School of Acting

MFA Program Learning Outcomes

The Graduate School of Acting provides intensive study and practice in acting and the supportive skills of movement, voice, improvisation, process and technique. Graduate students will hone their craft starting on stage and progressing to camera. As part of the midpoint review process, development will be assessed and critiqued resulting in a focused plan of study based on the student’s scene work and thesis proposal. The thesis cumulates with a final project and demo reel that best demonstrates skills acquired. Graduates will enter the field with a professional acting portfolio and resume.

MFA graduates of the School of Acting will meet the following student performance criteria:

• Acting
  • Demonstrate skills in a variety of media: film, television, theater, voiceover, improvisation and musical theater
  • Demonstrate focus in a scene
  • Develop a playable objective to use the other person as a driving focus in a scene
  • Communicate nuanced meaning and depth in a scene by striking a personal connection to the meaning and stakes of a character and a script
  • Establish an organic and truthful emotional life in a scene, as appropriate to the script
  • Bring the necessary energy to deliver dynamic performances appropriate for the performance medium
• Spontaneity
  • Demonstrate the ability to bring spontaneity to a scene and utilize improvisation as an integral part of the rehearsal process
• Artistic Collaboration
  • Make performance choices that affect and are affected by other people in a scene
  • Successfully make specific adjustments based on direction
• Speech & Movement
  • Demonstrate vocal range, resonance, breath control, and appropriate vocal power
  • Use the body as a tool to build character
  • Use the lines as an effective tool for verbal and physical action
• Professional Readiness
  • Complete a demo reel that showcases the student’s most dynamic and marketable material
  • Demonstrate professionalism and preparedness (scripts analyzed and memorized, punctuality, respect for another actor’s creative process in rehearsal, a strong work ethic, attitude, full commitment)