The Master of Fine Arts in Acting at the University of Connecticut
is an intensive, conservatory-style program designed to prepare
students already possessing significant actor training for direct
entry into performance careers in all areas of the professional
theatre, including television and film. Master of Fine Arts
level. Combining a three-year sequence of acting classes with
extensive voice and movement training and a well-rounded course
of studies in the art of theatre, the MFA Acting Program also
offers outstanding performance opportunities through the Connecticut
Repertory Theatre (CRT), the performance wing of the Department
of Dramatic Arts. At the CRT, graduate students constitute a
major part of the acting company and work with professional
actors and directors on the way to earning membership points
in Actor's Equity Association (AEA), the American union for
professional stage actors and stage managers in the United States.
The vast majority of our MFA candidates are "Equity eligible"
by the time they complete the program.
Course of Study for the MFA in Acting
MFA Acting students take formal acting-studio courses in each
of their six semesters in the program. Beginning with careful
examination of the tools available to the actor in rehearsal
and performance, we lead students through a variety of acting
styles. Suzuki training techniques are offered each semester
during the course of study and provide a base of physical
and vocal training. In a disciplined conservatory setting,
acting students work on a wide range of plays, from contemporary
and modern theatre before progressing to more advanced work
with Shakespeare and other poetic dramatists. In the final
year, the performance study focuses on styles of comic acting
as well as techniques for approaching the great experimental
plays of the twentieth century. Acting for the Media is also
a recommended course for MFA Acting students. These core-acting
courses are supplemented and enhanced by required courses
in Movement for the Actor, Voice and Diction, Stage Dialects,
Jazz Dance and Historical Dance Styles. Finally, courses in
Musical Theatre Dance and Stage Combat are available and highly
recommended as are Singing courses through the UConn Music
Department. MFA Acting students also are required to take
some coursework in Theatre History and Dramatic Literature.
A wide range of courses to fulfill this requirement is available
within the department, and additional non-required courses
in Dramatic Literature are available from the Department of
English.
Class Directory for the MFA in Acting
The following is a partial list of the actual dramatic arts
courses you will take in order to complete your MFA in Acting.
ACTING
DRAM 345 Acting Studio: Rediscovering the Actor
DRAM 346 Acting Studio: Voices of Naturalism and Realism
DRAM 352A Studies in Acting: Poetic Voices
DRAM 352B Studies in Acting: Shakespeare
DRAM 352C Studies in Acting: Comedy
DRAM 352D Studies in Acting: Iconoclastic Voices
MOVEMENT
DRAM 337 Advanced Movement for Actors I
DRAM 391A Dance I
DRAM 391B Dance II
*Movement skills are reinforced and taught within most classes
and in Suzuki training sessions.
VOICE & SPEECH
DRAM 320 A Advanced Voice & Diction I
DRAM 320 B Advanced Voice & Diction II
DRAM 320 C Dialects & Accents for Acting
*Voice & Speech skills are reinforced and taught within
most classes and in Suzuki training sessions.
HISTORY & LITERATURE
DRAM 393 Graduate Studies in Theatre History
DRAM xxx Three additional credits in Theatre History, Literature,
Criticism or Aesthetics (which may be waived on the basis
of the student's undergraduate transcript.
Additional requirements and/or electives in Dramatic Arts
or other departments as required to total a minimum of 60
graduate credits.
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