Project #5: Graduate School

Yale School of Drama

M.F.A Program for Stage Management Description:
This rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum consists of a balanced combination of required courses which provide a wide range of knowledge and training essential for today’s professional. In addition to the classroom requirements, students are assigned each year to stage management positions for Yale School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theatre productions that reflect progressively increased responsibilities throughout the plan of study. While the program is structured to prepare the student for work in the commercial and regional theatre, it also provides a strong basis for learning a variety of artistic skills and managerial tools essential for employment opportunities in different entertainment areas such as touring, dance, opera, event management, and industrials. Workshops, seminars, and lectures by noted professionals provide an essential component in the course study.

Application Requirements:
An applicant to the Stage Management department should have an undergraduate concentration in theatre studies or an equivalent in practical experience. The Admissions Committee reviews all applications and qualified candidates are scheduled for an in-person interview upon the receipt of the completed application. For the interview, an applicant should bring a prompt book, production book, or similar material to support his or her candidacy.
In general, an applicant submits the following materials:
application form
current resumé
statement of purpose
application fee
three letters of recommendation except for Design (set, costume, and lighting)
one official transcript from the undergraduate institution granting the bachelor’s degree
GRE scores (general test) required only for Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism, Stage Management, Technical Design and Production, and Theater Management
TOEFL (iBT) if first language is not English or if applicant has graduated from a non-English speaking institution

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

M.F.A Program in Stage Management Description:
The curriculum in stage management reinforces the importance of a broad base of knowledge by requiring studios in directing, technical direction, scenery, costumes, and/or lighting. Other aspects of management are also covered, including production management, company management, and front-of-house administration.
Emphasis is also placed on management within the larger entertainment industry through a liaison with the UNLV's internationally recognized School of Hotel Administration. Opportunities for stage management exist in all theater venues as well as dance and music. Training culminates in a stage management assignment with the Nevada Conservatory Theatre.

Application Requirements:
In addition to Graduate College admission requirements applicants to the MFA program in stage management should submit to the department several pages from a sample prompt script including forms, reports, or breakdowns (cannot be returned). An interview with stage management faculty will be scheduled after application materials have been received.
Also:
1. An official transcript from all postsecondary institutions
attended, showing an undergraduate degree in theatre
and the date awarded. (An acceptable alternative
undergraduate major coupled with satisfactory practical
experience in theatre may be deemed equivalent to an
undergraduate major in theatre.)
2. A written statement (500 words or less) of the applicant’s
purpose in pursuing graduate study.
3. Two letters of recommendation sent by former instructors,
employers, or other professionals who can evaluate the
applicant’s potential to complete graduate study.

University of California, Irvine (This one sounds the best to me!!)

M.F.A. Program for Stage Management Description:
Graduate stage managers at UCI work with directors, choreographers, musical directors, and designers in various genres including drama, musical theatre, dance, opera, concerts and special events. Each graduate student will stage manage or assistant stage manage seven productions. Additionally, students gain exposure to industry professionals who are invited to the campus or who are visited on field trips throughout the Southern California area.
Students organize and participate in a series of collaboration and production meetings for each production assignment. In addition to the supervision of performers, they interview and select assistants for each production as well as supervise running crews, which can number up to 60 students. In turn, professional faculty and staff mentor graduate stage management students throughout every phase of production.
In the classroom, students pursue the art and science of stage management via a theme for each quarter. These include: Entertainment Law, Directing for Stage Managers, The Science and Art of Cue Calling, about Equity, Self Marketing, Psychology for Stage Managers, Production Management, Special Event Management, and Music and Dance Production. Training is provided not only in the specialized area of stage management but also in dramatic literature, the development of theatre, concepts and collaboration, and script analysis. These courses help stage management students to communicate effectively with all members of the production team on a professional level.

Application Requirements:
To apply to the M.F.A. program in Stage Management a completed application and $70.00 fee is required. All graduate applications are submitted electronically and must be supported by appropriate academic transcripts and three letters of recommendation, which should be mailed to the Drama Department separately.
For Stage Management applicants, the GRE exam is not required. After we receive your M.F.A. application and $70.00 fee, our stage management faculty will contact you, if you meet their initial criteria, regarding the city and time of your audition/interview. Only persons who have submitted applications and fees can be assigned an audition/interview time.