All MFA Acting applicants are required to complete an audition as part of our admissions process. The MFA Acting audition consists of two steps: a pre-recorded prescreen and a live, in-person or virtual callback. You will need to prepare two monologues for the prescreen.
Two Monologues
- You will need two monologues: one classical and one contemporary.
- Each monologue should be about 60-90 seconds.
- Classical monologues must be in verse and either be Shakespearean or from the Restoration, Jacobean, or Elizabethan periods.
- Your text must be memorized.
- Choose your text from plays. Do not use poems, films, or material from a one-person show.
- Choose text in which you speak directly to one other person and in which you play only one character.
- Avoid selections from monologue books. If you do use one, make sure you read the entire play and understand the given circumstances of your monologue.
- Avoid farce, as it tends to lead actors into superficiality rather than inner resources.
- Do not use dialects/accents that are not your own.
- We strongly suggest that you choose roles that are close to your own age and life experiences.
The Prescreen
Submit your prescreen through your application status portal by December 15. Applicants gain access to this portal after submitting the online application. Results of the prescreen are communicated by email.
For the prescreen, you will need to upload a single video file to your Application Status Portal which contains the following:
- Introduction: please share with us your name, hometown, and where you are located geographically right now. Please also briefly answer the following two questions to help us get to know you:
- What part of our training are you most in need of or wish to become an expert?
- What are your career goals in acting?
- Classical Monologue (60-90 seconds; record this in a wide or "full body" view)
- Contemporary Monologue (60-90 seconds; record this in a medium shot, from your rib cage up)
It is okay to film each of the three components separately, as long as you ultimately upload only a single video file. Be sure to review your video before uploading to ensure everything is as you intend it to be.
We invite you to scroll through the videos in the gallery below to learn more about each part of the MFA prescreen.
The Callback Audition
Callback auditions are held in a group format and last about two to three hours. When registering for a callback session, ensure that you can be present the entire time. Our callbacks focus on group and partnered work and you cannot be considered for admission without attending the entire session.
We encourage you to do your own warm-up prior to the callback session. After a short information session and time to ask questions, applicants will be led through a sample class (which may include movement and/or voice work) and will work with an assigned scene partner (another student from your callback session) on a short open text scene under the a direction of the faculty. The open text scene will be provided to you at the audition; you will not be asked to memorize it.
After completing your callback, please ensure all of your application materials have all been received by reviewing the checklist on your application portal. Admissions decisions are made soon after the callback auditions conclude in February. Applicants who are missing materials may not be considered for admission.
View Callback Audition Dates