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 an in-person or virtual callback. You will need to prepare two monologues for the prescreen.
Prescreen Monologues
- Applicants must present two contrasting monologues. We are looking for pieces that show you at your best from two very different angles, perhaps comedic and dramatic. Your pieces can be drawn from any period and any genre of theatrical literature, but they should be written for the stage, not the screen. Please avoid selecting multiple pieces by the same author. Monologues should not exceed a combined total of THREE minutes.
- All material must be fully memorized and in English.
- Please select material that you personally connect with, that speaks to who you are right now. Let us see and hear what's important to you and what's worth fighting for, through the characters and texts you choose to play.
The Prescreen
What is a Prescreen Audition and why is it necessary? A prescreen is a filmed, digital audition. Each application cycle, we often have more MFA Acting applicants than available audition appointments. The prescreen audition process offers an opportunity for all applicants to be seen and equally considered, and it allows the Admissions Team to offer callbacks to those we believe may have potential to be successful in our program.
Your MFA Prescreen Audition must be submitted through the Application Status Portal by 11:59 pm on December 15, 2024. Please note that you will receive access to this Portal only after you have submitted your online application for admission.
For the Prescreen, you will need to upload ONE video file to your Application Status Portal. This file must contain the following:
- Introduction: Please clearly state your name and briefly answer the following questions to help us get to know you.
- Why do you want to pursue an MFA in Acting? What skills, insight, and/or experiences are you looking to gain from a training program?
- What most appeals to you about DePaul's MFA Acting program? Please be specific. We want to make sure we can meet your expectations and that we are the program for you.
- Tell us about an unanticipated challenge you faced. When faced with this challenge, how did you handle it?
- Please provide an example of a time when you achieved a professional goal and describe the factor that motivated you to do so.
- Slate: Please state the title of the play and the playwright of BOTH monologues you are going to perform, i.e. "I will be performing a monologue from THE HOUSE THAT WILL NOT STAND by Marcus Gardley, followed by a monologue from HOT WING KING by Katori Hall." You do not have to state the name of the characters you will be portraying.
- Wide Shot Monologue: Please film one of your monologues in a wide or "full body" view. This should be a piece of text that perhaps activates much of your body.
- Medium Shot Monologue: Please film your second monologue in a medium shot, from your rib cage up, so that we can see your face more closely. This should be a piece of text that is perhaps more grounded or focused, so that you don't need to activate as much of your body.
It is okay to film each of the four components separately, but they must be combined and uploaded as a single video file to the Portal. Before uploading, please review your video to ensure everything is as you intend it to be.
The result of your Prescreen will be communicated to you via email within two weeks of your submission. This will either be an invitation to a callback or a notice that you will not be moved forward in the process at this time.
If you are invited to a callback, you will be given specific instructions on how and what to prepare, as well as a detailed itinerary.
Please note that a callback is required for admission to the MFA Acting Program at DePaul.
The Callback Audition
In January and February of each year, the MFA Acting Program holds in-person callback auditions in Chicago and New York, as well as virtual callbacks via Zoom.
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. Applicants who are missing materials may not be considered for admission.
View Callback Audition Dates