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Overview
The Theatre School’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Acting program is highly rigorous, collaborative, and visceral. We prepare actors to work on stages and screens all over the world.
Students learn from a distinguished faculty who possess a wide variety of expertise. They teach an eclectic curriculum of Stanislavski, Spolin, Shurtleff, Lessac, Linklater, Yoga, Feldenkrais® Method, Bartenieff, Laban, mask work, and much more. Students explore these unique points-of-view within a comprehensive progression of acting, movement, and voice and speech curricula.
Equally important to classroom training is the opportunity to synthesize that learning in the production process. Our MFA students perform on our stages in a minimum of four production assignments over their two-year program.
At the conclusion of their training, our graduates possess the tools to form a personalized approach that combines intellectual curiosity and technical proficiency with a revitalized artistic vision. They enter our field as inventive, imaginative, and responsive collaborators, able to heed the call for a more equitable and joyful profession.
Chicago is our “extended classroom". The city is home to over 200+ theatres, including Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, the Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Court Theatre, Timeline Theatre Company, and a multitude of store-front venues. Chicago also boasts a booming television and film industry with nearly $700 million in production annually, including
The Bear,
Chicago Med, PD, Fire, and
The Batman. The Joffrey Ballet, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago Art Institute, and a host of other museums, galleries, film festivals, restaurants, and live music venues round out the city's offerings. There is always something to do, experience, and think critically about, making it the ideal place to advance your acting career.
Graduate Showcase
In the winter quarter, under the guidance of faculty, graduating actors prepare Digital (screen) and Live (stage)
Graduate Showcases. The Live Showcase consists of a series of theatrical scenes, which are presented in Chicago (and may also be shared in Los Angeles) for casting directors, talent agents, producers, and directors from theatre, film, and television. The Live Showcase also includes a series of alumni networking events to introduce and connect our graduates with our large alumni network. The Digital Showcase is a series of professionally filmed scene work, which is posted online and disseminated widely to industry professionals.
Admissions Process
The Theatre School admits a diverse acting pool and encourages applicants inclusive of all gender and sexual identities and expressions, including their intersection with racial and ethnic identities, as well as the multiplicity of identities in our ever-evolving society. For more information on how The Theatre School strives for equity, diversity, and inclusion, read our
diversity action statement.
Featured Faculty
Nicole Ricciardi | Head of MFA Acting
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