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School of Theater
307 Kantner Hall
Athens, Ohio 45701
Ohio University students in A Midsummer Night's Dream
Acting
Master of Fine Arts
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Acting Master's Degree

Our Professional Actor Training Program

The Professional Actor Training Program (PATP) prepares advanced students for careers as professional actors, with the expectation that students will take responsibility for the depth and development of their own artistic practices.

The Acting program, a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree, is a rigorous three-year training program, led by a faculty of working theater practitioners. A class of 10 is admitted once every three years, and each student is closely mentored by a faculty committed to individual student growth.

The training is dedicated to producing process-driven, skillful, and creative actor/artists with a specific and personal approach to the craft of acting. To meet the demands of the 21st century, actors must have expertise in a range of styles and be adept at working in any medium. We offer a comprehensive progression in acting, voice and speech, and movement. Additional coursework includes on-camera technique, stage combat, devised and solo work, text analysis, specialized areas of voice and movement, audition techniques and business practices.

Our Acting Studios

With a strong foundation in the Meisner Technique, the first year of training puts rigorous emphasis on the authentic use of self and the collaborative process. The second year of training focuses on creating complex characters through application of the foundation work to scenes, exercises and performance.

Style work begins in the second half of the second year with a semester-long focus on playing Shakespeare. The third year bridges the past and the present, encompassing a range of contemporary and period-style work as well as integrated studies of the actor in new media.

Third-year students work with a wide range of industry professionals and hone their audition technique and business acumen in classroom and professional settings.

In the movement studio, emphasis is placed on the human body as an instrument of expression; on developing strength, alignment, flexibility, availability and stamina. Voice and speech training centers on releasing habitual tension, increasing power and range, and utilizing specific speech choices.

On Stage Performances

Every actor performs a minimum of one role per semester. This may be in the School of Theater’s main stage offerings, Tantrum Theater or Vibrancy Theater productions, or studio/laboratory productions.

Professional Opportunities

Actors will be given the opportunity to work with the Tantrum Theater, which operates under an Actor’s Equity Association contract through U/RTA. Equity Membership Candidacy is available to participating actors. A wide range of industry guests visit campus each year — frequently for extended workshops.

For additional information, contact Brian Evans, evansb1@ohio.edu.

Admission Requirements

  • Apply Now

    Admission to the PATP is by interview and audition, conducted at the University Resident Theatre Association (URTA) National Unified Auditions in New York and Chicago, as well as on the OU campus in Athens. The URTA auditions are typically held in late January and early February, and on campus auditions begin as early as September of the previous year and often extend into April. Ten students are admitted once every three years, with a studio cycle beginning in the fall of 2027. Videotaped auditions and Zoom interviews will be accepted for international students.

    An online application through the Graduate College begins the process. Requirements include:

    • Three letters of recommendation
    • Head shot and acting resume
    • Statement of purpose
    • Undergraduate transcripts
    • English Proficiency Requirement: Please review information about Ohio University's minimum English Language Proficiency requirements for graduate study.

    More About Theater Graduate Admissions

    International Students

    This program permits full-time enrollment in residence at Ohio University, and an I-20 may be issued based on admission to this program.

Tuition & Financial Aid

  • Tuition and Fees

    Tuition and fees are assessed based on the number of credit hours of enrollment, Ohio residency and program.

    Graduate Tuition and Fees

  • Theater Graduate Assistantships

    Graduate students are eligible for talent-based awards, including tuition waivers and graduate stipends, as well as graduate assistantships. Graduate appointments are awarded by programs and departments, providing a stipend for service and generally include a tuition scholarship. Stipend and scholarship amounts vary by program

    More about Theater Financial Aid

  • Financial Aid & Scholarships

    Financial aid for graduate study (regardless of discipline) is available in the form of student loans. To begin the loan application process, you need to complete and submit a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

    To learn more about loans, scholarships and grants, visit Ohio University's Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships.

Acting M.F.A. Courses & Curriculum

View Courses & Requirements in the Official Academic Catalog

Graduating M.F.A. actors from the Professional Acting Training Program (PATP) are well-rounded, skillful and creative actor/artists with a distinct, specific and personal approach to the craft of acting. To achieve that end, the performance area faculty delivers acting, movement, and voice and speech classes in a sequential progression. This progression is built on the belief that any artist or craftsperson must begin with a foundation that is consistent, clear, and cohesive. This foundation work ensures that every student has a strong knowledge of self, a developing system of values and ideals regarding process, practice and performance, and an awareness of their weaknesses and strengths.

First Year: Foundation: The first year acting studio utilizes Meisner Technique and puts rigorous emphasis on the authentic use of self, the reality of doing, the awakening of the emotional life, and the collaborative process. Movement work correspondingly focuses on foundation, and develops strength, alignment, body/mind connection and physical expressivity. The first year of voice and speech is an in depth exploration of Fitzmaurice voice work, and Knight-Thompson speech work.

Second Year: Application: Training focuses on creating complex characters through the application of the foundation work to scenes, exercises, personal exploration and performance. Heightened language/style texts and Michael Chekhov Technique are introduced. The movement studio explores the psychophysical connection and the embodiment of text. In stage combat, students take Skills Proficiency Tests with a Certified Teacher in the Society of American Fight Directors.  

Third Year: Special Studies and Thesis: The third year deepens and broadens with specialized areas of acting, movement and voice. Acting for the camera constitutes a large component of the year’s acting technique. The interconnection with the School of Film ensures experience in the development of new work in other media. Students continue to work with a wide range of industry professionals and hone their audition technique and business acumen in classroom and professional settings. The creation of ensemble devised work and as well as solo work is central to the movement curriculum. Specialized areas of speech are introduced, including (but not limited to) continued work with heightened language and texts, dialects and voice over techniques.  

Interconnection with the School of Film ensures experience in the development of new work in other media.

  • Contact Us

    For additional information, contact David Haugen 740.593.4818 or haugend@ohio.edu, Head of the Professional Actor Training Program.

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