Acting

Plan of Study

The first year is a highly disciplined period of training, with a concentration on the basic principles of craft that lead to extraordinary acting: active listening, authentic response, deep imagination, and a spirit of play. Models of realism are explored through work on a variety of scenes by contemporary and modern playwrights, as actors identify practical tools for mining the printed text for given circumstances, character, objective, and action while also acquiring voice and speech skills. The second year begins with a focus on verse drama and physical storytelling, creating embodied performances of Shakespeare and beginning explorations of clown. The second term of the second year continues with the emphasis on developing an expansive sense of truth through heightened and extended language and movement with work on noncontemporary texts from world literature. The third year includes work on nonnaturalistic texts with challenging theatricality, as well as a semester-long solo verbatim project and development of self-generated performance material. Voice and accents work includes developing the expanded and extended voice, as well as independent exploration of accents and dialects. Students also have multiple courses in learning to work on camera and in front of a microphone, transferring their acquired skills to the mediums of film and audio recording.

School production opportunities include work in a wide-ranging season of directors’ thesis productions, Shakespeare Repertory Projects, new plays by student playwrights, and program projects led by faculty or a professional guest director. All casting is assigned by the Chair of the Acting program (pending approval by the dean) based on the developmental needs of each student, the needs of the specific project as articulated by its director, and the desire to achieve a balance of collaborative opportunity between all students.

Yale Repertory Theatre serves as an advanced training center for the program. Most Acting students will work at Yale Rep as understudies, observing and working alongside professional actors and directors. Students may be cast in Yale Rep productions during the season, depending upon their appropriateness to the roles available. Through work at Yale Repertory Theatre, those students who are not members of Actors’ Equity will attain membership to the union upon graduation.

Yale Cabaret provides an additional, although strictly extracurricular, outlet for the exploration of a wide range of material, including self-scripted pieces, company-devised original work, adaptations, and musicals. The program’s chair works directly with the Yale Cabaret artistic directors regarding approval of Cabaret participation by actors. Participation in Yale Cabaret productions is dependent on students’ program-related casting obligations and academic standing.

For course descriptions, electives, and additional information, please view the David Geffen School of Drama Bulletin.