Directing

M.F.A. and Certificate

An applicant to the Directing program should submit an application that includes a resumé, a statement of artistic purpose, three professional letters of recommendation, and an academic transcript. The artistic statement must be no more than 2 pages in length, 12 pt, double-spaced. The resumé should list plays directed, roles played, and any other artistically significant experiences and accomplishments. An applicant is considered for an interview only if the resumé indicates two years or more of professional directing experience since college graduation, although in rare cases exceptions may be made. The Admissions Committee thoroughly reviews all applications. From this review, selected candidates are invited for an interview, for which the preparation of a selected topic or project idea may be requested. Information about the interview preparation will be communicated to you via email instructions. All interviews will be conducted online via Zoom in January 2024.

After the interview, a limited number of finalists will be invited to New Haven for a callback audition scheduled for February 18 and 19, 2024. The final Directing callback audition is conducted in-person only, therefore all applicants invited for the final round should be ready and able to travel to New Haven on these dates. International candidates are encouraged to start the visa application process in advance in order to be ready to travel if they are invited. The Directing Program covers round trip travel, as well as hotel accommodations in New Haven for those who are called back.

The invitation to the callback includes short scenes from a selection of modern and classical plays. The finalist chooses one of these scenes as audition material. While observed by the faculty, the finalist directs two fully responsive actors provided by David Geffen School of Drama. For thirty to forty minutes, the finalist directs these actors in a manner that reveals their personal interpretation of the play, early compositional ideas, and consequent rehearsal process. It is understood that the finalist will not complete the scene; that is not the goal. The primary concerns of the faculty are the quality of the applicant's directorial ideas about the play and their ability to translate these ideas into practical direction for the actors. For the audition, the School of Drama ensures the availability of four straight chairs and a plain table. An applicant may provide two hand props for the actors as needed. This rehearsal is followed by a conversation about the work done that day, the play chosen, and/or the art, craft, and social function of the theatre.

Neither oral nor written critiques of individual applications, interviews, or auditions are provided by faculty or staff involved in the admissions process. The deliberations of the Admissions Committee are confidential.