Production Experience

Our graduate students have many opportunities for production experience during each of the Directing program's three years:

Year 1

In the first year, directors will investigate the rehearsal process and the art of collaborating with actors and designers. As part of this exploration, MFA directors will helm a full-length play in the Directing Lab. This production is presented with a minimal budget and encourages creative resourcefulness on the part of the director.

Year 2

The second year will focus on poetic texts and the emerging aesthetic of individual directors. Directors will work with a team of designers on two fully staged productions including a classical play.

Year 3

During the third year, directors will apply theories and skills to a fully produced terminal project that will be produced as part of the Mainstage Series in the School of Theatre and Dance.

Additionally, students will leave campus for an internship intended as a transition to the professional world. Examples of recent internships include assistant directing assignments at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Guthrie Theatre, Shakespeare Behind Bars, and Nashville Children's Theatre.