patrickjnorris

Sharing my UCLA interview experience: My interview was scheduled for 4:15pm PT via Zoom as the interviewers were in Chicago at the URTAs. I sat in the "meeting" video chat for about ten minutes before they joined, they seemed to be in a hotel room which would make sense for URTAs, and they were obviously in the middle of a long weekend. They seemed pretty fatigued and that kind of led to me feeling like they had heard every word coming out of my mouth for days. But regardless, I feel like I did a pretty decent job, especially considering this was my first interview throughout this process. Here were the questions they asked (in no particular order): 1. Why are you here/ Why do you want to embark on the difficult journey of becoming a director? (This was definitely the first question) 2. If we gave you two years, and money, what would you create? (This question was very vague, but definitely the biggest opportunity they gave me to show them all I have creatively. They prompted me to unpack my answer a bit while they asked follow up questions but I still felt like my answer was a bit undercooked) 3. (#2 Followed up with) What is the question you want to ask the world with this piece? 3. What are four plays you want to direct? [I listed The Humans, Spring Awakening, August Osage, and Rabbit Hole. One of the interviewers responded saying "I've directed almost all of those" with a chuckle] 4. (Follow up question to #3) What do you think all of those plays have in common/ why are you drawn to those plays? I asked them four questions: 1. Q: How many students are you accepting for Directing this year. A: 2-3 2. Q: What is the size of the larger MFA cohort? A: 7-8 Acting Students, designers (they didn't specify the number there) and Directors all take courses together the first year and the Grad students have access to the undergrad students in all departmental projects. (Basically saying the groups are around 15ish but you interact with a much larger group of students) 3. Q: During my undergrad experience, my department was going through what they referred to as a "transitional period" with much turnover in the faculty, new curriculum, and a full renovation of the building that exceeded my time at the school; Would you say UCLA is in a similar transition, or is the curriculum this cohort would be exploring something that has been generally the same for a few years? A: There have been a lot of new hires in the last few years, but the curriculum is something that has been in place for a very long time, the only thing that changes from time to time is the order of the curriculum sequence. We sometimes change the order for a particular student if they have an internship or project we'd like them to work on instead. 4. Q: What does your ideal graduate look like? A: If we're doing our jobs correctly, it's someone who will take about 15 years to make their mark. (Proceeded to say) we have graduates all over the place, but the ones who are involved in the most successful projects have been in the professional world for 15+ years. (The other interviewer said) Our ideal student thinks of theatre with a global perspective, not just the American theatre. We want someone who wants to ask the questions and tell the stories the world needs to have explored with Theatre as the medium. They thanked me for making the time to interview and let me know the second round of interviews are being held on campus February 23 and 24 where the invited students will tour the facility, and direct a scene. I wouldn't be surprised if I don't make that cut, but I'll keep you posted. Thanks for contributing to this thread everyone, sharing the wealth will make us all better!

Hey there, I'm joining in the fray here. I graduated with my BFA in Directing in 2017 from Southern Oregon University, gpa 3.9 overall. I applied to UC Davis, UCLA, UCSD, UC Irvine, and CalArts. Davis is an MFA in Dramatic Art, with an option for directing concentration. I am California based so it just makes sense to keep my network where I want to stay. I'm so stoked to have landed interviews with both UCLA and Davis so far. Not entirely sure what to prepare for UCLA but the email I received said to prepare for it to last about 30 minutes. I feel like I remember reading an interview prep something-or-other in the application requirements but can't find it now-- could be thinking of another school though. Overall: UC Davis: Interview in person Feb 1 UCLA: Interview via Zoom Jan 26 UC Irvine: Submitted (today, my last one woohoo!) UCSD: Submitted, haven't heard CalArts Submitted, haven't heard Glad to have found you guys, anyone else going to the UC Davis interview day? The email makes it sound like a group day with a designated time for individual interviews.

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