MFA Directing 2025!

[sycamore]

Hello everyone,

I am from Canada and just submitted applications to a round of MFA Theatre Directing programs in US this year! While I am waiting for updates, I would love to connect with everyone here and keep each other supported!

I applied to University of Alberta, CalArts and UCSD this year. It's kinda a weird intake year since a lot of MFAs are not accepting students or only accepting 1 until the next round 🫠

but hopefully everyone get a better chance~

[kt27]

Hey @sycamore 👋 Thanks for starting the thread. I applied to Yale, Northwestern, and Carnegie Mellon this year. I've had one interview so far and scheduled another. I was curious to see if Brown would share intel on their restructure (??) this year, but no cigar. Were there programs you had your eye on that are not accepting this year?

Happy to hear folks' updates as they come along

[chicagodirector]

This is my second year, and I applied to Yale, Northwestern, and the URTA schools. Received a no from Yale, haven't heard anything from Northwestern, and I got my URTA requests today (5 schools, 2 of which had already reached out to me). I'm feeling encouraged because last year I only got 2 interview requests through URTA (and there were more schools recruiting), so that feels like improvement!

@sycamore I'm curious to know what drew you to Alberta--they weren't on my radar at all until URTA, but now I'm find their program really intriguing. (Feel free to DM if you wanna chat!)

[sycamore]

On 1/18/2025 at 1:04 PM, kt27 said:

Hey @sycamore 👋 Thanks for starting the thread. I applied to Yale, Northwestern, and Carnegie Mellon this year. I've had one interview so far and scheduled another. I was curious to see if Brown would share intel on their restructure (??) this year, but no cigar. Were there programs you had your eye on that are not accepting this year?

Happy to hear folks' updates as they come along

Hey @kt27 Thanks for replying!! Congratulations on getting an interview!!! Do you have any other updates? I got an interview from Alberta but no news from other two. I thought Northwestern is not accepting this year but I probably read it wrong lol, I think it was a couple regional programs i was looking at that are not accepting this year but the year after. I wish Brown reopens their program but maybe it's something to do with budget cuts?

Do you have any ideas of what kind of interview questions they will ask that you wouldn't mind sharing? thanks!!!

[sycamore]

18 hours ago, chicagodirector said:

This is my second year, and I applied to Yale, Northwestern, and the URTA schools. Received a no from Yale, haven't heard anything from Northwestern, and I got my URTA requests today (5 schools, 2 of which had already reached out to me). I'm feeling encouraged because last year I only got 2 interview requests through URTA (and there were more schools recruiting), so that feels like improvement!

@sycamore I'm curious to know what drew you to Alberta--they weren't on my radar at all until URTA, but now I'm find their program really intriguing. (Feel free to DM if you wanna chat!)

Hiiii @chicagodirector welcome to the thread~ I heard about URTA but decided not to do it this year. But congrats to you getting 2 requests!!!

I applied to Alberta because I am from Canada, so it's easier for me. And a lot of MFA Directing programs in Canada were cancelled last year (like Calgary), so Alberta is one of the remaining ones that I heard people in the industry talked good about. I was wanting to apply to National Theatre School of Canada but they aren't accepting this year. For Alberta, I like they have a rather big and diverse faulty, have some funding options available and the location is cool having one of the biggest Fringe in North America and closed to Banff (where a lot of Canadian artists go for residency). 

[chicagodirector]

13 minutes ago, sycamore said:

Hey @kt27 Thanks for replying!! Congratulations on getting an interview!!! Do you have any other updates? I got an interview from Alberta but no news from other two. I thought Northwestern is not accepting this year but I probably read it wrong lol, I think it was a couple regional programs i was looking at that are not accepting this year but the year after. I wish Brown reopens their program but maybe it's something to do with budget cuts?

Do you have any ideas of what kind of interview questions they will ask that you wouldn't mind sharing? thanks!!!

Northwestern takes 3 students every year, including this year. I also wish Brown were recruiting, I hope the program continues to exist--it's now two years in a row they haven't recruited.

I was really impressed by how personal the interview with Alberta was--none of the impersonal "why grad school/why now" questions I got from schools last year (which I'd already throughly answered in my essays) but instead specific and thoughtful questions that pertained to my essays and the work in my portfolio. It was a really fun conversation, and they seem like attentive and caring faculty. They also left a lot of time for me to ask them questions as well. Being from the states, I had not heard of their program before, but after the interview I'm looking into them seriously.

[Gdn]

Hi all! 

Applied to UCSD, Yale, and Northwestern. Had first interview with Yale , and waiting to hear if I received a callback or not. Have my first UCSD interview on Saturday. Still nothing from Northwestern. Anyone heard anything from NU yet?