Theatre and Performance Studies 2026 cycle

[rubergjr]

kicking this thread off early. who else is applying this cycle? i'm finishing up my MA at Buffalo next spring and getting the heck out of dodge. Tufts visit this week. screaming, crying, throwing up, etc.

[cb1889]

Hello. I'm applying. After doing this for MFA programs a decade ago... not sure why I'm doing it again! 

[mtkF26]

Applying to 6 PhD programs this cycle and have two left to submit in early January. Hoping I get into at least one program so I don't need to do this process again. I'm finish my MA right now and doing these applications while drafting my thesis...holy Lord, I've been stressed in ways I never even imagined. 

[rubergjr]

On 12/15/2025 at 12:48 PM, mtkF26 said:

Applying to 6 PhD programs this cycle and have two left to submit in early January. Hoping I get into at least one program so I don't need to do this process again. I'm finish my MA right now and doing these applications while drafting my thesis...holy Lord, I've been stressed in ways I never even imagined. 

right with you there, buddy. i'm applying to 6 and i have 4 left in jan/feb, and i also really never want to do this again lmfao. writing a thesis and applying to phds at the same time is a special kind of hell. but great news, we'll never be in this situation again!!

[cb1889]

Is there anywhere else keeping track of when people start getting invited for interviews etc?

[rubergjr]

not in our field that i know of. we're a small small world

[mtkF26]

@cb1889 the only place I know of is on this site where you can type in the university and degree level. Once interviews, acceptances, rejections, etc. start coming out people typically add their results here at this link: https://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/ - you can also see previous year's results. From what I've seen, typically interview requests start getting sent out in mid to late January 

[Arcangel]

Hey y'all, finished my MA a while ago, been working, finally have a phd project im passionate about and i really believe could make a difference, so sent some phd apps this year. scary!! fun!!!

did my ma at nyu, if anyone is applying and has questions hmu

[cb1889]

Thank you @mtkF26 for your reply, that's helpful. Is anyone applying internationally as well?

[Arcangel]

hey! yea me 

 

[cb1889]

Sweet, what areas are you looking at/ which schools - if you feel ok sharing. I'm trying to puzzle out timelines (who is still taking), I've reached out to some potential advisors, and now just navigating the funding aspect because... oof. 

[Arcangel]

hey! absolutely! i do performances of power and cultural scripts of behavior. im only applying to canada this cycle cause my area of study is authoritarian goverments and i dont wanna be in the US while doing that, so my applications are limited. most of my friends and collegues are in nyu, stanford, ucla and northwestern, they really like it there. as far as i know, you find the advisor after you’re admited. 

 

for what its worth; if you’re open to MAs, i loved mine at NYU. moten and taylor are amazing.

[cb1889]

That's awesome. I have my mfa, or I would for sure. What CA schools are still open?

[Arcangel]

On 1/3/2026 at 5:20 PM, nekobchm said:

I am an undergraduate student, applying for a phD program. I will be having an interview for a Biochemistry phD program, but I don’t know what specific research interest yet. I wonder how specific does the interviewer want to hear from the applicants. Thank you!

 

12 hours ago, cb1889 said:

That's awesome. I have my mfa, or I would for sure. What CA schools are still open?

gosh im not sure! i think the official deadline for UofT is in like two days, but the recommended deadline for international applicants was the first of december. im in the biting my nails and praying and ritualistically burning offerings to get a response phase 😭

[rubergjr]

16 hours ago, Arcangel said:

 

im in the biting my nails and praying and ritualistically burning offerings to get a response phase 😭

oh FELT. i went and got my tarot done at the beginning of fall semester and the lovely reader (unprompted) told me how to construct an offering totem for my top choice program. i'm not a particularly spiritual person (the tarot was mostly just for fun) but you bet your ass i've got that silly totem built to exact specifications and i'm not TOUCHING it until the decisions come out lmfao.

[rubergjr]

looks like tufts interviews are out and i'm not on that list :') any other interview requests??

[Arcangel]

On 1/13/2026 at 1:58 PM, kalenbobalen said:

oh FELT. i went and got my tarot done at the beginning of fall semester and the lovely reader (unprompted) told me how to construct an offering totem for my top choice program. i'm not a particularly spiritual person (the tarot was mostly just for fun) but you bet your ass i've got that silly totem built to exact specifications and i'm not TOUCHING it until the decisions come out lmfao.

LMAOOOOo help help help HELP we are on the same boat 😭 pls explain why i dont believe believe in tarot but i keep pulling out my deck being like “🥺🥺🥺 whats the committee thinking today pls”

[Arcangel]

11 hours ago, kalenbobalen said:

looks like tufts interviews are out and i'm not on that list :') any other interview requests??

ughh 🙏 its not over til its over!!! you’re probably on the waitlist if you havent gotten a “thank you for your application but”….

[Arcangel]

my top program closed their application portal yesterday, and i was told to expect an answer shortly after that….im refreshing my email constantly even tho i know they still have to read through last minute applications ahhhhh 😭 its supposed to be rolling admissions but!!!!! 

 

ugh huge knot in my stomach. need that student visa 🫡 

 

send prayers lmao

[mtkF26]

Anyone else apply to Northwestern? Checked my app today and the status under "Checklist" says "materials needed" - which is very weird because on my end all required materials and recommendations are marked as received. Emailed the grad admissions officer to double check because based on previous cycles interview invitations should be coming out this week or next, and I would be so gutted if I wasn't considered because my application was received as incomplete. 

In other news, no other updates from any of the other unis I applied to, but we've entered that period where interviews start to come out and stress is at its peak and probably will be for the next month or so. Best of luck to you all!

[rubergjr]

2 hours ago, mtkF26 said:

Anyone else apply to Northwestern?

interdisciplinary or the one through the coms department? I applied to the interdisciplinary and it’s all just “submitted” on my end, nothing about materials needed

[mtkF26]

@kalenbobalen Oh, I'd applied through the communication department for performance studies. So, sounds like we might have different applications. Thanks for your clarification though!

[Arcangel]

hey y'all! this season is stressful as hell and my brain is having trouble not refreshing portals all day or thinking about it, so im doing some reading on things that are parallely related to it without being just "refresh emails". I found some info on "liminality distress" which was very grounding, cause it perfectly describes what im feeling like, so i though id share it. 

basically, its mostly a term used for ppl in precarious immigration situations, but it also applies to others in transition periods. my immigration situation is tied to acceptances so this feels extra relevant, but i think it may apply to us all. it describes a transition period which can only be ended by something external. 

here are some "symptoms" that resonated with me: 
A. Identity thinning (feeling less real, difficulty narrating yourself, feeling boring of dissapearing) due to role depravation
B. hypervigilance to signals (trying to regain agency through pattern detection)
C. attachment destabalization (relationships feel less secure cause person cant offer future continuity, planning is suspended and distance feels heavier)
D. somantic and affective effects: common symptoms include paralysis, fatigue, emotional flattness alternating with panic
 
if you're feeling some of these, i hope knowing its *a thing* and not a personal failure is helpful. sending everyone strength and good luck!

[cb1889]

I'm terrified I won't get an interview anywhere. And just got turned down for a job. eeee. is it too early to assume i'm out everywhere? 

[lucychurchamiably]

@cb1889 Not sure where you're applying, but my two cents (based primarily off of anecdotal evidence and gradcafe) is that many programs send out interview invites around this time, so I think it may indeed be too early to draw any conclusions.

Edited January 20 by lucychurchamiably