MFA Program
MFA in Acting, Directing, Choreography or Design
The MFA Program offers a collaborative curriculum of interdisciplinary, team-taught seminars that cover a full spectrum of performance practices, including acting, directing, choreography and design. Students in any area may elect to extend their expertise through advanced study in another discipline. Students are also encouraged to collaborate with faculty and students in other UC Davis Arts Programs in the Departments of Music, Art & Art History, Design, and Technocultural Studies, as well as with other departments across the campus.
Students expand their horizons by working with a professional faculty and with nationally and internationally known visiting artists. For twenty-five years, the department's acclaimed Granada Artist-in-Residence program has hosted renowned directors, choreographers, actors, designers and playwrights. Each year, the Granada artists undertake special projects or theatrical productions and teach MFA courses as part of their residencies. Established regional artists also work closely with students while serving as adjunct faculty, giving students the chance to develop crucial professional contacts.
MFA students participate in the department's intensive calendar of productions, which draws a sophisticated and appreciative audience - and important media coverage - from the region. Each year up ten major shows and numerous smaller performances are produced in our playing spaces, including UC Davis' world-class Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts and various other venues.
The department has established a resident professional company, Sideshow Physical Theatre. Dedicated to exploring new performance forms, the company creates interdisciplinary work that merges text, video, movement and film. These artistically and intellectually challenging productions aim to bridge the gap between theatre and dance, life and art. Sideshow also provides a performance outlet for professional-caliber graduate students.
For more information about a specific discipline, please select from the following list: