Acting M.F.A.

M.F.A. – Acting

UPDATE AS OF DECEMBER 8, 2025:

IU Bloomington’s Department of Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance has opted to pause recruiting for the MFA Acting program for the 2026-2027 academic year, to allow time to recalibrate our curriculum in Acting to align with current shifts and future opportunities in our industry. While no MFA Acting candidates will be auditioned or admitted for the 2026-2027 academic year, we invite interested candidates to monitor this site for updates about future recruiting for Actors in the 2027-2028 academic cohort, with an audition cycle beginning in January 2027.

Any questions about this change in recruiting schedule for the Acting MFA may be directed to Jenny McKnight at jenmckni@iu.edu.

We appreciate your interest in our MFA Acting program, and we wish you the best of luck with your graduate school search.

Audition information

Our mission statement

Indiana University’s 3-year graduate acting training program leads to a terminal professional degree: the M.F.A. in Acting. Our program endeavors to recognize and support each student’s innate artistry, while offering customizable, reliable tools for fullest realization of each student’s Physical, Communicative, Imaginative, Intellectual, Collaborative, and Career-building potential. Our emphasis is on supporting the well-rounded artist, offering a multi-faceted approach to a healthy and sustainable career as an actor.

What we offer

Faculty instruction and mentorship

Students receive individualized attention from faculty and guest artists who are actively engaged in the profession.
Beginning in the first semester, graduate students in Acting are paired with a faculty mentor, who provides guidance, feedback and support.
At the end of each semester, each graduate student in Acting submits a document reflecting on their experiences in the program. The document helps to direct individual meetings with Acting/Directing faculty, denote progress and challenges, and set goals for the following semester.
In combination with these semester-end reflections, actors are also given a supplemental reading list, which culminates in an oral examination with faculty, discussing the material, its application to each actor’s breadth of knowledge, and development of their personal aesthetic and process.

Coursework + curriculum

Each semester includes voice and movement classwork
An opportunity to study and certify in combat techniques through SAFD
Foundational acting classes offer instruction in Meisner, Adler, and other Stanislavski-based methodologies
On-Camera acting class includes opportunities for collaboration with students and faculty in the Media School.
Solo performance development + Audition Strategies and Techniques
Performance Scene Study of Contemporary and pre-20^th Century scripts
Training in Intimacy for the Stage, plus access to additional IDC resources
Courses in History, Theory and Literature
Entrepreneurship course designed to develop skills in self-promotion and production
Performing Shakespeare course
Opportunities to take courses and engage in workshops with students in other graduate disciplines, such as Directing, Playwriting, Dramaturgy, and Design/Technology

M.F.A. in Acting: Three Year Curriculum Guide

Production experience

Our Programming Committee prioritizes programming material that serves the department’s academic mission, that represents a variety of genres including new, contemporary, and heightened-language plays, and that provides opportunities for as many graduate and undergraduate majors as possible. M.F.A. students are encouraged to submit titles to the Committee for consideration.
In their first semester, M.F.A. students do not participate in mainstage productions.
Each of their five subsequent semesters, M.F.A. Acting students are cast in mainstage productions, providing opportunities to collaborate with faculty, guest artists, fellow graduate students, and talented undergraduate students on departmental productions, and to apply techniques learned in the classroom to practical use.
In year 3, a Showcase production is developed in which all M.F.A. Actors will appear, and to which Industry professionals are invited. M.F.A. Acting students will also produce a Video Showcase, which will be disseminated to Industry professionals.

Financial support

Tuition waiver
Insurance (medical, vision, dental)
No less than $24,000 minimum yearly stipend
Travel grants to engage in study outside the department. Recent grants have been awarded for additional study with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators, The Patsy Rodenberg Academy, Black Acting Methods Studio, Black Arts Institute, Atlantic Acting Summer Intensive, Shakespeare & Co., and many others.

Teaching + assistantships

M.F.A. Acting candidates are offered opportunities to teach early-level undergraduate acting courses, as well as co-teaching other disciplines on occasion.
Faculty mentors supervise, observe, and offer constructive feedback in evaluation of each Instructor’s progress.

Our environment

Our department is vibrant and exciting, with more than 250 students pursuing B.A., B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees.
We strive to foster an environment where all students are welcomed, supported, and encouraged to be part of the day-to-day life of the department.
Our facilities are varied, state-of-the-art, and accommodate all kinds of performance, from intimate staged readings to fully-produced, multi-media, large-cast plays and musicals.
Our alumni work in professional capacities throughout the country, and often return to share their experiences and expertise with our students.

Admissions

We maintain a total of eight actors in our intensive, three-year program, and although our faculty teach both graduate and undergraduate courses, the 1:8 ratio of teachers to actors ensures that no M.F.A. actor gets lost in the shuffle. We offer personalized attention to individual artist growth.

Applications are considered every three years beginning in January, and are accepted until all openings have been filled. Please contact us with questions regarding the application process.

Learn how to apply