Program Overview
Overview of the Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts, Acting
The Master of Fine Arts in acting at the University of Iowa combines rigorous professional training with a highly innovative curriculum. The training immerses students in a variety of acting techniques, extensive movement and voice training, theatrical analysis, and digital media to produce an unusually responsive, emotionally available, and hyper-present artist, equipped to meet the creative and technical demands of the twenty-first century.
Program Components
Course Work
A Plan of Study totaling 72 semester hours forms the academic core of the program.
Practical Experience
MFA actors are required to audition for all mainstage productions presented by the department and to perform as cast. Every student is required to perform a minimum of one role each semester.
Teaching or Administrative Work
Actors also teach courses in Basic Acting, Acting for Success, Drama in the Classroom, Rhetoric, or work in an administrative capacity, depending upon their skills. For this service, they receive a salary, full tuition waiver, and health benefits.
Degree Requirements
Production Requirements
You are required to audition for all Mainstage productions presented by the department and to perform as cast. All graduate actors are required to perform a minimum of one role each semester.
Thesis
The thesis has two components, the first is a written analysis of the actor’s personal creative process, and an annotated resume of roles performed at Iowa. The second is the actor’s professional online presence that is developed, strengthened, and maintained during their tenure at Iowa.
Program Details
Studio Training
The acting element of the studio training sequence is divided into three-semester components, first emphasizing technique and then application. The movement training is divided into three parts, addressing habitual physical patterning and breath, increasing dynamic presence, and applying techniques in mask and clown. The voice training is based on the Linklater Methodology.
Acting Opportunities
Each year the department presents 20 to 25 productions, ranging from classic to contemporary, with many new works developed and presented by student playwrights, directors, or visiting artists.
Digital Media
To meet the demands of an acting career in the digital age, the MFA at Iowa offers numerous classes in digital media and camera, voiceover, motion capture, real-time tracking, and workshops in media networking and online presence.
Reels and Demos
In the third year, students will create a professional reel with an outside production company and a voiceover demo. These provide our students the ability to submit professional-grade work to agents, casting directors, and managers in cities across the country prior to graduation.
Performance Evaluation
Evaluation of performance in productions is ongoing. You are required to speak personally with the faculty member you have been assigned to shortly after completion of the performance for feedback.
Guest Artists
Guest artists are brought in each year to lead workshops and discussions with the acting candidates.
Continuation in the Program
The first year is a probationary period for all MFA acting students. At the end of the first year, the faculty evaluates each student’s work to determine his or her eligibility to continue in the program.
Acting Faculty
- Mark Bruckner, MFA, BM, BA
- Caroline Clay, MFA, BFA
- Mary Beth Easley, MFA, BFA
- Cristina Goyeneche, MFA, BA
- Kristen L. Hartsgrove Mooers, MFA, BA
- Paul Kalina, MFA
- Johanna Kasimow, MFA, BA
- Ricky Ramón, EdM, MFA, MA, BA
Alumni
Notable Alumni
- Valeria Avina, MFA ‘15
- Aneisa Hicks, MFA ‘15
- Sasha Hildebrand, MFA ‘15
Application and Admission
Application Deadline
The application deadline is Jan. 15, 2027. Applicants that are attending U/RTAs must adhere to U/RTA deadlines.
Admission Criteria
We seek curious and courageous individuals who are socially conscious, personally disciplined, and hungry for knowledge, with a passion for challenging assumptions and breaking through boundaries. Most importantly, we seek individuals who value self-exploration, possess lively imaginations, and a thirst for play.