Program Overview

Introduction to the MFA Acting Program

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville's MFA in Acting is consistently ranked among the top-25 MFA performance programs in the world. This three-year Master of Fine Arts in Theatre, with a concentration in Acting, is seamlessly integrated with the operations of Clarence Brown Theatre – a professional LORT theatre.

Distinctive Program Features

• Train alongside professionals: Graduate acting students receive assistantships with full tuition remission plus annual stipends totaling approximately $26,000 for their performing and faculty assistance duties.
• Recruiting: Eight acting graduates are ordinarily recruited for enrollment in the Fall of odd-numbered calendar years.
• Auditions: Auditions for most CBT shows are held periodically during the academic year, typically at the beginning and near the end of each semester.

What Sets Us Apart

UTK's educational programs are unique in the nation because they are seamlessly integrated with the operations of a LORT professional theatre: the Clarence Brown Theatre (CBT). This dual mission informs everything that we do.

Facilities

The Department currently has two venues for CBT and student productions: the Clarence Brown mainstage (574 seat proscenium/thrust) and the Lab Theatre (125 seat black box). A new state of the art venue, the Jenny Boyd Carousel Theatre, is slated to open 2025.

Professional Faculty

UTK MFA Acting faculty and alumni are working professionals with credits on Broadway, Off-Broadway and across the country at organizations such as:

• American Conservatory Theatre
• American Players Theatre
• Arena Stage
• Asolo Rep
• Chautauqua Theatre Company
• Classic Stage
• Cleveland Playhouse
• Denver Center
• Lincoln Center Theatre
• Mark Taper Forum
• McCarter Theatre
• Oregon Shakespeare Festival
• Pittsburgh Public Theater
• PlayMakers Rep
• Portland Center Stage
• Roundabout
• Syracuse Stage
• Seattle Rep
• The Goodman Theatre
• The Old Globe
• The Public Theatre
• Utah Shakespeare Festival

Our Alumni

Our alumni are working in film, television and theatre in nationally recognized projects and venues. Especially notable alumni of our program include:

• Eric Ting Obie Award-winning director
• Tramell Tillman (’14) Severance, Hunters, Godfather of Harlem, Dietland
• Conrad Ricamora (’12) Fire Island, How to Get Away With Murder, Broadway’s The King and I , Here Lies Love and Soft Power at The Public Theater

LORT Theatre Company

The Clarence Brown Theatre is a LORT D Equity theatre (League of Resident Theatres) that works very closely with our graduate students. This affords excellent acting opportunities and the ability to work with our world class professional staff and guest artists.

URTA

The Department is a member of the University Resident Theatre Association (URTA).

Professional Staff

CBT has a professional staff of more than 25 full and part-time employees and offers a September to May season of new and classical works that are vital to the cultural life of the region.

Directors

Directors of our productions, whether in the lab theatre or on the CBT stage are working professionals. We are committed to engaging distinguished directors to help connect our students to professional networks outside the CBT.

Knoxville

Knoxville is a thriving, rapidly growing city of over 850,000 people in the greater metropolitan area, yet it is only minutes from the stunning vistas of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In easy driving distance from Nashville and Atlanta, Knoxville is home to multiple dynamic cultural institutions, including Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville Opera, and the historically significant Carpetbag Theatre.