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THE THEATRE DEPARTMENT AT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN!

Theatre has a long and distinguished history at the University of Michigan! Our strengths lie in a careful blend of professional and academic work and training. Some of our distinguished alumni include James Earl Jones, Arthur Miller, Christine Lahti, Gilda Radner, and David Paymer. Read all about OUR ALUMINI.

U-M theatre students benefit from the diversity and sophistication offered by a large first-class institution, while enjoying the intimate atmosphere of the Department of Theatre & Drama. We have a low student-to-faculty ratio and faculty members are friendly and accessible.

Theatre at Michigan presents a stimulating blend of cultural diversity, intellectual rigor, and professional experience for students, professionals, and academics. It is a stimulating place to learn and to grow, where the prevailing atmosphere is one of family.

Follow Your Dreams!

U-M Theatre offers three undergraduate degrees for those inspired to follow their dreams. Whether you're interested in pursuing training in performance, design and production, or a more broad-based liberal arts degree, we offer the finest in theatre/drama education and stage experiences.

BFA in Perfomance: Your Path to the Footlights...

Our Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance offers two different concentrations: a BFA in Acting and a BFA in Directing. The first-year curriculum is nearly the same for both. Beginning in the second year, Acting and Directing students begin specialized training in their own disciplines. You'll enjoy many performance and production opportunities during your academic career at Michigan, as well as non-School of Music, Theatre & Dance required academic courses.

What is the Acting Concentration?

The BFA in Acting trains talented and purposeful students for the physical and mental demands of theatre. Our actor training focuses on developing your acting, voice, movement and stage combat skills, while providing a solid liberal arts education. U-M Theatre faculty are all working professionals within their various disciplines: actors, directors, designers, technicians and published scholars.

Performance training focuses on basic action/objective principles, improvisation, classical and contemporary theatre, collaboration and ensemble. The core curriculum includes acting, voice and speech, dialects, movement and stage combat classes. Combat II classes allow students the opportunity to test for Society of American Fight Directors adjudicated skills proficiency. In their second year, acting majors complete a sophomore review by the performance faculty.

The 4-year curriculum is a balance of performance and academic classes. You'll take courses in theatre studies, foreign language, English, writing and a good number of elective subjects. These may include musical theatre, dance and music classes, in addition to a great many liberal arts classes available within the broad range of U-M course offerings.

The BFA in Performance requires a total of 122 credit hours. Students with a serious interest in a second field of study may earn a dual degree, both of which usually can be completed within five years.

U-M Theatre classes are held in the fall (September-December) and winter (January-April) terms. During the summer months, many students hone their talents working in summer stock or theatre festivals.

What performance and directing opportunities are available for BFA in performance majors?

University Productions:
The U-M Theatre Department presents five mainstage productions each year in three different theatres. The casts are comprised primarily of acting majors, but occasionally include faculty. Shows are directed by faculty and guests, such as Hal Cooper, Michele Shay and Robert Woodruff. Recent productions have featured the works of Harper Lee, Arthur Miller, Molière, Shakespeare, Wilder and Shepard, as well as many contemporary ethnic works by such playwrights as Brian Friel, Wole Soyinka and U-M Theatres own professional playwright, OyamO. Learn more about PRODUCTIONS.

Basement Arts:
The student-run Basement Arts company presents 12 to 14 studio productions each year. Students select the plays, which they direct, design and perform on weekends before an audience. Learn all about BASEMENT ARTS!

Studio Performances:
Small studio productions are presented each semester, presenting fully developed plays.

Other University of Michigan Productions:
Theatre students also direct, design and perform in plays produced by university groups such as the Gilbert & Sullivan Society, the Residential College Harlotry Players, the Rude Mechanicals, MUSKET, Soph Show and others.

Local Theatre Groups:
A number of our faculty and students work with two local Equity theatres, the Performance Network and the Purple Rose Theater, founded by actor Jeff Daniels, as well as a number of traditional and non-traditional theatre companies in the area.

Michigan Shakespeare Festival:
The Michigan Shakespeare Festival attracts audiences from all over the midwest. Each summer, U-M Theatre students perform on stage or work as production crew under the eye of Artistic Director John Neville-Andrews, Professor of Theatre. The Festival is located in Jackson, Michigan 35 miles west of Ann Arbor. Theatre majors have participated in Twelfth Night, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, Macbeth, The Comedy of Errors, and Othello. Check out the MICHIGAN SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL.

AUDITIONS & INTERVIEWS...       
 
To schedule an audition, you must first submit a complete application.  After the initial review of your application, the Theatre & Drama department will contact you to schedule your audition.

Written requirements:

Resume and photo: Bring to the audition a typed resume that includes your previous theatre experience and training. Include any dance or music background, in addition to roles performed. Bring a photo with a good likeness. Brief personal statement: Bring to the audition a short essay (no longer than two double-spaced pages) describing reasons for choosing theatre training at Michigan and a theatre career. This may include goals, professional ambitions, and ideas about the field itself.

Performance Requirements:

Performance: Prepare two contrasting monologues from plays, not to exceed a combined total of four minutes. These selections may be from comedies or dramas of any period, although more modern works are preferred. They should not be from unpublished work. The pieces should be prepared and memorized. Try to incorporate some physical movement in at least one of the selections. The plays of Shakespeare or verse texts are not encouraged.

Workshops: Particpate in improvisation/movement and voice workshops.

Improvisation: The interviewer may choose some, but not all, of the following tasks, and may ask that some of these tasks be rendered with specific guidelines or conditions. Listen to the instructions and try to fulfill them as you: Discuss briefly the plays and characters of your audition pieces. Tell a joke. Perform a simple physical task without words. Re-do one of your audition pieces with a different set of goals and conditions. Ask the interviewer some questions relating to the Theatre program.

Interview: Be prepared for a short conversation with the interviewer. This might include a discussion of your previous theatre work and your goals. It is important to be relaxed, honest, direct and yourself.

2007/2008 Audition Schedule: On-Campus Audition Dates : December 7, 2007,  January 18, 2008, February 22, 2008, March 14, 2008. Regional Audition Dates: New York City: February 2 & 3, 2008, Chicago: February 5 & 6, 2008, Los Angeles: February 9 & 10, 2008
  
Audition Tips: Arrive early and be on time for your scheduled audition. Warm up physically and vocally before the audition. Be relaxed and focused as much as possible. Wear neat clothing that you feel shows you to an honest advantage. Avoid constrictive or excessively stylish clothing. Choose material that you feel comfortable with and is appropriate to your age and experience. Avoid excessively stylized pieces, dialects, extreme physicality and props. Remember that the audition should demonstrate both your talent and your potential. Be simple, direct and honest. Avoid lengthy explanations or apologies. Remember that the interviewer wants you to be successful!

Ready to schedule your audition? CLICK HERE.

DEPARTMENT OF MUSICAL THEATRE!

This comprehensive training program, now approaching its 25th anniversary year, has a national reputation among professional agents, casting directors, and producers as being among the best of its kind.  A unique situation exists at Michigan, since theatre, dance and music coexist as departments within the School of Music, Theatre & Dance.  Students in musical theatre, as part of their curriculum, study with faculty members in the departments of Theatre and Drama, Voice, Dance, and Musical Theatre. The University of Michigan is one of a select number of schools which promote this degree of collaboration among areas within the performing arts.

As part of the degree, students have numerous opportunities to learn about career strategies,audition techniques, and a wide range of performance skills. Studying at Michigan also presents opportunities to choose among hundreds of classes outside the performing arts. In fact, Michigan offers a rare dual degree program in which you can work on the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree simultaneously. All of this combines to make Michigan's Department of Musical Theatre a unique place for the aspiring musical theatre professional to begin a career.

The Musical Theatre Department maintains an enrollment of approximately 80 undergraduate students. There is no graduate program. Each fall, 18-20 new students are admitted from the nearly 600 who apply.

AUDITIONS & INTERVIEWS        

Written Requirements

Resume:  Bring to the audition a typed résumé which includes any training and experience you have had in music, theatre and dance. Attach to the résumé a recent 8"x 10" photograph of yourself. Brief Personal Statement: Bring to the audition a short essay describing an artistic event which was memorable and/or influential to you personally (this does not need to be an event in which you participated). This is a different essay from the ones required for the University's application and should be no longer than two typewritten pages.

Performance Requirements

Acting: Prepare two short, contrasting monologues from plays. Both combined must not exceed four minutes. Each monologue must be memorized and should be performed in the context of the entire play. You should choose something appropriate to your own age and experience and be able to discuss the play as a whole. The emphasis is on simple reality. Avoid particular historic styles, such as Shakespeare, and verse or poetry. NOTE: Auditionees will present one monologue only. The faculty panel will determine which one will be presented.

Voice: Prepare two contrasting 16-bar selections. Both songs must be memorized, and one must be traditional (written before 1965). An accompanist will be provided.
Note: Auditionees will present one song only.  The faculty panel will determine which one will be presented.

Piano: The faculty will evaluate your music reading skills and your understanding of rhythmic notation. The ability to read music is an important factor in the evaluation of your application.

Dance: All applicants will participate in a dance class emphasizing ballet technique and including a short combination from a musical. If you have not had previous dance training, the faculty will observe your natural abilities and your potential for growth. If you have had previous training and can be assessed as a dancer, the faculty will evaluate your technique, your incorporation of choreographic intent, and your performance vitality. Please bring appropriate dance clothing. You will have time to change and warm up.

Additional Notes about Musical Theatre Auditions: Choose songs with which you can communicate something specific. You must bring with you a copy of the music written in the key in which you plan to sing. Be sure the copy includes the full staff and words; do not reduce or enlarge the original.  Do not sing a cappella. Warm up both vocally and physically before the audition. At the beginning of every audition day faculty members give a tour of the performance facilities and speak to the applicants as a group, discussing the Musical Theatre Department and answering questions. Parents are encouraged to attend these sessions, but may not observe the auditions.

Ready to schedule your audition? CLICK HERE.

MEET THE CHAIRS!

Gregory Poggi

Chair Department of Theatre & Drama and Professor of Theatre (Arts Administration)
gpoggi@umich.edu
734-764-5350

Gregory Poggi, Chair of the Department of Theatre and Drama, has over 20 years' experience successfully leading resident professional theatres in the United States and Canada. He is a founder of the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Indianapolis, now in its 33rd season. He served as Managing Director of the Manitoba Theatre Centre, Winnipeg, one of Canada's premier companies, and was founding Chairman of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT), Toronto. He next became Artistic and Producing Director of the Philadelphia Drama Guild at the Annenberg Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Poggi's production history spans over 120 works, ranging from Shakespeare, Ibsen, Miller, Hansberry and Beckett to new works and several American premieres, such as Graham Greene and Dennis Canaan's The Power and the Glory, and Michael Frayn's Clouds. Over the years, Dr. Poggi collaborated with many Tony Award winners including actors Len Cariou, Boyd Gaines, Randy Graff and Patricia Elliott; directors Jerry Zaks and Vivian Matalon; and designers Jess Goldstein and Neil Peter Jampolis.

 Brent Wagner

Associate Professor and Chair of Musical Theatre
rbwagner@umich.edu
734-763-2017

Professor Wagner is Chair of the Musical Theatre Department. Before joining the Michigan faculty in 1984 he taught at Syracuse University. He has directed musicals and revues throughout North America, from off-Broadway in New York to the Banff Center in Alberta, Canada. He has collaborated with Sheldon Harnick on numerous projects, including a new opera at the O'Neill Theater Center, as well as the world premiere of A Wonderful Life (music by Joe Raposo), and his recent musical Dragons, both of which were staged at the University of Michigan.

Mr. Wagner recently held an Arthur Thurnau Professorship, an award for outstanding instruction at the undergraduate level. Among many responsibilities, Mr. Wagner also directs the senior showcase, presented annually in New York City.

Visit our Campus                        

Meet with an admissions counselor. The School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD) admissions staff welcomes the opportunity to consult with prospective students and their families.  These meetings are of special value in determining the appropriateness of your educational plan, present level of development in professional training, and tentative choice of curriculum.  To schedule an appointment, contact the SMTD Office of Admissions and Student Services:
    
Email us at smtd.admissions@umich.edu or call us at (734) 764-0593

Appointments can be scheduled Monday - Friday from 8:30  to noon and from 1:00 to 4:00. We especially encourage visits during the Academic Year to allow for observation of classes and/or rehearsals. The SMTD is not gnerally in session during the Spring and Summer terms, but our office is open year-round. Students interested in Theatre may also wish to contact the individual department office:

Theatre, (734)764-5350 or email at theatre.info@umich.edu

In addition to an appointment with an Admissions Counselor, please consider coming when we are producing a show. Please check the Calendar of Events for a schedule of performances that you might be able to incorporate into your visit.

Tour U-M's Central Campus! We encourage visitors to Ann Arbor to arrange a Central Campus tour with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Most music and theatre courses and rehearsals will take place in the Moore Building or the Walgreen Drama Center on North Campus; most dance, liberal arts classes, and many performances will take place on Central Campus.  Music, Theatre, and Dance students travel easily between campuses on Michigan's comprehensive (and free) bus system. SCHEDULE YOUR TOUR.

Enjoy these images of just a few of our beautiful facilities...

Please contact us for any additional information:

Call: (734) 764-5350 (between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST)

E-Mail: theatre.info@umich.edu

Write: University of Michigan, Theatre & Drama Dept., Walgreen Drama Center, 1226 Murfin Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1212

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