Theatre Arts & Performance Studies

MFA in Acting and Directing

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MFA in Acting and Directing

We will not be accepting applications in Fall 2024 for admission to the 2025 - 2026 Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs in Acting and Directing. Please check this site in Fall 2025 for updated information regarding that year's admission process.

The Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA programs combine in-depth classroom work and an ongoing relationship to a working professional theatre.

Last year, we made the strategic decision to pause admission to the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs in Acting and Directing to allow us to identify ways to make improvements and move forward the strongest possible programs. As this process proceeds, we will extend the pause to admissions in these programs. We will not be accepting applications in the fall of 2024 for admission to the 2025 - 2026 academic year. Please check this site in fall 2025 for updated information regarding that year's admission process.

Brown University's Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies is internationally recognized for the quality of its faculty and instruction. Trinity Rep, with its deep tradition of resident artists, provides powerful artistic assets and creates a firm foundation of real-world experience. Together, the two organizations have produced MFA programs and a model of theatre training that is rigorous and technically demanding, without intellectual or creative limitations.

Brown/Trinity

Brown/Trinity includes the MFA programs in Acting and Directing. Students in each of the disciplines have many opportunities to study and work with fellow students from other areas, including the MFA Playwriting students and the PhD students in Brown's Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies. Through directly experiencing the techniques and processes involved in each discipline, students are encouraged to become true collaborators, and to break down the often artificial barriers that have traditionally separated actors, directors, and playwrights.

Acting

The primary focus in the acting training is in developing technically skilled, versatile actors capable of working in the variety of styles demanded by contemporary theatre.

Learn More About the Acting Program

Directing

Directors are given the opportunity to develop their own vision, working in collaboration with actors, creating new work and rediscovering existing texts.

Learn More About the Directing Program

Curriculum

The MFA curriculum provides a rigorous training program taught by a resident faculty, supplemented by guest artists from the professional and academic arenas.

Brown/Trinity Season

For more information about the current Brown/Trinity season, visit the the Trinity website.

Applications Requirements

Deadline

The Brown Trinity MFA Programs are not accepting applications for the 2025-26 academic year. Please check back for updates.

Contact

For questions about the MFA programs in Acting and Directing, contact the Academic Coordinator, Jill Jann: jill_jann@brown.edu.

For questions about the application process (including GRE/TOEFL submission, LORs, and other technical questions), please contact the Graduate School directly at graduate_admissions@brown.edu.

Applying

Applications to the PhD and MFA programs are submitted to, and managed through, the Graduate School. Please do not email the department with technical questions or requests to troubleshoot your online application submission. You can find detailed instructions about the application process and components on the Graduate School website. For additional information refer to the application FAQ.

Transcripts and letters of recommendation and any other supplementary materials should also be sent to directly to the Graduate School mailing address. Sending application materials to directly to TAPS will delay the processing of your application.

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Additional Information

Audition Information

Brown/ Trinity Rep is pleased to announce our return to in-person auditions for the Acting program's current application cycle. We are not offering virtual auditions at this time, which includes international applicants.

Financial Aid

Graduate students at Brown are offered a range of funding and support.