UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
Department of Theatre/Professional Theatre Training Program
The Professional Theatre Training Program is a three year conservatory program offering graduate study leading to a Master of Fine Arts degree with concentrations in acting, technical production and stage management. The PTTP offers intensive studio work designed to prepare students for creative careers in the professional theatre and thereby contribute to its growth and improve its quality. Once every three years, a group of exceptionally talented students is selected for the program. Because only one class is admitted at a time, the faculty can focus its full energy on the development of each student.
The Community
The University of Delaware is located in the residential community of Newark, a suburban area of approximately 26,000 people. Newark is close to many of the professional theatres of the Northeast. New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Princeton and Washington D.C. with their many regional, repertory and commercial theatre companies are all within a short distance of the campus.
Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
Each student in the PTTP participates in an intense curriculum in one of three concentrations for three years. Each program is skill oriented and is carefully designed to provide the skills, abilities and experiences necessary to begin a successful career in theatre. Students work exclusively within their area in an intensive program of studio classes and production experiences and continue working with one another throughout the three years of training. The PTTP adheres to the University’s Academic Probation Policy. In addition, students must maintain a minimum grade of B in specific courses by the end of the third semester and every semester thereafter. Although graduates find themselves well prepared for emplyoment in many styles and mediums, the program is specifically designed to train through plays from the classic repertoire and seeks students with a particular commitment to and appetite for, the acknowledged masterworks of dramatic literature.
Facilities & Resources
The PTTP Theatre, located in Hartshorn Hall, has the capacity to seat up to 350 people and is equipped with a modern audio and computer lighting system. It is a flexible theatre that can accomodate arena, thrust, and procenium stages. Hartshorn Hall also houses rehearsal space, a dance studio, a computer-aided design(CAD) laboratory and the stage management and technical production offices. The box office, costume shop, and faculty offices are also located at Hartshorn. The scene shop, prop and paint shops are located at a second site nearby.
Expenses and Aid
The 2001-2002 Academic Year tuition for Delaware residents was $4,380.00, for non-residents it was $12,750.00. Expenses are between $200.00 and $600.00 per year for required activities and expenses. Federal Student Loans are available through the assistance of the Financial Aid Office and Fellowships, which include a tuition waiver and stipend are available based on need.
How to Apply
Prospective students can go to the PTTP website at www.udel.edu/theatre and fill out the online application for the PTTP or request to have one mailed to them by calling (302) 831-2201. All areas require an audition or interview which will be held in February through March 2000 for admission to the next class in the fall of 2000. All students who wish to be considered for admission to the program must also complete the application to the Graduate School accompanied by a $45 non-refundable application fee.
Who to contact
Kristin Brady, Program Coordinator
Professional Theatre Training Program
University of Delaware, Department of Theatre
409 Academy Street
Newark, DE 19716
(302) 831-2201
kbrady@udel.edu
www.udel.edu/theatre
The Faculty
Sanford Robbins, Chair
Peter Brakhage, Joann Browning, William Browning, Richard Cunningham, Heinz-Uwe Haus, Robin Lu Payne, Leslie Reidel, Eileen Smitheimer, Susan Sweeney, Steve Tague, Jewel Walker