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MFA in Acting Click Here for Audition Information
At Kent State University, the Master of Fine Arts degree program provides an intensive three-year plan of study in acting. It is designed to train talented and dedicated students as artists and masters of their craft. Studio work in acting, voice, and movement is central to the CURRICULUM. Participation in the university theatre and summer seasons at PORTHOUSE THEATRE tests and expands those skills learned in the studios. Studies in theatre history and drama, acting for the camera, selected electives, and placement in professional venues complete the program of study. The foundation of the acting training is firmly founded in the techniques of Constantin Stanislavski and MICHAEL CHEKHOV. The foundation is built upon by other major influences and approaches throughout the training period and provides the strongest combination of graduate level training.
Actors study VOICE AND SPEECH as an integral part of their training. A sequence of classes grounded in the work of Kristin Linklater and Patsy Rodenburg is designed to expand and strengthen the voice, provide a variety of options in speech, dialects and accents, and ensure the actor’s vocal instrument is healthy and protected against abuse. Voice classes are supplemented with singing courses, available in group or individual sessions.
Important to the professional development of the MFA acting candidate are opportunities to connect with working professionalsbeyond the academic environment. Through the ROE GREEN VISITING DIRECTOR SERIES such connections with guest directors from important venues are forged. Internships with Porthouse Theatre, Cleveland’s premiere professional summer theatre located at Blossom Music Center, casts students alongside of seasoned professionals. These students can earn points toward their membership in Actor’s Equity Association.
Actors who have already achieved extensive and significant experience in professional theatre may apply as RETURNING PROFESSIONALS. Credit for professional work previously completed is awarded. Candidates to this highly-selective track in consultation with faculty create a two year sequence of classes. This program track allows for expansion of specific skills, further development of individual process of acting or pedagogy, and the integration of theory and practice. Admission to this program is evaluated on the merits of the individual applicant in conjunction with the needs of the school.
Thus the Kent State MFA actor is prepared physically, vocally, emotionally, and intellectually to work in the profession. The faculty believes the actor must be aware and ready to function in many differing areas of the craft: classical and contemporary productions, musical theatre, voice acting, television, and film. At Kent State, a dedicated faculty provides the tools with which the student can work. Kent State University’s School of Theatre and Dance accepts MFA Acting candidates on a three year cycle. In 2009, Kent State will welcome a talented company of student actors to our family. Graduate assistantships are available. A generous stipend and tuition wavers are provided to graduate assistants who teach theatre courses to non-majors. AUDITIONS take place at various locations nationally. Please visit our website periodically for information about auditioning. To schedule an on-site audition please e-mail or phone: MARK MONDAY, Head MFA Acting Program School of Theatre and Dance Kent State University 330.672.0113 mmonday@kent.edu
The Movement courses within the MFA Actor training combine a varied mix of disciplines, including Laban Movement Analysis, Alexander Technique, mask work, classical dance, contact improv, Yoga and Pilates. Together these practices integrate alignment, core strength, physical conditioning, and breath release to contribute to the wholeness of the actor. Movement work is taught by Eric van Baars. Having studied with American Dance Machine, Gotham City Improv, Broadway Dance Center and performed internationally, Eric brings a wealth of experience to the classroom. As a professional director and choreographer, he has built a career on the foundations of a primarily musical theatre background. A typical class would start with mat or floor work, progress to balance explorations or isolation work and move into character articulation through improvisation. It is crucial that an actor be responsive to the physical, psychological and physiological components of the self in order to create a character within that self. Movement work at Kent State is further defined through co-curricular production, where composition skills, period movement, stage combat, and choreography are utilized to stretch the actor as s/he incorporates the tools of the craft into performance.
MFA Acting Program The work begins with an individual assessment of each
student’s background and skill level in voice and speech. From that
evaluation, specific goals are identified which will address recognized
problems or deficiencies, increase technique and lead to an overall
integration of voice work into the actor’s process. The training is based in
Linklater but also includes study and practice of Patsy Rodenburg’s approach
to voice and speech. Key to the training is direct application of the
fundamental work to specific texts, including classic and contemporary
scripts. Voice work at Kent State is closely aligned with studio classes in
the Michael Chekhov acting technique, Laban based movement training and the
study of musical theatre performance. Since the actor’s truth is often
revealed through the voice, the overall purpose of voice and speech training
at Kent State is to inspire a transformational experience that leads to an
actor who is vocally free, sensitive, honest, authoritative, connected,
clear and passionate.
On-stage performances at Kent State, Porthouse and other professional venues are observed and evaluated for vocal development throughout the course of study. The approach to advanced vocal training in class focuses on the following areas: building maximum breathing capacity and breath support, expanding range and resonance, centering and grounding the voice in the body and establishing a strong connection to the spoken word. In the area of speech, strong focus is given to precise articulation of sounds and clarity of voice production without prescribing a specific mode of speaking. Students learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) through the Colaianni physical approach, use it in written exercises and finally apply it to useful speaking for stage and media work. In-depth grounding in the major regional American and foreign dialects and accents is included in this area of study. While classes will often begin with basic floor work and warming up, students are expected to develop a strong personal discipline of proper vocal hygiene and caring for the voice in professional situations. Finally, the student is given preparation for the demands of the acting profession by learning practical tools to deal with vocal extremes (e.g., screaming, hysteria, shouting, cursing), work outdoors or in other non-typical environments, and Voice Acting for the media. The goal is an expressive, flexible, responsive voice that serves the actor and the work. Charles J. Richie, Associate Professor of Acting and Voice, has been teaching voice and speech for eighteen years. Chuck’s training was with Kristen Linklater, David Smukler, John Barton, Tina Packer, Michael MacOwan, and others at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and as a founding company member of Shakespeare & Co. In New York he studied with Dan Fauci, Catherine Wolf, and Roberta Birdey Rutkin. Others he has studied with include Patsy Rodenburg, Louis Colaianni, Anne Bogart, Joanna Merlin, Katherine Fitzmaurice and Vincent Dowling. As an actor, he has worked in every aspect of the profession for more than thirty years both in New York and regionally. He frequently serves as a voice and dialect coach for stage and the media and is a member of AEA, SAG, AFTRA and the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (vasta.org).
The Michael Chekhov Acting Technique
Actors steeped in the principles and craft of Michael Chekhov learn a flexible and vital process for entering the world of any play. Mark Monday, Head of MFA Acting, is a certified Teacher of the Michael Chekhov technique. Since 2000, Mark has been working with the Michael Chekhov Association, (MICHA). He travels extensively worldwide working with MICHA. Teachers and students from a multitude of global points gather frequently to work with each other on the Chekhov technique. Because of the dedication of these teachers and students, the technique continually evolves. In this way the Michael Chekhov technique remains alive and current for practicing artists of the twenty first century.
Graduate Catalog Course Descriptions, click here. To Download the Application for Graduate Study, click here.
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Within the School of Theatre and Dance there exist
varied facilities needed for actor training—theatres, studios, classrooms,
and offices. Currently, there are two excellent performing spaces.
The work of
Michael Chekhov (1891-1955) provides a firm foundation for the development
of the Kent State MFA actor. Chekhov’s training system is rooted in elements
basic to truthful acting. At the Moscow Art Theatre where Stanislavski
promoted him to an Artistic Director position, Chekhov advanced the work in
concentration, physical actions and qualities, skilled observation, and
imagination. He experimented and concretized a system of acting techniques
in order to respond to the demands of a changing theatre. His development of
the higher ego, atmospheres, centers, and imaginary bodies, provide
important innovations as do his principles of psychological gesture and
composition of performance. The inspiriting of the actor through feelings of
lightness and ease gives birth to important results in shaping a role. The
actor is taught the means by which the work finds form, beauty, and
entirety. Above all, Chekhov’s methods liberate the actor. His goal--and
ours--is to free the actor’s creativity. Through immersion in the Michael
Chekhov technique, the Kent State actor is given the skills to transform
into character. 