Graduate Programs

The Brown Trinity MFA Programs are not accepting applications for the 2024-25 academic year. Please check back for updates.

Conservatory training with an Ivy League degree at a Tony Award-winning regional theater.

The Brown/Trinity MFA Acting and Directing Programs are dedicated to training total theatre artists who will possess the technical skill, creative imagination, and intellectual bravery to be leaders in the profession and the field. We offer a unique focus on cross-disciplinary study and collaboration; actors take Directing studios, directors study Acting, and all of our students take at least one year of Playwriting. Rigorous classroom training and extensive performance experience provide a course of study that combines the best aspects of conservatory training with the practical experience of a three-year relationship with a professional theatre.

Additional Resources

Brown's special collections: Harris Collection of American Drama, the Sidney Albert Shaw Collection, the Smith Magicana Collection, three theaters, eight studios, departmental library, Harvard Theatre Collection, easily accessible resources throughout New England and in New York City, as well as downtown Providence theater spaces.

Application Information

The Brown Trinity MFA Programs are not accepting applications for the 2024-25 academic year. 

Information about future audition processes will be available on the Brown/Trinity Rep website. All applicants interested in financial aid must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Application Requirements

GRE Subject:

Not required

GRE General:

Not required

Writing Sample:

A writing sample is required for the Director's program (please see the Brown/Trinity Rep website for details).

Resume/CV:

Required

Additional Materials:

Photo

Additional Requirements:

Private audition.

Applicants are not required to respond to the questions regarding published articles or books and fluency in a foreign language in the Graduate School application. 

Tuition and Funding

Full tuition and health and dental insurance are provided to all students in the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs. Actors are offered partial living stipends based on demonstrated financial need. Students earning an MFA in Directing will be offered teaching assistantships and proctorships, through which they will receive stipend support.

Completion Requirements

MFA Acting Completion Requirements

The core curriculum consists of daily acting, voice, and movement classes, supplemented by frequent workshops in specialty areas. Technique work continues throughout the program, but there is a progressive shift in emphasis from the acquisition and refinement of skills to their practical application. In the final semester, through individual and group sessions, the student focuses strongly on showcase presentations and thesis work. In addition to classroom training, assignments in Brown/ Trinity and/or Trinity Rep Company productions will be an important component of training. Students will be expected to participate in a variety of studio and mainstage productions. Understudy duties on mainstage Trinity productions will also be assigned; the combination of understudy and performance work will enable each student to join Actors' Equity Association upon graduation.

MFA Directing Completion Requirements

Directors are given the opportunity to develop their own vision, in collaboration with actors, by creating new work and re-imagining existing texts. Each year Brown/Trinity Rep admits two emerging directors who bring their curiosity, imagination, and humanity to engage in a rigorous three-year course of study and practice. The work sharpens their individual voices as artists, developing a personal articulation of intention, purpose, and vision. As contemporary creative leaders, directors must be well versed in the practical aspects of rehearsal and production, and inspire and synthesize the work of their colleagues. They must possess a broad-based critical foundation, a knowledge of historical and political context, and the capacity to envision beyond the present. The resources of Trinity Rep, Brown University, and Providence, Rhode Island provide a dynamic, fertile laboratory setting in which to grow these skills.

Alumni Careers

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Leadership

Director Brown/Trinity MFA Programs in Acting and Directing
Angela Brazil
Department Chair
Jayna Brown
Director of Graduate Study
Shura Baryshnikov

Contact and Location

Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies

Mailing Address

Brown University
Box 1869
Visit the Brown | Trinity Rep M.F.A. Programs in Acting and Directing

Resources