School of Theater application requirements

Audition and interview guidelines

It is the responsibility of applicants to schedule an audition or interview. Auditions and interviews are held on selected dates on the CalArts campus and in select U.S. cities. The audition and interview schedules will be available in November.

 

 

Portfolio Guidelines

Prospective students applying to the Directing, Writing for Performance, Management and Sound Design programs are asked to submit portfolios prior to interview.

Prospective students applying to the Scene Design, Costume Design and Lighting Design Programs must bring portfolio materials to the in-person interview and submit comparable images to our online portfolio site. In late September, you will be able to go to our online portfolio submission site to upload your work. Students who are unable to attend an in-person interview must submit their portfolio at least three weeks prior to the scheduled phone interview.

Please include a completed Portfolio Information Form with each mailed portfolio package. Address your portfolio to the Office of Admissions at CalArts using the printable Portfolio Mailing Label. Do not send your portfolio directly to the School of Theater. Doing so will cause a delay in reviewing of your work. See the individual programs for specific requirements.

 

 

Acting Program (BFA, MFA)

 

This program accepts students only at the BFA1 (first-year undergraduate) and MFA1 (first-year graduate) levels. Acting student selections are based on the live audition only. Applicants are not required to submit a portfolio. The following is required for the live audition:

• Applicants must present two monologues (no longer than two minutes each) of contrasting nature. Choose one from Shakespeare. Faculty, however, may choose to see only one of the two. You should also prepare a third monologue to present at the faculty’s request.

• Applicants must bring a résumé and a recent photograph, preferably a headshot, to the audition.

 

Directing Program (MFA only)

 

Applicants to this program are accepted on the basis of a personal interview after a review of their application and portfolio materials.

In addition to a portfolio, all applicants must submit a résumé and three letters of recommendation from professionals who know your work.

Portfolios should include a video documentation of live productions. It is highly unusual for an applicant to be accepted into the program without such documentation. Applicants are strongly urged to submit their application and portfolio materials on or before the Preferred Deadline in order to allow for thorough review and, if selected by the Head of Directing, a personal interview. The Office of Admissions will contact all applicants who are selected for an interview. 

 

 

Writing for Performance Program (MFA only)

 

We are interested in disciplined writers alert to the ways other disciplines inform their work (i.e. dance, critical studies, performance theory, urban planning/social theory, historical narratives, etc.). The program wants artists who are urging their writing beyond the conventions of traditional scripts into all aspects of performance, and who view performance as a potential tool of social instigation/investigation.

Applicants to this program are accepted on the basis of a personal interview after a review of their application and portfolio materials.

All applicants must submit a portfolio of their work. Portfolios should include: a résumé of your education, training and production experience, a listing of scripts, productions (including venues and dates), publications, grants and awards, and a writing sample that consists of 10 continuous pages of work that best represents the direction in which the playwright feels s/he is moving.

In addition to the portfolio, applications must include the following:

• A two-page personal artistic statement in which you describe your social and artistic interests, career goals and work history. You should also state how you think you might benefit from the Writing for Performance Program.

• Three letters of recommendation from professionals who know your work.
Applicants are strongly urged to submit their application and portfolio materials on or before the Preferred Deadline to allow time for thorough review and, if selected by the Head of Writing for Performance, a personal interview. The Office of Admissions will contact all applicants who are selected for an interview. 

 

 

Programs in Design and Production (BFA, MFA)

 

Admission to the Programs in Design and Production is based on portfolio review and a personal interview. In addition to applicants with a theater background, painters, sculptors, architects and other talented individuals are encouraged to apply. Submit a résumé of your experiences. Please review the portfolio requirements for the program to which you are applying.

 

BFA applicants
Undergraduate portfolios should include the following:

 

Scene Design Program

• Examples of drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, or other artwork.

• Examples of graphic and drafting skills.

• Examples of theater design, including models, sketches, light plots, prompt books and photographs of props, scenery and costumes.

• No portfolios will be accepted as digital media on CD-ROMs. Color copies are acceptable and should be the same size as originals, if possible.

 

Costume Design Program

• Examples of life drawing, painting, illustration, sculpture or
other artwork.

• Examples of experience in costume design for performance, including renderings and photo documentation.

• Examples of clothing construction either in photographs or actual patterns and garment pieces.

 

Lighting Design Program

• Examples of drawing, painting, sculpture or other artwork.

• Examples of graphic and drafting skills.

• Examples of theater design, including models, sketches, light plots, prompt books and photographs of props, scenery and costumes.

 

Sound Design Program

• Audio- and/or videotapes that document your sound designs, including any accompanying paperwork (cue sheets, equipment lists, cad drafting, etc.).

• If applicable, include scores, original music compositions and evidence of computer literacy and indicate if you play a musical instrument.

 

Technical Direction Program

• Examples of work that show your craft skills in scenery construction, painting, props, costuming and lighting, including photos of realized work, drawings, drafting, samples, patterns, and artistic ideas.

• Portfolios will be accepted as standard photos and/or digital media on cd-roms.

 

Management Program

• Prompt and/or production books.

• Any forms or other materials you have created or worked with, and any other materials that demonstrate your organizational ability or experience.

• Your personal statement should address your interest in theater and management.

 

MFA applicants
Graduate portfolios should include the following:

 

Scene Design Program

• Original drawings and sketches and color photographs or slides of design and/or fine art.

 

Costume Design

• Submit a minimum of three complete designs for realized productions including all preliminary work, such as rough sketches, models, technical sketches, and research.

• In addition to theater work, please include any theoretical work and fine art work including drawings, paintings, textile work, sculpture, performance, etc., that demonstrates technical skill and conceptual thinking.

• Please do not submit design representations on digital media, unless the work was created digitally.

• Documentation of drawings, renderings and production stills should be submitted in slides or color copies.

 

Lighting Design Program

• Examples of design, fine art, drawing and, graphic skills.

• Lighting plots and paperwork.

• Production photographs, slides or video.

• A writing sample communicating visual or theatrical ideas.

 

Sound Design Program

• Audio- and/or videotapes that document your sound designs, including any accompanying paperwork (cue sheets, equipment lists, CAD drafting, etc.).

• If applicable, include scores, original music compositions and evidence of computer literacy and indicate if you play a musical instrument.

 

Technical Direction Program

• Production books and drafting or technical drawings.

• Photos of completed work or works-in-progress. These can include work in disciplines other than theater. You may also include examples of organizational ability and technical or artistic experience.

 

Management Program

• Prompt and/or production books.

• Any forms or other materials you have created or worked with, and any other materials that demonstrate your organizational ability or experience.

• Your personal statement should address your interest in theater and management.

 

Specializations

Specialization in Scene Painting (MFA only)

• Original drawings and sketches and color photographs of artwork, designs and scene painting.

 

Specialization in Properties Design and Management (MFA only)

• Examples of drafting or technical drawings, color photographs of project work, and original drawings and sketches.

• Examples of prop lists, materials lists and any examples of organizational ability or experience.

 

Specialization in Producing (MFA only)

• Two writing samples, one of which should address your interest in theater and producing.

• Any materials you have created or worked with that illustrate your experience and organizational ability, such as marketing copy and/or flyers, fundraising appeals, general management materials (budgets, organizational memos, timelines and schedules, company management or systems manuals, etc.).

 

Specialization in Production Management (MFA only)

• Prompt and/or production books.

• Any forms or other materials you have created or worked with, and any other materials that demonstrate your organizational ability or experience.

• Your personal statement should address your interest in theater and management.

 

Specialization in Puppetry (BFA, MFA)

Admission to the Cotsen Center for Puppetry and the Arts is based on a portfolio review and, whenever possible, a personal interview. The portfolio should include examples of design, fine art, drawing, graphic or photographic skills as well as documentation of realized original work as demonstrated by video, slides, or photographs of designs, models, scripts or storyboards of work or works-in-progress. Applications must also include a résumé and an artist’s statement that discusses your goals and their relationship to your past experience, as well as evidence of your interest in puppetry, whether in theater, film, design, installation, writing or other related forms.