Directing - MFA at Ohio University

Ohio University

United States of America, Athens

University Rank:#1001

The Directing - MFA at Ohio University is a Full Time Master program offered at the university's main campus in Athens, United States of America. The program is delivered on campus in English and can be completed in 2 years. Students develop academic knowledge and practical skills that prepare them for future careers in this field. The next available intake starts on August 22, 2027.

About Directing - MFA

First-year directing classes are designed to help the director understand the logical progression of organic components that make up the directing process. This includes exploring how a play is chosen, including the shaping, cutting and modification of the final acting text; examining how a concept or directing approach is formulated, and where the dangers and pitfalls lie; discussing matters of textual analysis, including classical Aristotelian elements, dramatic structure, and breaking the text down from the actors point of view into objectives, actions, subtext, given circumstances and beats; analyzing research techniques and the pre-production period; probing the art of collaboration â€“ with the designers, playwright, actors and stage management team â€“ and how each collaboration is different; investigating the process of working with the design team on everything from the ground plan to the sound design; scrutinizing the casting process, from the writing of breakdowns to running an audition, and what a director needs to look for in the audition room; breaking down the rehearsal process, from first reading through table work, blocking, scene work, and run-throughs, with particular emphasis on working with the actor; and finally, looking at technical rehearsals, including methods of saving time and energy during cue-to-cue, and strategies for accomplishing as much work as you can in as little time as possible. A particular emphasis during the final ten weeks of THAR 5211 is sound design, and how the director interfaces with this vitally important aspect of theatre production.Second-year training shifts emphasis to the directors study of theatrical style. The first semester focuses on the Greeks, pre-Shakespearean verse, and other stylized theater modes including melodrama and farce, while the second concentrates on the poetry and plays of William Shakespeare and how, as directors, we adapt our pre-production and rehearsal work to his world. We begin with an in-depth study of the poets primary verse mode, iambic pentameter, starting with a thorough examination of his work in the Sonnet form, and how it functions both as poetry and as a method of storytelling. The students do in-depth analysis of several key sonnets, and along the way develop a working knowledge of the various rhetorical devices that Shakespeare used, including alliteration, antithesis, malapropism, simile and metaphor, onomatopoeia, parenthesis, synecdoche, assonance, metonymy, chiasmus, and others. They learn to adapt their existing pre-production skills to the varying challenges of working on the plays of Shakespeare.

Requirements and Admission Criteria for Directing - MFA at Ohio University

Entry Requirements

Graduate status requires an earned bachelor's degree from a U.S. college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association, or an international degree that is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree from a college or university recognized and approved by the Ministry of Education or Commission responsible for higher education in the country where the degree is earned. Please review the if you attended a higher education institution outside of the United States.

*NOTE: Applicants may apply for graduate admission to Ohio University while they are currently completing their bachelor's degree.

If you have not graduated yet, please upload a letter of enrollment from your university. The letter should include:

Your name,
The name of the degree you will earn,
The expected date of graduation, and
Official stamps and signatures of the university registrar or president.

Applicants with a bachelor's degree from a U.S. college or university that is not regionally accredited may be considered with supplemental application materials and an official score.

English Requirements

IELTSMin 6.5
TOEFLMin 80

Tuition and Fee Information for Directing - MFA at Ohio University

How to Apply for Directing - MFA at Ohio University

The Ohio University Graduate College works together with each graduate program to process and review your application. You submit all application materials to the Graduate College, where your materials are gathered for the academic program.

Once you have found the graduate program to help you meet your personal and professional goals, review the application requirements and deadlines in the Graduate Catalog and on the academic program website.

Each program handles application reviews differently, but generally, there is a committee of faculty who review applications. Admission recommendations are sent to the Graduate College which then confirms minimum admission requirements have been met and finalizes the admission offer. Your admission is not final until you receive an email confirmation from the Graduate College.

You will be entering your information on a secure server. You do not need to complete the application all at once; the system allows you to save and return at your convenience.

You can upload most application materials directly to the online application. We recommend you use this option to ensure your materials are kept together with your application. The application also hosts a secure online recommendation system.

The Graduate College uses an electronic imaging system for programs to review applications and supporting documents. Programs can review materials once they are processed by Graduate College staff.

Directing - MFA at Ohio University

Ohio University

United States of America, Athens