About the Program
Blake Hackler
Chair, Division of Theatre, Head of Acting, Associate Professor
The M.F.A. Acting Program at Southern Methodist University seeks to prepare serious, dedicated artists for a life in the profession. The curriculum combines broad-based and inclusive actor training with rehearsal and performance of classical, contemporary, ensemble-based and self-created works. Our unique relationship with the award-winning Dallas Theater Center provides students with the ability to collaborate with artists of national and international stature.
Three Years of Training
-
Year One
The First Year focuses on the actor’s impulsive release of self under imaginary circumstances. Acting, Voice/Speech, and Movement classes work together to identify and redirect habitual behaviors, release imagination, and structure a foundational technique that allows the actor to bring their full self to the work. Soulwork is introduced. -
Year Two
The Second Year extends the development of technique through immersion in heightened texts, both classical and contemporary. Actors expand their technical and imaginative abilities though extended voice and dialect work, commedia and character mask, and European clown. In addition to regular casting, graduate students create two self-directed pieces- one solo and one ensemble based.
-
Year Three
In their Third Year, actors take on the challenges of contemporary texts both in acting and in on-camera classes. Professional development includes workshops with industry professionals from both coasts. Actors create and record voice-over demos and film reels with a professional crew. The year culminates in a filmed digital showcase that is marketed to agents and casting directors in every major market. Soulwork continues, deepening actors’ relationship to Call and Response and Emotional Availability.