Project #5: GRADUATE SCHOOL

GRADUATE SCHOOL






Pennsylvania State University

Master of Fine Arts Program - Design and Technology

The strength of our design and technical programs lies in our students'students who are committed to growth, who accept challenge, and who are eager to perform in a program that encompasses both rigorous class work and demanding production experience. Students who leave Penn State with the M.F.A. degree are well prepared to launch their professional careers.

Students in design (scenic, costume, lighting) and scenic technology have, as a common academic core, background and enrichment courses in theatre literature and production. In addition to intensive and extensive course work in the chosen area of emphasis, it is critical for the M.F.A. candidate to have sufficient course work in design and technical areas outside the area of specialization to ensure the capability of understanding and contributing to the collaborative production process.
Structure

Designers and technicians work closely with directors and actors in their corresponding M.F.A. programs. Collaboration is taught in the classroom and fostered in the production program. All M.F.A. candidates share a summer-in-London experience, taking two of the courses required for the degree and being immersed in theatre events from Shakespeare to Eastern European performance art.

Each degree program is specifically dedicated to individual student development and professional training leading to employment. In addition to course work in the academic core and in emphasis-related classes, students are given challenging production assignments appropriate to their areas of interest each semester. Scenic, costume, and lighting designers are expected to design at least one major production in each of the school's major production facilities: The Playhouse, a 450-seat proscenium theatre, and the Pavilion, a 300-seat arena/thrust theatre. Technical directors will serve at least two major productions and may have an opportunity to design. Smaller assignments encourage creative growth in the early stages of the program.

M.F.A. in Lighting Design

The M.F.A. Lighting Design Program includes core classes in dramatic literature, design studio, period research, digital presentation techniques, drafting and CAD skills. Students participate in a summer session in London during the summer of their first year. The School of Theatre houses three theatres and Students design the majority of productions. Students leave school with a professional portfolio well prepared for a career in their chosen field.

Production Opportunities

As audience members, our students have access to one of the oldest University-based performing arts series in the country, and as production students, they can work with professional touring companies in the 2,600-seat Milton S. Eisenhower Auditorium, the 900-seat Schwab Auditorium, or in the 16,000-seat Bryce Jordan Center, which hosts major rock concerts and large public events. Penn State's public broadcast studio, WPSX-TV, provides opportunities to work with television production. Film production courses in the College of Communications offer hands-on experience in film. Pennsylvania Centre Stage, a resident regional summer theatre on the Penn State University Park campus, offers employment opportunities to qualified students, who work with professional designers, cutters, technicians, painters, sound specialists, hair designers, and directors from all over the country.
Faculty

Practical experience and work with a professional faculty are strengths of the Penn State Theatre program. In addition, professional designers, technicians, and craftspeople are often brought in to augment faculty expertise. These visiting artists design productions, give lectures, conduct workshops, hold seminars, and sometimes design specialized portions of shows, such as sound and special effects. Whatever their mission, they always work closely with students, consulting and critiquing work in progress. Students work as assistants to visiting artists, gaining invaluable experience and contacts and the potential for professional work after graduation.
Facilities

The Theatre Arts Production Studios (TAPS) are among the most comprehensive teaching and production facilities in the country. They include classrooms, a lighting laboratory, a CAD lab, and studios for scenery construction, painting, properties, and costume construction. Storage for period costumes used in research is also provided in this building; a major collection of historic lighting equipment is stored in Eisenhower Auditorium.
Professional Liaison

When M.F.A. students finish their programs at Penn State, they are trained practitioners with solid backgrounds combining experience and theory, ready to move into the professional theatre and the performing arts. Many have gone on to become nationally recognized in their fields. Among our graduates are Broadway and off-Broadway designers, assistants, and technicians. Our students' names frequently scroll on television and film credits. Graduates are in place as designers, technical directors, cutters, assistants, property artists, and painters in major regional and university theatres. The broader Penn State network includes working actors, directors, and producers trained with the same care and attention to professional development as are designers and technicians. In moving beyond the academy and into the larger world of theatre, Penn State graduates find a constant and growing professional resource in alumni and guest artists who have worked in Penn State theatres.







Northern Illinois University

Masters of Fine Arts: Specialization in Design and Technology, Lighting Design

Lighting Design

The area of lighting design is centered around a core of courses appropriate to the training of aesthetically sensitive, technically proficient lighting artists for all phases of the theatre.

Course work focuses on functional, expressive, and compositional aspects of light supported by special skill courses in rendering techniques, drafting (including computer-aided paper-work techniques), projection aesthetics, and related technologies.

Special needs of each student will be approached through individualized instruction and supervised design experiences in variety of production styles and performance spaces on and off campus.

Apply

The Graduate School tries to make the application process as easy as possible. You can apply as a degree-seeking student in one of two ways.

We prefer that you submit an application online. Online applications speed our ability to reply to you and ensure the accuracy of our records. Online applications over our secure server require a credit card to pay the $30 application fee. Students with a GRE fee-waiver must obtain and submit a signed copy of said waiver from the Financial Aid department to be eligible for a waiver of the application fee. Other applicants with waiver codes can use the online application, too.

Alternatively, you can visit the Graduate School and complete an application.

GRE scores, transcripts, applications, and letters of recommendation should be sent to the Graduate School, 223 Adams Hall, DeKalb, IL 60115. Additional materials, including writing samples and applications for assistantship, for example, should be sent to the department to which you wish to apply.


Common Core of Courses

All students in the M.F.A. share a common core of courses. Every semester each student enrolled in the M.F.A. program participates in a production and credit is given through the performance and production course. Students may enroll in this course six times. A knowledge of the literature of theatre is of utmost importance. Script Laboratory, THEA 576, explores a number of scripts each semester reaching across genres. Various methods of script analysis are used to understand the scripts from a production point of view.

Each student is also required to participate in theatre study and work outside the students designated area and outside the school. Internships are an ideal way to meet some of those requirements. The school can frequently assist the student in finding an appropriate internship program through its many regional, national, and international connections with other performing arts groups. Course credit may be given by the school for an internship.




Illinois State University

MFA in Theatre: Lighting Design

The Graduate Lighting Design Program at Illinois State University is a three-year professional training program which combines rigorous course work with consistent opportunities for realized designs.
Curriculum

The plan of study for graduate lighting design candidates is tailored to meet the needs of the individual student. Students participate in a graduate lighting design seminar every fall semester with rotating topics including theatrical performance, Shakespeare, opera, and dance. MFA lighting design students also receive training in computer drafting, rendering (both in traditional media and digital imaging), technology, research, and portfolio development. Non-design courses may include history, theory, and director/designer collaboration. Students are also encouraged to take advanced coursework in scenic, costume, and sound design.

More detailed information on program requirements and course descriptions can be found in the Graduate Catalog.
Design Opportunities

A major goal for the program is to develop a strong portfolio of realized production designs and project work related to the courses in the plan of study. Design assignments are made every semester, with students given the opportunity to work in different styles and periods. Two different venues provide proscenium, thrust and arena configurations. The graduate lighting design student can expect to design two shows per year, as well as work as a master electrician or assistant lighting designer on other productions. Graduate students may also assist faculty on School of Theatre productions or outside professional projects.
Admission

To apply to the MFA program, first fill out the Graduate Admission Application. Also, at the Graduate School Web site, you will find information about required transcripts and fees that should accompany your application. Please review program-specific admission requirements and the application process on our graduate program pages or in the Graduate Catalog.

Prospective students must meet with head of the Graduate Design program or another designated representative for an interview before entrance will be granted. Interviews are regularly held at U/RTA sites in Chicago and New York or on the Illinois State University campus.

Specific questions may be addressed to Julie Mack, Professor of Lighting Design.
Professional Practice

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival offers MFA students the opportunity to assist accomplished professional designers from around the country. Graduate students may also seek out internship possibilities in professional theatres and shops nationwide. Students are encouraged to pursue professional work during the summers to gain new insights and build networks.
Recruitment

Illinois State University admits a limited number of graduate students to the lighting design program every year. The School of Theatre seeks candidates with strong artistic ability, disciplined intellectual drive, and a desire to work in a collaborative atmosphere.
Success for Recent Graduates

Despite the newness of the program in lighting design at Illinois State University, recent graduates are already making their mark in the professional world. Recent graduates of the design program hold positions with Arena Stage, Barbizon Lighting, the State University of New York/Oswego, and Coastal Carolina University. For more information about School of Theatre graduates, visit our alumni page.