Starting 2018 to 2019 academic year, Brown University, whose alumni include Emma Watson, will provide scholarships to cover the full cost of tuition for all returning and future students in the Brown University / Trinity Rep master of fine arts (MFA) programs in acting and directing.
From Brown University:
Not only will the additional funding ease debt for individual MFA students, Brown and Trinity Rep officials say, it will diversify the pool of actors and directors in training, encourage innovation and experimentation in art-making and ultimately redefine whose stories are being told through on-stage performance.
“In the theatre world, diversity is often hampered by the inability of low-income artists and artists of color to afford to be creators,” said Patricia Ybarra, chair of Brown’s theatre arts and performance studies department. “As one of the premier MFA programs in the country, we produce future leaders and innovators in the field. By expanding access to our program, we expand access to theatre world more broadly — ultimately redefining in really important ways whose stories are being told and by whom.
Traditionally, aspiring filmmakers and actors are unable to repay debt because their success is not reflected in their salaries, Brown University noted. As a result, prospective low-income and middle-income families do not apply to MFA programs, or aspiring artists live in debt for years.
“You cannot take risks and choose your own path when hampered by debt, and I am hopeful that we will see riskier and more innovative work as a result of this change,” Ybarra said.
The master’s programs were established in 2002, and provide students with three years of professional training and education. Students in each program hone their crafts working directly with professionals at the university and Trinity Rep, Rhode Island’s Tony Award-winning professional theater.
Along with full tuition support, students pursuing an MFA in acting will continue to be eligible for a stipend to cover living expenses. Students earning an MFA in directing will be offered teaching assistantships and proctorships, through which they will be compensated.
The goal is to bring young acting talent to the world. “The professional experience that our MFA students gain by acting at Trinity is invaluable to them, and they are equally valuable to our audiences and to the kind of work we can produce,” Curt Columbus, Trinity Rep’s artistic director, said. “This program is one of the best of its kind in the nation, and this investment by Brown makes us able to attract an even higher caliber of actor. “
Provost Richard Locke wrote a letter to Brown/Trinity students detailing the new policy, noting that the MFA programs were points of pride for graduate education at Brown.
“These additional investments ensure that all MFA programs at Brown are tuition-free and allow the University to continue to recruit exceptional graduate students in the arts, regardless of financial need,” Locke said. “These enhancements also reflect the centrality of the arts to the University’s mission.”
To apply for admissions click here.
Related:
- Pitch Your Movie Idea and Get Paid $10,000 To Film It
- Jennifer Lawrence Dropped Out of School At 14 To Become an Actor
- The Cast of Netflix’s ‘GLOW’ Shares Amazing Tips for Actors (VIDEO)
What do you think? Discuss this story with fellow Project Casting fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @projectcasting.
