- What is unique about Tisch Undergraduate Drama?
- Do the studios only offer classes in acting?
- Who makes up your faculty?
- I have heard about “the studios” in the Drama department. Can you please explain the studio system?
- Do I choose my studio?
- Do I stay in one studio for four years?
- What are my professional training options after Primary Studio?
- What kind of performance opportunities does the department offer?
- May I audition for shows as soon as I begin at Tisch?
- How do I apply to your program?
- What is the Artistic Review?
- How should I prepare for my Artistic Review?
- Do you have any tips about the audition and interview components of the Artistic Review?
- If I audition for Musical Theatre, can I be considered for an acting studio as well?
- Do I have to audition in New York City?
- Can I audition by video?
- If I am not accepted Early Decision, can I reapply during Regular Decision?
- If I am not accepted into the Department of Drama, can I be admitted into another school at NYU?
- Can my drama teacher write me a recommendation letter?
- Can I visit the department and sit in on a class?
- Do you offer summer programs for high school students?
Undergraduate Drama FAQ
What is unique about Tisch Undergraduate Drama?
The Department of Drama at Tisch School of the Arts is unique in the nation for its combination of rigorous conservatory training and broad-ranging academic education. Using the incomparable theatrical resources of New York City as well as the superb intellectual resources of New York University, the department has created a uniquely balanced B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fine Arts) program that aims to establish the artistic and intellectual foundations for a successful professional life in the theatre and allied disciplines.topDo the studios only offer classes in acting?
No. All performance-based Primary Studios offer foundations in areas such as acting technique, vocal technique, dance and movement, script analysis, scene study, improvisation and often singing. In addition, we have studios for Directing, Music Theatre and Technical Production and Design.
topWho makes up your faculty?
Our professional training faculty is composed of accomplished, working artists. Internationally recognized theatre studies scholars and theorists lead the academic faculty.topI have heard about “the studios” in the Drama department. Can you please explain the studio system?
In order to create the optimum training opportunities for the students of the Drama department, we have created a studio system comprised of the eight professional training studios listed below. Once accepted, each student is placed in a primary studio to complete two years of foundational artistic training. It is important to understand that you are applying to the Department of Drama at Tisch School of the Arts and not a particular studio. Your questions are welcomed in your interview. The evaluator will look for areas of strong personal interest, but the placement decision lies with the Drama department. After foundational training in primary studio, you will have options for advanced training (see below).
The following are the eight Primary Studios. All are acting studios except where noted.
Stella Adler School of Acting
Atlantic Theatre Company Acting School
Collaborative Arts Project 21 (music theatre)
Experimental Theatre Wing
The Meisner Studio
Playwrights Horizons Theatre School (also directing)
Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute
Technical Production Track (design, production, stage management)
Do I choose my studio?
No. Students audition for admission into the Drama department, not for a particular studio. Your questions are welcomed in your interview. The evaluator will look for areas of strong personal interest, but the placement decision lies with the Drama department.
topDo I stay in one studio for four years?
No. Students are required to remain in their Primary Studio for the first two years of the program. Once they have completed their Primary Studio training, they have a number of options to complete additional professional training requirements. These are outlined below.topWhat are my professional training options after Primary Studio?
After two years in Primary Studio, students may continue at their original studio, transfer to another to learn a new technique or train in one of our advanced programs: The Classical Studio (to work with Shakespeare and other classical texts) or Stonestreet Screen Acting Workshop (to gain on-camera experience). Students may also study abroad or take on an internship.
topWhat kind of performance opportunities does the department offer?
Each year, the department offers over 200 productions, including department mainstage productions, studio workshops, directing projects and independent student productions. Please note the restrictions on performing for first-year and transfer students below.
topMay I audition for shows as soon as I begin at Tisch?
No. First-year students must wait one year before they are eligible to audition for department or studio productions. Transfers must wait one semester to audition. We think it is important for you to take time to embrace the new techniques of your Primary Studio training and to adjust to living in New York City. You must be in good academic standing in order to audition.
topHow do I apply to your program?
The Department of Drama encourages applications from high school seniors and also from current college students who wish to transfer. Admission is based on students meeting both artistic and academic criteria. Applications are accepted for Fall admission only.
NYU application guidelines may be found on the NYU Undergraduate Admissions page. Artistic review guidelines and scheduling information may be found by following the links to the right. We encourage you to submit your NYU application prior to the deadline and to schedule your artistic review as early as possible. All application deadlines are strictly enforced.
Students must meet the admission criteria of both the Department of Drama and New York University in order to be successful in earning an offer of admissions. Therefore, both parts of the application must be complete before an admissions decision can be made.
What is the Artistic Review?
The artistic review consists of an audition and an interview. It is a required part of the application process. Artistic review guidelines and scheduling information may be found by following the links to the right.topHow should I prepare for my Artistic Review?
When you request your artistic review appointment, you will be asked to select one of four areas of concentration: Acting, Music Theatre, Directing or Technical Production. Artistic review guidelines and scheduling information may be found by following the links to the right.
All applicants are required to bring a résumé and photograph to the artistic review. A professional headshot is not necessary. Please use the proper format for a performing arts résumé. Your evaluator will not accept additional material beyond the résumé and photo.
Once accepted, each student is placed in a Primary Studio to complete two years of professional training. It is important to understand that you are applying to the Department of Drama at Tisch School of the Arts and not a particular studio. Your questions are welcomed in your interview. The evaluator will look for areas of strong personal interest, but the placement decision lies with the Drama department.
Do you have any tips about the audition and interview components of the Artistic Review?
Artistic review guidelines and scheduling information may be found by following the links to the right.
For the audition portion of the Artistic Review, please choose material appropriate for you. Our concern at the audition is your natural ability as a performer and how it would be served by the training we offer. Therefore, select monologues carefully (with characters that are close to your age and experience) to allow yourself to shine through the material. Be sure to read the entire play from which your monologue is taken. Monologues must be from published plays.
After your audition, there will be an interview. This is your time to tell us about yourself -- your background, interests, professional and academic goals.
If I audition for Musical Theatre, can I be considered for an acting studio as well?
Yes. The Department of Drama at Tisch offers a range of programs where musical skills are viewed as an essential element of an actor’s expressive vocabulary. Currently, our most concentrated music theatre program is offered through our affiliation with CAP 21, but students attend music and dance classes throughout the department and participate in full-length musicals at other studios, including Playwrights Horizons, ETW and Strasberg. At least one musical is traditionally chosen as a core element of the department’s produced mainstage season, in addition to countless music theatre performances staged by Drama students both in student-produced productions and as part of the Directing program at Playwrights Horizons Theater School.
In the interview, candidates will be asked if they would like to be considered for one of the acting studios in addition to CAP 21, given the relatively small number of places for music theatre students at that studio. The answer will not affect the candidate’s eligibility for CAP 21 and the placement decision remains with the Drama department.
