Drama Division

Faculty

Acting students in the Drama Division have the opportunity to enroll, as eligible, at the undergraduate or graduate level. Undergraduates may enroll in either the Bachelor of Fine Arts  degree or the Diploma  program; graduates may enroll in the Master of Fine Arts  degree. The Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree program includes 18 credits in the Liberal Arts Department  and 12 credits in Theater History, Prose, Poetry, and Shakespearean Text. Students in the Diploma program are exempted from the Liberal Arts requirement. The Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree program includes a sequence of graduate seminars. The minimum residency for all programs (B.F.A., Diploma, and M.F.A.) is four years.

The Drama Division also offers a graduate-level Playwrights program. Please see Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program  for more information.

Drama audition requirements can be found in the Admissions area on our Web site: www.juilliard.edu/admissions.

Standards of Achievement and Evaluation, Actor Training

Training in the Drama Division is rigorous and the standards for self-discipline and satisfactory achievement are high. Each student’s progress, achievement, and effort are discussed and evaluated periodically by the faculty shortly after each rehearsal or performance project is completed. While the entire focus of the training will be stretching and sharpening skills as an actor, continuing enrollment in the program is contingent not only on achievement, but also on conscientious effort, including regular and prompt attendance at all scheduled classes, rehearsals, and Drama Division activities.

Four times each academic year for the first-, second-, and third-year students, the entire faculty meets to discuss in depth each student’s work and progress. Progress in rehearsal, performance work, and classwork in all disciplines is discussed as are any attendance and other issues of concern. During periods between meetings, if project directors and/or other faculty members observe any significant changes, either positive or negative in a student’s work, they will bring it to the attention of the director of the Drama Division, administrative director, or faculty advisor for curricular affairs.

Students are kept informed of the faculty’s evaluation of their progress through regular reviews and individual conferences and/or at the request of a student or faculty member. Students are encouraged to feel that they are in a professional as well as educational environment and that the goal of their training is their growth as young artists and informed members of our society.

It is the faculty’s hope and expectation that every student admitted into the program is fully capable of benefiting from and meeting the goals of the training in all aspects. If at any time the faculty’s assessment of a student’s progress or achievement indicates that there are significant problems in meeting the standards and expectations set forth in the Juilliard Drama Division Student Handbook or in any area(s) of the work, that problem will be discussed with the student, the concerned faculty member(s), and the director of the Drama Division. Specific disciplinary sanctions and a probationary time period for the student to deal with the problem(s) may be imposed. A student who has not met those conditions set forth for the probationary period may not be invited to continue in the Drama Division.

Watch a video overview of the Drama Division. To see photos of Drama productions, visit our Virtual Tour at www.juilliard.edu/about/tour/drama.html.