Master of Fine Arts in Theatre - Live Design and Production (Lighting Design)

UT Live Design and Production is a program of foundational skills and technique development in Scenic Design, Costume Design, Costume Technology, Lighting Design and Integrated Media for Live Performance. UT Live Design and Production is a master of fine arts degree program where you can explore your talent at a university with vast academic resources in the dynamic and culturally inclusive city of Austin. We believe that training artists in design for the theatre prepares them for careers as inventors and producers of work in all aspects of live theatrical performance and the related fields of film, television, themed attractions, concerts, events and exhibits wherever the focus is on the live presence of a human story.
UT Live Design and Production offers graduate students multiple realized opportunities in a program of foundational skills and technique development in Scenic Design, Costume Design, Costume Technology, Lighting Design and Integrated Media for Live Performance. We offer work in theatre, dance, opera, film, video, performance arts and solo performance. Students have opportunities for creating work within their chosen discipline and exploring other disciplines within the program, as well as building affiliations within the university's Department of Radio-Television-Film and Department of Arts and Entertainment Technologies. Over the three-year program, students will gain organizational and entrepreneurial skills in order to prepare them to serve as a producer of future projects and endeavors.
Lighting Design, part of the Live Design and Production program at The University of Texas at Austin, includes mastery of both traditional and modern techniques as applicable to design for new work, narrative design, entertainment design, game design, installation and environmental design. Strong emphasis is placed upon research analysis, performance theory and the interpretation of story, character, space, place and time. All students are encouraged to generate original work through an experimental performance approach. Drawing, rendering, drafting, color study, pre-visualization and visual communication, both in conventional and digital study formats, are central components of the program.
The Lighting Design program aims to develop student's artistry, leadership and entrepreneurial skill while providing a foundational knowledge of skills and technological tools to serve tomorrow's storytellers in the theatre and makers of works across a variety of other creative spaces including opera, film, television, art installation, exhibit design, theme park and retail space.

Official Transcripts: Applicants must submit transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Online instructions for uploading transcripts (PDF format only).
GRE Score: The GRE is not required for admission to UT Live Design/M.F.A. in Theatre (Live Design).
Three letters of recommendation: These letters should be written by those who can speak most authoritatively about your background, training, professional experience and potential for a career in your chosen area of specialization in theatre. Each reference will receive instructions on how to submit his/her letter online to the Graduate School's secured web site. Only one letter is required from each reference.
Professional R'sum of your practical theatre work.
Statement of Purpose: This two-page statement purpose should outline educational and professional goals, philosophy and/or personal theatre aesthetic.
Design or Technical Portfolio: Portfolios should include examples of drawing, painting, drafting or any other manual skills applicable to your discipline including photos of realized productions or record of realized artwork. All portfolios must be submitted in the form of a website link or DVD (PowerPoint or QuickTime image file) before an interview can be scheduled. Images uploaded as portfolio materials (including the website link) must be in PDF format. For DVD submission information, see below. Applicants should bring an original portfolio to their on-campus interview, should one be scheduled. DVD portfolios and/or materials that cannot be upload in PDF format should be mailed directly to the address below. DVD portfolios will not be returned.
The Graduate School requires applicants to have earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a comparable degree from a foreign academic institution.
A grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or a comparable GPA in upper-division workjunior- and senior-level coursesand in any graduate work already completed is also required.

TOEFL: 79 on the Internet-based test (iBT)
IELTS: An overall band of 6.5 on the Academic Examination