Master of Fine Arts in Devised Performance
The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Devised Performance program is designed to train and launch the next generation of theatre professionals, adroit in creating original theatre with a rigorous attention to quality using all the materials at their disposal: their bodies, voices, imaginations and skills in collaboration and in creating surprising and arresting moments of live performance.
Why choose Rowan's devised performance program?
The mission of the program is to expand and nourish the local, national, and international communities of forward-thinking theatre artists and to encourage the creation of groundbreaking original work.
The Devised Performance program erases the lines of artistic ownership in theatre, and transforms the traditional norms and power structures central to the current regional theatre environment. Instead of working with pre-established texts, the program advocates creativity as dialogue rather than monologue; theatre-makers work together in an improvisational framework to create characters and performance texts wholly “owned” by creative ensembles. Rather than building new work around the spoken or written word, the program focuses intensively on the body and a physical approach to creating characters and theatrical ideas.
The five-semester curriculum leverages a variety of disciplines and offers several channels of exploration in movement, voice, improvisation, and ensemble creation. The program is rooted in ensemble theatre practices and the embodied performance pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq, the French actor and movement coach who founded the internationally renowned theatre school École internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecoq. Multiple Devised Performance faculty members have trained at the Lecoq school in Paris. Weekly seminars include masterclasses with theatre leaders, as well as poets, sculptors, videographers, and artists who work in a range of disciplines.
The studio coursework focuses on four primary strands of theatre:
- Movement: Students train their bodies daily through instruction in acrobatics/gymnastics, movement analysis, dance and movement improvisation, movement composition and core training.
- Voice: Students train weekly in voice that encompasses breathing, choral singing, listening, vocal improvisation and work on accessing a pre-verbal “primitive voice”. Vocal work complements the movement training in several key ways, allowing students to develop and integrate these two creative tools. The curriculum recognizes a distinction between the socialized voice that comments, asserts, judges and conveys ideas and the authentic uncensored “vertical voice” that connects to nature, to illogical and artistic impulses and to emotional registers that can be utilized in performance. In focusing on breathing as the foundation of both movement and voice work, these two important pillars of the program are deeply linked.
- Improvisation: Students work on a variety of improvisational themes that vary in length, some lasting a week, others lasting up to a month or longer. There is a strong emphasis on improvisation activity in the program that reinforces the central significance of “play”. Students are introduced to physical exercises, masks and contemporary performance aesthetics that help to define the distinction between playing and being. The daily improvisational work trains performers to trust the impulses that emerge in the midst of performing, in the present moment. The performer’s body and mind collaborate to learn how to be an actor-writer, deeply aware of the many choices a performer makes as well as the arc of the scene or play.
- Ensemble Creation: Through collaborative and playful exercises each week, students learn to function together spontaneously and intuitively around a theme to devise bold and courageous new performance work as an ensemble. These “etudes” provide the opportunity for students to develop the necessary ensemble skills that include leadership, vision, shared vocabulary, artistic alignment, listening, performance sensitivity, play and trust. Each week, these projects are shared for the faculty for feedback and evaluation. Over the course of the two and a half years, students engage in this process repeatedly, sharpening their skills and deepening their own artistic voice in the process.
Comparable Programs
This program is a national exemplar and a singular program. In terms of caliber, it is recognized at a similar level to MFA programs at the Rose Bruford/ArtHaus Berlin, UCSD MFA in Acting and Directing, and New York University Tisch School, but with its focus on devised theatre and Lecoq pedagogy, it is a one of a kind in the United States.
Faculty and Facilities
The program is housed at the Pig Iron Studios, located at 1417 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19122. Two Pig Iron Theatre members, Quinn Bauriedel and Sarah Sanford, (see attached information) have joined the Rowan faculty as Associate Teaching Professors (non-tenure track) along with several adjuncts whose instruction would be specific to this MFA.
The Pig Iron Studios are located in the Crane Old School building, a mixed-use space shared with other artists and makers. Students have access to three large studios, a kitchen, green rooms, and a lounge. The three studios house the majority of Devised Performance courses. One studio can be converted into a performance space with a lighting grid, sound system, and risers, and regular public showings are held in that space. Pig Iron Theatre Company’s administrative offices are located on the second floor of the Crane Old School building, where a conference room and faculty lounge are also available. The location is easily accessible by SEPTA public transportation from Philadelphia and the surrounding regions.
History of the Program
The Pig Iron School was founded in 2011 as a program of the two-time OBIE Award-winning Pig Iron Theatre Company. The School was licensed by the PA State Board of Education to offer a Certificate in Advanced Performance Training. In 2015, the School partnered with University of the Arts to offer an MFA and Certificate in Devised Performance. The School boasts over 140 alums.
Key considerations
Quick Facts
Semesters To Complete
Credits
Application Deadlines
Fall Entry Term
Studying devised performance at Rowan
What You'll Learn
The Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Devised Performance is a full time program offered at the Pig Iron School in Philadelphia, PA. It requires the completion of 77 graduate semester hours (15 required and 6 elective courses), which are possible to complete in only 5 consecutive semester.
The following courses make up the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Devised Performance program.
- 21 Courses / 77 Semester Hours
- Foundation Courses: No
- Graduation / Exit / Thesis Requirements: Yes
- Students must complete and pass the capstone courses THD 07576 MFA Thesis Seminar and THD 07555 Devised Performance Enhancement V
Required Courses: TBD S.H.
| Course Number | Title | S.H. (Credits) |
| THD 07551 | Devised Performance Ensemble I | 9 |
| THD 07552 | Devised Performance Ensemble II | 9 |
| THD 07574 | THD 07574 | 1.5 |
| THD 07571 | Being A Critical Consumer of Live Art | 1.5 |
| THD 07573 | History, Theory and Practice of Ensemble | 1.5 |
| THD 07553 | Devised Performance Ensemble III | 9 |
| THD 07581 | Foundations of Teaching and Learning Theory | 2 |
| THD 07572 | Contemporary Art & Culture | 1.5 |
| THD 07554 | Devised Performance Ensemble IV | 9 |
| THD 07582 | Pedagogies of Performance/Teaching Methods | 2 |
| THD 07575 | Creating and Leading a Healthy and Fulfilling Life as an Artist | 1.5 |
| THD 07555 | Devised Performance Ensemble V | 9 |
| THD 07583 | Teaching Practicum | 2 |
| THD 07577 | Performance Documentation | 1.5 |
Elective Courses: TBD S.H.
| Course Number | Title | S.H. (Credits) |
| THD 07563 | Music Skills* | 3 |
| THD 07561 | Voice I* | 1.5 |
| THD 07562 | Voice II* | 1.5 |
Thesis Coursework
| Course Number | Title | S.H. (Credits) |
| THD 07576 | MFA Thesis Seminar | 2 |
*Course fulfills Music Performance Toolkit Requirement
**Course fulfills Visual Arts Toolkit Requirement
Note: The course information shown above is not official and is subject to change. For an official list of available courses, please visit the Rowan University Academic Catalog.
Transfer Credit Evaluation Policy
Transfer credit not accepted
Admission Requirements
The following is a list of items required to begin the application process for the program. There may be additional actions or materials required for admission to the program. Upon receipt of the materials below, a representative from the Rowan Global Admissions Processing Office will contact you with confirmation or will indicate any missing items.
- Rowan Global Application Form
- No application fee required
- Bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) from an accredited institution of higher learning
- Official transcripts from all colleges attended (regardless of number of credits earned)
- Minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.8 (on a 4.0 scale)
- Audition - live audition dates will be posted. For international students and those far away, we have virtual options. If no virtual options are feasible, audition submissions will be accepted via video recording with prompts sent out individually.
- Current professional resume
- Headshot
- Department Essay - Personal artistic statements should be a minimum of two pages and express your interest in physical and devised theater training; how you intend to engage in the work; and how this study will influence your future work and artistic career. This essay should also include a summary of your self-assessment (strengths and weaknesses) as a creator, collaborator and performer. Use specific examples from previous collaborative experiences, noting work for which you have been a leading artistic voice. Address your capacity to change, your openness to new ideas and receptiveness to criticism using specific examples from past theater experiences. What do you hope to gain by your studies at the graduate level?
- Interview - 30-45 minute interview with someone from the Devised Performance Program faculty covering past artistic experiences, future goals, artistic influences, preparedness for deep collaboration, relationship to risk, failure, and curiosity, and professional and personal ambitions
- Artistic Portfolio/Work Sample - applicants must submit a sample of work that highlights an artistic project, preferably a performance, in which you were a leading artistic voice. An example might be a video of a theater piece in which you were a core creator, a series of photographs of a production with an accompanying narrative to help explain the project, a clip of a performance in which you performed or directed, or a creative writing sample.
- Two letters of recommendation
Tuition and Aid
At Rowan University, we pride ourselves on being vigilant and frugal about tuition. We work hard to provide quality education while seeking to reduce the barrier that college costs can present students.
We know paying for tuition can be a challenge. That is why Rowan provides students with the financial resources needed to put their education first by offering grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships.
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