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Theatre Students Next Steps for 2025

Over the past few years, the Theatre Program in York's Department of Theatre, Dance & Performance has been shifting its focus to 'new works' and prioritizing ways for students to determine their own pathways through the programs we offer. This has resulted in things like opening performance skills, and production & design classes to more students and allowing you to move between different forms of creation. This is a change continuing with you and will be an iterative change which will have its benefits and challenges.

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Degree Pathways & Specializations in Theatre and Performance

First-year Theatre and Performance students begin their time in the department registered in the BA Hons Theatre (Performance Creation) degree. This provides great flexibility for you to explore and find your interests in a department with diverse and comprehensive opportunities to prepare for a career in theatre, performance, and many related fields which benefit from your rigorous cultivation of creative, practical, and critical skills.

After your first year, you have the opportunity to explore and refine specializations in theatrical creation. As you configure your education to best support your goals through our programs, you may choose to change your degree to a BFA  and complete your degree through more studio-based courses. There are countless ways to be a creator in theatre and performance, and all our programs and degrees are designed to support you on your path by giving you a structure to build upon

You may find your “thing” by selecting an array of courses which speak to your interest. Many of these are open to you. However, some courses will have prerequisites and corequisites which require you to take related courses, either concurrently or before you enroll. Others may require an application to take up one of a limited number of places in that course. Often these limited courses with applications open future options and course sequences which allow you to continue cultivating that area of your interest. And should you dedicate your time to a very specific specialization, you may find that it would benefit you to change your degree path (to BFA Hons Performance Creation, for example) so you can reconfigure your degree requirements (e.g. to take more studio courses) in a way that connects with your pursuits and best supports your ability to graduate on a given schedule. All these options mean you must be proactive and meet with your advisors to ensure you are clear on the path you’re on and meeting your degree requirements within the timeframe you intend.

The Next Steps process, and this information packet, has been created to provide you with more information about your program and degree choices. And even while there are a number of options outlined below, know that how you define what you want to do while at York, and what you do after graduating, is up to you. What is offered here are some of the larger frames in which to organize your next few years and provide you with a structure to pursue those countless directions you can take yourself.

Applying to Programs

Programs which require a form of application to receive permission to join the associate courses include:

  • Devised Theatre
  • Acting and Performance
  • Production and Design
  • Playwriting

Many students look to engage in these programs in their second year and so they  apply to them at the end of their first year. Students wishing to be considered for these programs through the Next Steps Process need to follow the specific instructions to apply to each program they are interested in. If your application is successful to any of these programs, you are strongly advised to attend an advising session to determine whether you need or want to switch to one of the BFA degrees.

Students prepare for careers in any/all aspects of theatre, such as actor, devisor, creator, director, designer, playwright, playmaker, theatre educator, theatre activist, producer, and study Devised Theatre to learn skills, tools, and frameworks of devising and creating original theatrical pieces.  

The Devised Theatre (DT) series of courses serves as a “hub” within the Theatre Program. DT students can come from any of the programs/degree-pathways in the department, and while performance is connected with DT, you don’t have to be a performer to be part of the Devised Theatre series of courses.

APPLICATION for DEVISED THEATRE (DT) in 2025-26:

There are 2 components to the audition for DT:

  1. Prepare a video with only ONE file: a creation that creatively expresses a moment or idea inspired from one of this year’s Devised Theatre Festival shows, and
  2. Participate in a 90-minute in-person group Devising/Creation workshop on Thursday, April 10, 2025. 

The Devised Theatre Festival will run in two blocks: on Mar 6–9  in the JGG, and Mar 11–16 in ACE 207.

Shows in the JGG:

Thursday, March 6th - Evening

Friday, March 7th - Evening

Saturday, March 8th - Afternoon and Evening

Sunday, March 9th - Afternoon

Shows in ACE 207 and surrounds:

Tuesday, March 11th - Evening

Wednesday, March 12th - Evening

Thursday, March 13th - Evening

Friday, March 14th - Evening

Saturday, March 15th - Afternoon and Evening

Sunday, March 16th - Afternoon

Video Performance piece:

Your video is an original creation inspired by a moment from the DT festival. It should build on and develop a theme or idea that struck you. Please introduce it on camera with a brief artistic statement of one or two sentences.

Guidelines:

  • Include your full name in the video’s Title/Heading/File Name (e.g. Gita_Singh_Performance.m4v)
  • max (10) ten individual words (no minimum, can repeat)
  • max (3) three simplistic design elements: sound, lighting, set/props, costume and projections/video editing. No Minimum.
  • max (1) one-minute length (strict), plus your brief artistic statement of one or two sentences
  • Your devised piece may or may not include you as a live performer, but if your piece does have a live performer, only you may fill the role
  • BE CREATIVE

Please feel free to get together with your colleagues to help each other out with recording, creating, and playing.

Please upload your video to the video-sharing platform of your choice (YouTube, Vimeo).

  • Please ensure your permissions are set to public or unlisted, NOT Private.

Submissions must be via a link to a video file that you upload through the DT & Performance video submission form and are due no later than by noon on Saturday, April 5th, 2025.

DEVISING/CREATION WORKSHOP

  • Sign up for the in-person devising/creation workshop by noon on Saturday April 5th, 2025, here: DT WORKSHOP. The DT workshop takes place on either Thursday morning or afternoon, April 10th, 2025, in ACE 207 & 209.
  • At the workshop, you will participate in games and exercises related to creation and collaboration facilitated by DT faculty and students in order for us to observe your ability to make artistic offers to your classmates and support each other’s energy in the work. Be prepared to move and improvise while making performance and non-performance offers.

Please email any questions to loughran@yorku.ca.

Students prepare for careers centring on performance, such as actor, devisor, creator, and director, as well as playwright, playmaker, theatre educator, theatre activist, and producer, and study Devised Theatre or Acting to learn skills, tools, and frameworks for creating original theatrical pieces or interpreting published scripts.

There are two pathways within the Performance Program:

  • Focused performance study through 17 performance-based studio courses in voice, movement & performance skills including Acting and Devised Theatre. This culminates in a BFA Hons – Acting & Performance.
  • Flexible performance study which opens opportunities to 12 performance-based studio courses in voice, movement & performance skills including Acting and Devised Theatre, while maintaining flexibility to pursue other theatre creation courses like directing, playwriting, dramaturgy and production. This culminates in either a BFA or BA Hons – Performance Creation.

There are two bands within the Performance Program:

  • Devised Theatre (Performance)where students create their own performance material through a series of courses on Devised Theatre.
  • Acting where students interpret the work of playwrights and screenwriters through a series of courses on Acting.

Students will be placed in either Acting or Devising, based upon their application submissions and observations by faculty from their workshops in April. Generally speaking, students remain in that "band" of the program for all 3 years.

 FOCUSEDFLEXIBLE
DEVISED THEATREFOCUSED DTFLEXIBLE DT
ACTINGFOCUSED ACTINGFLEXIBLE ACTING

APPLICATION for the PERFORMANCE PROGRAM in 2025-26:

All applicants for the Performance Program must do the two components of the Devised Theatre process (detailed above).

Additionally, students must:

  1. Record themselves performing a monologue from a published play. This video should be a separate link from your Devised Theatre video and uploaded, as detailed in the DT next steps process above. Submissions must be via a link to a video file that can be uploaded through our online form that will be shared after Weds. March 5th, and are due no later than by noon on Saturday, April 5th, 2025.
    1. Participate in an Acting workshop, which includes a live performance of a 2nd monologue, on Wednesday, April 9th, 2025.

Monologue Piece:

PLEASE NOTE: Though you only need ONE monologue for the video audition, you are required to prepare TWO monologues. You will need to present a different one for the in-person Acting workshop.

In a single take, speaking directly to the camera, please say:

  • Your full name (and your preferred name if you have one).
  • Your pronouns, if you wish.
  • What you will be performing, including the name of the character, play and playwright of your contemporary monologue (e.g., “Candy, from Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love, by Brad Fraser.”)
  • Your contemporary monologue, which should be:
    • a maximum of 1 min 30 secs long
    • from a published play (after the year 1950) with a professional production history
    • No dialects or accents other than your own
    • No mime and a maximum of one prop
    • The monologue should be delivered as if speaking to someone slightly off-camera (i.e. NOT directly to the camera) and shot in a single take, no editing
    • We suggest it be your 2nd best monologue—save the monologue you are most comfortable with for the Acting workshop, as you will be asked to "play" with that monologue in a redirect

Please feel free to get together with your colleagues to help each other out with recording, creating, playing.

VIDEO FILE SUBMISSION:

As per the DT process, please upload your video to the video-sharing platform of your choice (YouTube, Vimeo).

  • Please ensure your permissions are set to public or unlisted, NOT Private.

Submissions must be via a link to a video file that you upload through the DT & Performance video submission form and are due no later than by noon on Saturday, April 5th, 2025.

ACTING WORKSHOP

  • Sign-up for the in-person acting workshop by noon on Saturday April 5th, 2025, here ACTING WORKSHOP. The Acting workshop takes place on either Weds morning or afternoon April 9th, 2025, in ACE 207 & 209.
  • At the one hour long workshop, you will share your second contemporary monologue (same guidelines as your first one) in a studio with approx. ten of your colleagues, one at a time.  Be prepared to have your monologue redirected, to move and improvise.
  • Your one hour time slot will be provided to you in advance, and additional components for the workshop will be shared on the day.

Please email any questions to robinsoj@yorku.ca

DEVISING/CREATION WORKSHOP

  • Don’t forget to sign-up for a slot in the in-person devising/creation workshop, which takes place on either Thursday morning or afternoon April 10th, 2025, here: DT WORKSHOP

Nearly all courses in Production & Design are open to all students in any areas. Some courses may require prerequisites, corequisites or permission from the department to allow students to build cumulative skills and receive necessary safety trainings. Students who are committed to study in the areas of Theatre Design (set, costume, lighting, sound, and video), Construction (costume, and scenery), Craft (Props and Scenic Art), Technology (lighting, sound, and video), and Management (production management, technical direction, and stage management) and want to pursue intensive hands-on development of these areas will typically switch to the BFA Hons - Production and Design degree.

For application to switch your degree to Production & Design, applicants will submit a letter of intent, a portfolio and participate in in-person interviews on April 15, 2025.  Details will be announced and discussed during the THEA 1110 3.0 Stagecraft class and Primetime Next Steps on March 3, 2025.  Please register for your interview at this Sign-Up Genius Link.

What you are submitting:

  • A single PDF with:
    • A Letter of Intent: A letter of application outlining why you wish to pursue studies in the Production & Design area, and which particular disciplines are of most interest to you.  Indicating previous relevant experience is required.  This is an in-person interview, if you need other arrangements, please contact James McKernan.
    • A resume.  This is not limited to theatre experience.
    • Your document’s file name should be lastname_firstname.pdf, and the document must include your name, telephone, email, and year of study.
  • A portfolio:
    • A digital portfolio is required no later than one week before your interview. Your digital portfolio should be a link to a cloud-based presentation, for example, Google Slides. It should include up to 10 images or samples of production documents. These can be anything that exhibits some or one of the many skills practiced in production and design.
    • Please make sure your links are live and tested, ensure that you have shared the file and that it is set to be shared with “anyone with the link can edit”
  • Email or file share your materials to James McKernan at mckernan@yorku.ca by noon on Friday, April 11, 2025.
  • During your in-person interview, faculty will discuss your digital file. You may be asked for a small presentation of your portfolio and material.  You are welcome to bring physical portfolio pieces to the interview in addition to the digital portfolio.

Please email any questions to mckernan@yorku.ca

Students work towards creation and development of theatrical writing through writing prompts and exercises, readings of both published and student-written material, in-class discussions, and foundational dramaturgical skills. Playwriting students can come from any of the programs/degree-pathways in the department.

The Department currently can only offer one course in Playwriting each year, rotating between our two core courses every other year. In Fall 2025-26 we will be offering THEA 3290 3.0 Introduction to Playwriting; we expect to offer THEA 4290 Playwriting II 3.0 in 2026-27.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS for PLAYWRITING in 2025-26:

  • Submit your application before noon on Friday, April 11, 2025 to Professor Danielle Howard howardd@yorku.ca. In the subject line of your email, please write: “YOUR SURNAME: Playwriting 3290 Submission”
  • Include a title page that clearly shows your name
  • If accepted into Playwriting, please be aware that these courses may be taken while in other programs, but there are confirmed scheduling conflicts between THEA 2021 Acting: Scene Study, THEA 2121 Basic Costuming, THEA 3031 Movement: Emotional Authenticity, THEA 3144 Set & Costume Design II, and THEA 4143 Set & Costume Design III.

In your submission to Playwriting:

  1. Tell us about your artistic work and why you are interested in dramatic writing. Include what is important to you in your work (e.g., cultural influences, identity, geography, community, language, etc.) and why.  [Maximum 200 words]
  2. Please:
  • Provide a brief artistic sample. At least one part of your sample must be a piece or excerpt of dramatic writing. You may also include other forms of creative writing if you wish (e.g., poem, fiction, synopsis of a (proposed) play, response to a writing prompt, etc.) [Maximum 3 pages or 600 words]
  • Tell us about a point of inspiration for your artistic sample and how this research informed your process from conception to first draft. What aspects of your sample are you satisfied and unsatisfied with? [Maximum 200 words] 

Please let Danielle Howard (howardd@yorku.ca) know if you have any questions.

  • All offers will be emailed directly to students at noon on Friday, April 25, 2025.
  • You have to accept or decline your offer(s) by e-mail by noon on Monday, May 5, 2025 or your spot will be given to the next person on the waiting list. Please see the faculty member that you need to reply to above.
  • If accepted into more than one area, please notify coordinator of the area whose offer you accept and the area(s) whose offer(s) you are waiving. 
  • Acceptance into any area/series of courses is conditional upon final grades at the end of the 2025 winter term.

Based on the specialization(s) you choose to pursue and the classes you plan to take, you may want to consider which degree suits your interests best.

  • BA Hons – Performance Creation: Offers significant flexibility to engage in all aspects of theatre and performance through a balance of studies and studio-based coursework. This degree also provides the flexibility to pursue a second major or minor program and allows for a number of options should a student be interested in graduate study. Most students in the department complete this degree.
  • BFA Hons – Performance Creation: Offers significant flexibility like the BA but prioritizes studio-based coursework. This degree is good for those in Devised Theatre, Flexible Performance Study, and/or if you’re interested in taking Production and Design courses. It also supports students in taking studio courses outside of the department (such as various Pan-faculty (PANF), Music (MUSI), Dance (DANC), and Cinema and Media Arts (CMA), Digital Media (DATT), Visual Arts (VISA) and other courses). Anyone may request to switch to this degree if it is beneficial to their degree completion by attending a meeting with the Interim BFA Hons – Performance Creation Coordinator, Keira Loughran (see below for details).
  • BFA Hons – Acting and Performance: This degree acknowledges the performance techniques and focused work of those pursuing an Intensive Performance Study specialization. Exclusively for those students in the Focused pathway of Acting & Performance.
  • BFA Hons – Production & Design: This degree acknowledges the stagecraft and design focused work of those pursuing an Intensive Production and/or Design specialization.

Change to a BFA Hons – Performance Creation requires an additional application process to request the change from the Registrar's Office. Some BA Hons – Performance Creation students choose to switch to the BFA Hons Performance Creation pathway in order to take more studio courses, including students who specialize in Devised Theatre or the Flexible Performance Study program. Making this switch requires permission and submitting paperwork with the University.

A group information session is scheduled at the end of the academic year. If you are unable to attend this group session, you may request a one-on-one meeting to discuss how this change may affect your planning for your time at York.

This year’s information session will be a Zoom Meeting on Monday, May 12, 2025 at 3pm. Register for the session HERE. Questions? Email Keira Loughran loughran@yorku.ca.

When to Change Your Degree

If your application is successful to any of the programs and specializations, you are strongly advised to attend an advising session with your first-year advisor or the coordinator for the program to determine whether or not you may want to switch into a new degree path.

Students who chose to change to the BFA Hons - Acting & Performance, or BFA Hons - Production/Design are required to complete the online Change of Degree request to switch from Honours BA to Honours BFA. This request is available at http://myacademicrecord.students.yorku.ca/program-change.

Change of degree requests must be submitted no later than June 30 to take effect the next fall/winter session.

Acceptance into any area/series of courses is conditional upon final grades as of the end of the Winter 2025 term.

What to Do When You Don't Get Your First Choice:

  • Accept your second or third choice!
  • Talk to someone: speak with a teacher or staff member you trust to ask about other options that are available to you.
  • Reach out to your faculty mentor: make a connection to discuss what you might do next.
  • Consult with OAISS about your choices: speak with someone about other opportunities within Theatre, AMPD, and York at large. Use this online form to book an appointment!

Application Dates, Deadlines & Other Important Information

  • Video submission: Due noon on April 5, 2025, via link through the online form.
  • Workshop: Sign-up by noon on April 5, 2025: DT WORKSHOP. Workshop is Thursday, April 10, 2025, in ACE 207/209.
  • Posting of Offers: by email on Friday, April 25, 2025 at noon.
  • Reply to Offers: by noon Monday, May 5, 2025 to loughran@yorku.ca
  • Video submission: Due noon on April 5, 2025 via link through the online form.
  • Acting Workshop: Sign-up by noon on April 5, 2025: ACTING WORKSHOP. Workshop is Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in ACE 207/209.
  • Devising Workshop: Sign-up by noon on April 5, 2025: DT WORKSHOP. Workshop is Thursday, April 10, 2025, in ACE 207/209.
  • Posting of Offers: by email on Friday, April 25, 2025 at noon.
  • Reply to Offers: by noon Monday, May 5, 2025 to robinsoj@yorku.ca  
  • Letter of Intent, Resume, and Portfolio:  by email/file sharing noon on Friday, April 11, 2025 to mckernan@yorku.ca
  • Interview: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 or Wednesday, April 16, 2025, P&D INTERVIEWS
  • Posting of Offers: by email onFriday, April 25, 2025 at noon.
  • Reply to Offers: by noon Monday, May 5, 2025 to mckernan@yorku.ca
  • Application: by noon on Friday, April 15, 2025 to howardd@yorku.ca
  • Posting of Offers: by email onFriday, April 25, 2025 at noon.
  • Reply to Offers: by noon Monday, May 5, 2025 to howardd@yorku.ca
  • Information Session: Monday, May 12, 2025, at 3pm.
  • Register for the session: BFA PC INFO SESSION