麻豆传媒

Founded in 1969, the (URTA) assists American theatre by supporting professional training of new artists, including those in university theatre programs. “The URTAs” has been its flagship program, bringing together hundreds of MFA candidates across all theatre disciplines—acting, arts leadership, design and technology, directing, and stage management—in a single, centralized recruiting event from its 45 member universities.

As a result of their attendance at URTA’s Design and Technology Interviews this spring, and in a small part to direct applications, six of the Department of Theatre and Dance’s graduates have will join prestigious MFA programs focused on Theatrical Design and Technical Production:

•     Ethan Borrok - University of Illinois Champaign Urbana
•     Joyce Cheng - Carnegie Mellon University
•     Molly Crandall - University of Minnesota Twin Cities
•     Lowden Flower - University of Iowa
•     Luigi Locasio - Northern Illinois University
•     Max Teicher - Brooklyn College

The URTAs provide an accessible pathway to extended professional theatre training. This saves candidates the stress and expense of coordinating separate interviews, traveling to multiple campuses, and managing numerous applications. It also provides opportunities to discover programs they may not have previously considered. In large part, the graduate programs that recruit at URTA offer scholarships and assistantships to incoming students; in this URTA cycle several of our students received financial awards with their offers.

We spoke with graduating UB Theatre: Design and Technology student Max Teicher about his experiences at URTA this year.

1. What were your URTA interview and portfolio reviews like?  

In my case, URTA served to connect me to dozens of MFA lighting design programs through a speed-dating-like interview process.

My URTA interview process was exhausting. From 10 a.m. to almost 9 p.m. I had over 30 interviews. I have never talked to so many different people about my work. I got valuable feedback from almost everybody I sat down with, and I walked away feeling like an absolute pro at interviews. I took excessive notes during the five-minute breaks, hoping to retain every last bit of information about each unique program.  

2. What experiences in UB Theatre and Dance (UBTHD) best prepared you for graduate study and/or participating in a grad school fair such as URTA?  

UBTHD has prepared me in so many ways for graduate study and success. The new and current tech I’ve been exposed to in the Center for the Arts has made me feel knowledgeable in a fast-changing industry, and regular semester portfolio reviews with faculty have given me a great introduction to presenting my work. But by far it is the variety of design positions and real theatrical experience that allowed me to feel confident in going through the URTA process. 

4. Where will you be pursuing your graduate degree, and what is the name of your graduate degree program?

I will be pursuing my graduate degree at Brooklyn College. It’s a MFA in Theater with a concentration in design and technical production, specializing in lighting design.

5. What made you decide to pursue this program and what work field do you hope to join after you achieve a master's degree?

I chose this program due to the proximity and connections to Broadway as well as New York City’s vibrant theater culture. I hope to pursue theatrical lighting design as a career but also have the flexibility to work in film and concert design as well.