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. 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 Brown/Trinity Consortium MFA, Rose Bruford /ArtHaus Berlin, Columbia University MFA in Acting, 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 will be 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) would join 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.

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

*Course fulfills Music Performance Toolkit Requirement

**Course fulfills Visual Arts Toolkit Requirement

Transfer Credit Evaluation Policy

Transfer credit not accepted

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.