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Department of Drama
249 Drama
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M.F.A. Stage Management
The M.F.A. in Stage Management at UC Irvine is dedicated to the professional training of advanced students seeking to elevate their skills, knowledge, and leadership within contemporary production environments. The program prepares stage managers to work at the highest levels of the field by combining rigorous academic study, extensive production experience, and individualized mentorship. Graduates leave the program with expanded professional networks, refined leadership abilities, and the adaptability required for sustained careers across live performance and related industries.
Program Overview
The graduate stage management program is built around five integrated components that support professional readiness, artistic collaboration, and leadership development.
Course Study
Graduate students engage in advanced stage management coursework that explores rotating topics each quarter and forms the core of the program’s curriculum. These courses examine both the art and science of stage management, emphasizing organization, communication, and decision-making within complex production systems.
Additional required coursework strengthens foundational theatre practices, including production techniques, dramatic literature, script analysis, and collaborative processes. Elective offerings allow students to broaden their skill sets in areas such as fight choreography, voice, design, construction, and other advanced Drama courses.
To support professional versatility, students may also enroll in courses across the university. Studies in areas such as business management, languages, and dance provide valuable tools for navigating the evolving demands of the entertainment industry.
Production Assignments
Production work is central to the M.F.A. Stage Management experience. Each graduate student serves as a stage manager or assistant stage manager on a minimum of seven UC Irvine productions, with responsibilities increasing in scope and complexity throughout the program.
These assignments function as laboratory-based learning experiences, guided by professional faculty and staff mentors. Students collaborate closely with directors, designers, choreographers, music directors, performers, and guest artists across a wide range of genres, including drama, musical theatre, dance, concerts, and special events.
Academic Student Employment
As part of the program’s financial support structure, graduate students receive a guaranteed academic employment appointment within the Drama Department. Assignments vary by quarter and are designed to align student interests with departmental needs.
Graduate stage managers may serve as Teaching Assistants or Instructors, support specific production areas, or contribute to broader departmental operations. These roles provide additional professional experience while reinforcing leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
Internship
During the final year of study, or earlier when appropriate, students pursue professional internships to deepen industry connections and explore potential career pathways. The program supports this process through mentorship, advising, and guidance aligned with individual career goals. Students are responsible for securing their own internships, with faculty support throughout the process.
Thesis Project
In the final year of the program, each student completes a thesis project of their choosing. Developed in consultation with the Head of Stage Management, the thesis reflects the student’s professional interests, leadership development, and applied expertise.
Program Resources
Stage Management students benefit from faculty and staff whose professional credentials span regional, national, and international work in theatre, dance, music, themed entertainment, film and television, and special events. Instruction is further enriched through guest artists representing all areas of the live entertainment industry.
These professional connections, combined with UC Irvine’s extensive alumni network, provide graduate stage management students with meaningful access to internships, mentorship, and employment opportunities.
Drama 254: Graduate Stage Management Courses
Below are examples of the rotating advanced topics that graduate students explore in the Graduate Stage Management courses, which form the core of the program’s curriculum. Seven of these courses are required over the 3 years of study. Topics vary each year and may expand based on students’ expressed interests and needs, as well as unique opportunities.
- Elevating Stage Management, Core Skills, and Leadership
- Psychology and Self-Care For Stage Managers
- Theatre Safety
- Stage Management Technology
- Actors’ Equity Association and Other Unions
- Production Management and Producing
- Opportunities Beyond Theatre: Themed Entertainment, Dance, Opera, And More
- Self-Marketing And Launching Your Career
Drama 240: Productions & Projects
Mentored by faculty and staff, with professional credits, throughout every phase of production, each graduate stage management student will be the stage manager or assistant stage manager on at least seven UCI productions while at UC Irvine. Each of these is a course. Graduate stage managers serve as the communication hub for each production, in conjunction with their stage management team and show collaborators, and manage performers and running crews of 60 or more individuals.
Other Required Courses
3 Courses in Drama 251A-C: Foundations of Theatre Courses
2 Courses in Production Techniques
1 Course in Dramatic Literature, Criticism, Contemporary Theatre, or History Of Music Theatre
3 Graduate-Level (Drama 200+) Or Upper Division (Drama 100-199) Electives
Drama 295: Professional Internship Quarter
Typically, a student completes an internship during a quarter in their final year of the program (or earlier, if appropriate) by enrolling in the 12-unit internship course, which allows them to focus exclusively on their internship during that quarter. Past internships have included: Center Theatre Group, South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Wicked on Broadway, Cirque du Soleil, Blue Man Group, Seattle Opera, The Disneyland Resort, LA Opera, among others.
Drama 257e: Thesis Project
During their final year, students complete a thesis project, which includes a 4-unit course to support focused work on the thesis. The topic of the thesis is chosen by the student, developed in consultation with and approved by the Head of the Stage Management. In addition, a designated thesis show is selected, often aligned with the thesis topic. At minimum, the thesis show represents the culmination of the student’s training at UC Irvine. In some cases, but not guaranteed or required, this production may include additional opportunities, such as focused technological support, that can serve as the basis for the written thesis.
Primary options for the thesis project, one of which is chosen, include:
- Assemble a professional production book of the thesis show
- Create a stage management promotional and marketing package
- Write a formal thesis based on a specific research topic
The capstone of the thesis project is a formal one-hour presentation to current stage management students, guests, and a three-member thesis committee.
UC Irvine
Claire Trevor School of the Arts
Admission to the Graduate Stage Management program is competitive. The program enrolls six students total, with two students admitted each year, allowing for individualized attention and sustained faculty mentorship.
Once your online application and application fee have been received and you meet the initial eligibility criteria, the Stage Management faculty will contact you to schedule an interview. If you have not heard from the department by the end of January, please contact the Drama Office. Applicants are also encouraged to notify the office promptly of any changes to their address or phone number after submitting an application.
Please note that the GRE is not required for Stage Management applicants.
Direct applications to the Graduate Stage Management program are accepted on a rolling basis, with final offers made in February.
Direct Application Requirements
1. UC Irvine Graduate Online Application
Applicants must complete the UC Irvine graduate online application and select Stage Management as their Special Area of Interest.
The application includes:
A Personal Statement
A Statement of Intent
Application Fee
$135 for U.S. citizens and lawful U.S. permanent residents
$155 for all other applicants
The application fee must be submitted online. Checks are not accepted.
2. Transcripts
Unofficial transcripts must be uploaded with the online application.
Official transcripts are required only after admission and must be sent directly from the issuing institution to:
University of California, Irvine
Department of Drama
249 Drama
Irvine, CA 92697-2775
3. Letters of Recommendation
Two letters of recommendation are required.
Letters must be submitted online within two weeks of application submission.
4. Stage Management Résumé
A résumé must be submitted through the online application portal.
URTA Applications and Interviews
Information about University Resident Theatre Association (URTA) Stage Management interviews is available through URTA. A faculty representative will interview both direct applicants and URTA applicants on the applicable interview dates.
Please note that URTA participants must also submit a direct application if UC Irvine is among their high-consideration programs.
Applicants wishing to interview on the Irvine campus should submit their application no later than January 16.
Follow-Up Interview and Campus Visit
After a direct application has been submitted, applicants may be invited to participate in a phone interview, Zoom interview, or campus visit. For all applicants, including those participating in URTA, follow-up interviews are scheduled only after the online application has been received and reviewed by the Stage Management faculty.
The follow-up interview and campus visit typically represent the final steps before a formal offer is made.
Final candidates are selected and offers are extended in February. All applicants will be notified of their admission status.
