Shakespeare and Performance

Mary Baldwin University, in partnership with the American Shakespeare Center, offers the degree of Master of Letters (MLitt), leading to the terminal degree of Master of Fine Arts (MFA). The program is non-residential and open to qualified men and women. Offers of admission are extended to the strongest candidates. Firmly grounded in the liberal arts tradition, the program offers a combination of stagecraft and scholarship, with interdisciplinary emphasis on acting, directing, dramaturgy, and teaching. Study proceeds from a common group of required courses, ensuring mastery of Shakespeare and his plays and the world and theatre in which he worked. Many classes follow the traditional semester format; others have a modular format lasting several weeks, or are held on weekends and during the summer months. Each student works closely with the faculty and with a faculty advisor on the Mary Baldwin campus, and courses combine traditional academic scholarship with practical experience. All students have access to the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse, the only modern reconstruction in the world of Shakespeare’s Blackfriars. Resident faculty instruction is augmented with internationally recognized visiting scholars and artists.