Directing

Learn to tell powerful stories and be an interpretive artist and educator as you discover theoretical and practical study of directing.

Become a Powerful Storyteller

Students of stage directing at USD are training to be interpretive artists and educators. You are expected to develop a high level of skill in text analysis, interpersonal communication and the director's tools for effective storytelling, while also attaining a broad knowledge of theatre and its companion arts. In addition to focused instruction in acting, directing and design, you are encouraged to develop an understanding of how the present and the past intersect so that they may help others discover the common threads which link human experience.

Because program admissions are limited, each student receives a high level of individualized instruction, opportunities to direct in the arena season of plays and, in most instances, the opportunity to direct a mainstage production as part of the directing candidate's culminating project.

All MFA directing candidates must stage manage two approved productions and direct three approved productions. The MFA directing program requires 60 credit hours of study.

Degrees & Offerings

Theatre: Directing (MFA)

Master's

Vermillion Main Campus

As a theatre graduate student pursuing the director specialization, you'll take graduate-level classes on directing, performance, stage management, script analysis, voice dynamics and others that allow you to customize your program of study to match your career goals. In addition, you'll receive a high level of individualized instruction, opportunities to direct in the arena season of plays and, in most instances, the opportunity to direct a main-stage production as part of your culminating project. All MFA directing candidates must stage manage two approved productions and direct three approved productions.

Learn more about the theatre program

View Admissions Requirements

View Curriculum

Program Details

Graduate

College

College of Fine Arts

Department

Department of Theatre

Contact

Graduate Admissions

605-658-6140

gradadmissions@usd.edu

Known For Excellence

With qualities like small class sizes, specialized programs and incredible student opportunities, USD is not your typical university. What makes us unique is what makes your education exceptional.

STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES

As a graduate student at USD, the opportunities available to you extend beyond the classroom. Explore your interests, find your community and experience your education to the fullest extent through the following opportunities.

Gain valuable real-world, professional experience while enjoying paid employment and discounted tuition rates as a graduate student at USD. The affordability you gain through graduate assistantships and fellowships will equip you with valuable, professional-level skills that will set you apart after graduation.

Teaching and research assistantships are awarded by individual departments. If you do not receive an assistantship within your department, you are eligible for an assistantship outside of your academic program or within support offices (non-academic units) at USD. Further inquiries should be directed to the graduate director of the department.

Graduate School Assistantships

Real Accomplishments through Hands-On Experience

You'll find the mentorship and facilities at USD that you need to develop your artistic talents. Take advantage of all we have to offer in the College of Fine Arts from a newly renovated theatre to a fully equipped dance studio.

The Wayne S. Knutson Theatre is a 400-seat theatre that houses 30 line sets, full-length side tabs and state-of-the-art equipment.
The Arena Theatre is a flexible configuration space capable of seating up to 70 patrons and serves as our studio performance space, as well as our primary room for acting, directing and voice classes.
Fully equipped dance studio featuring a wall of curtained mirrors and a sprung, wooden dance floor. The space is home to our dance, movement dynamics, stage combat and mask classes and can accommodate up to 50 patrons for performances.
Our theatre department also has a fully equipped scenic shop and costume studio for the design, construction, dyeing and cleaning of costumes and crafts.

View 3D Tour

Build Your Artistic Community

USD is home to more than 170 student organizations, including several that are housed in the Department of Theatre. Whether you are interested in developing management and leadership skills or entertaining at the local senior citizen center, USD has opportunities to get involved on campus and in the community.

Student Theatre Cooperative

The Student Theatre Cooperative (STC) is an independent organization that produces original and cutting-edge theatre that typically would not get produced in our main stage season. STC provides opportunities for students to develop leadership and management skills, while also refining their craft through theatre production.

At weekly meetings, students will:

Select a season of plays and musicals
Assign production teams and plan productions
Participate in a Spontaneous Combustion event, where student playwrights, directors and actors write and produce original 10-minute plays in a 24-hour period

STC also engages in service activities with a variety of local organizations like the food pantry, the senior citizen center and SESDAC, a center providing support for persons with disabilities. STC also hosts an annual awards party and dinner each spring.

STC meets weekly at 5:15 p.m. on Thursdays in the Arena Theatre. All students enrolled at USD, as well as faculty and staff, may attend. Email theatre@usd.edu with questions.

Join Now

Graduate & Professional Student Association (GPSA)

Join your fellow graduate and professional students at USD. We aim to build a sense of community between graduate and professional students. Build your resume, network with others and gain experience and the unique opportunity to represent the interests of graduate students to the greater campus and community.

Join Now

Share Your Personal Vision

Through intensive craft studies, close student-mentor relationships, supportive coursework and extensive production application, we encourage personal and creative growth to cultivate your artistic identity.

Theatre production with students on stage under purple lighting

Theatre production on stage decorated as inside a room

Theatre production of Shakespeare in the park

Theatre production on stage with actors wearing clothes from the seventies or eighties

Students practicing in a large room painted black

Director students sitting in theatre seating

Technical production director smiling at a desk with a computer

Actors and director practicing in a large room

Theatre production with actors on stage decorated as if under trees in the evening

Modern theatre production hall with purple lighting

Departments & Facilities

Explore the departments, facilities and centers that contribute to your education.

An overhead shot of main campus during the sunset.

Black Hills Playhouse

The Black Hills Playhouse, a division of the University of South Dakota College of Fine Arts, is a regional theatre located in Custer State Park.

Theatre

Whether you are interested in a career in acting, musical theatre, design technology or a related field, the real-world experiences and connections you find in the Department of Theatre will help you get there.

State-of-the-art Facilities

The USD Department of Theatre is home to two performance spaces, the newly renovated Wayne S. Knutson Theatre and the Arena Theatre. The Knutson Theatre is a 400-seat theatre that houses 30 line sets, full-length side tabs and state-of-the-art equipment. The Arena Theatre is a flexible configuration space capable of seating up to 70 patrons and serves as our studio performance space, as well as our primary room for acting, directing and voice classes. The department is equipped with a studio space for dance, movement dynamics, stage combat and mask classes. Our theatre department also has fully equipped scenic, property and costume studios.

Surprisingly Affordable

Whether you’ve recently completed your undergraduate degree, or you want to kick your career up a notch, graduate school is the next logical step. The good news is there is funding for both online and on-campus students to get you through your program.