Undergraduate Programs
In addition to our outstanding Bachelor of Arts degree program in Theatre Studies (TS), we provide highly challenging, engaging, and focused Bachelor of Fine Arts degree programs in Actor Training (ATP), Musical Theatre (MTP), Performing Arts Design (PADP), Stage Management (SM), and Theatre Teaching (TT).
Deadlines
We strongly recommend that you apply to the U by December 1, 2024.
Students who apply to the University of Utah by this date are eligible for a variety of benefits, including the following:
- Automatic Consideration for all university merit-based scholarships
- Automatic Consideration for the For Utah scholarship, which covers eight semesters of tuition and mandatory fees (UT residents only)
- Discounted Tuition for students from participating states and U.S. territories through the Western Undergraduate Exchange
Feb 1, 2025 Financial Aid Priority Date
Complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Auditions
UTAH UNIFIEDS
ATP, MTP, PADP, SM, TT and BA
- Oct 12 @ University of Utah
NATIONAL UNIFIEDS
ATP, MTP
- Jan 25–26, 2025 in NYC
- Feb 3-6, 2025 in Chicago
- Feb 8-9, 2025 in LA
LOCAL
ATP, MTP, PADP, SM, TT and BA
Price Theatre Arts Building at the University of Utah
- Oct 12 & 13, 2024
- Feb 15 & 16, 2025
VIRTUAL MEET & GREETS
ATP, MTP, PADP, SM, TT and BA
- Sept 22, 2024 at 2pm – 3:30pm MST
Register in advance for this meeting:
- Nov 24, 2024 at 2pm – 3:30pm MST
Register in advance for this meeting
- Jan 19, 2025 at 2pm – 3:30pm MST
Register in advance for this meeting
Our programs enable students to develop a comprehensive understanding of the discipline of theatre—its processes, its products, and its unique ability to capture with depth and passion the truths of human experience.
The following application steps are for freshman entering the University of Utah. If you are a transfer student, please skip below.
Apply & Audition
Select your program and follow the application instructions carefully.
Actor Training Program Admissions
Step 1: Apply to the University of Utah
We strongly recommend that you apply to the U by December 1, 2024.
Students who apply to the University of Utah by this date are eligible for a variety of benefits, including the following:
- Automatic Consideration for all university merit-based scholarships
- Automatic Consideration for the For Utah scholarship, which covers eight semesters of tuition and mandatory fees (UT residents only)
- Discounted Tuition for students from participating states and U.S. territories through the Western Undergraduate Exchange
APPLY TO THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
For more information about automatic scholarship consideration, the For Utah scholarship, and the Western Undergraduate Exchange, visit our Scholarships & Financial Aid page.
Step 2: Prepare your ATP Application Materials
You’ll be asked to provide additional application materials when you schedule your ATP audition, so make sure you gather them in advance.
ATP Application Checklist:
- A current resume with contact information, including current phone number, email, and physical mailing address
- A digital 8 x 10 headshot or photograph (JPEG or PNG preferred)
- Names and email addresses for two professional references who can attest to your academic accomplishments and/or your talent, potential, and dedication
- A 1 - 2 page letter telling us your reasons for pursuing a career in acting or musical theatre, as well as your career goals
- Non-refundable $30 audition fee*
* If you need to have your audition fee waived for any reason, please contact us at
Step 3: Register and Schedule Your ATP Audition
When you are ready to schedule your ATP audition, follow the steps below:
-
Register and pay your audition fee through UMarket. If you have received a fee waiver, you do not need to register and pay.
-
After your payment (or fee waiver request) is complete, you'll receive an email with a coupon code from
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . - Once you have received your coupon code, you can schedule your audition at the link below. Make sure your resume, headshot, references, and letter are ready to upload.Schedule your ATP audition
Step 4: Prepare For Your ATP Audition
For your ATP audition, please prepare two contrasting monologues:
- Monologues should be memorized and selected from produced plays (no monologues from film, television, or original/self-written work, please)
- Each monologue should be under 90 seconds in length.
- One monologue should be a character that is close to your age, personality and life experience.
- One monologue can be Shakespeare, but this is not required.
Step 5: Break a Leg!
Congratulations! If you've completed all the steps above, your ATP application is complete!
You may still need to submit your FAFSA if you haven't already, and you'll want to keep an eye out for acceptance notifications from the University of Utah and the Department of Theatre.
University notifications will start going out in mid-January for applicants who met the December 1 deadline, and Department of Theatre notifications will be distributed shortly after that. Pay close attention to these notices—they should include instructions for confirming your enrollment with the University as well as the Department.
If you decide to join us, you'll need to confirm your enrollment before the May 1 deadline in order to secure your position, along with any housing and financial aid offers you might have received.
If you have any additional questions, drop us a line at
Thank you so much for your interest in the University of Utah Department of Theatre!
Musical Theatre Program Admissions
Step 1: Apply to the University of Utah
We strongly recommend that you apply to the U by December 1, 2024.
Students who apply to the University of Utah by this date are eligible for a variety of benefits, including the following:
- Automatic Consideration for all university merit-based scholarships
- Automatic Consideration for the For Utah scholarship, which covers eight semesters of tuition and mandatory fees (UT residents only)
- Discounted Tuition for students from participating states and U.S. territories through the Western Undergraduate Exchange
APPLY TO THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
For more information about automatic scholarship consideration, the For Utah scholarship, and the Western Undergraduate Exchange, visit our Scholarships & Financial Aid page.
Step 2: Prepare your MTP Application Materials
You’ll be asked to provide additional application materials when you schedule your MTP audition, so make sure you gather them in advance.
MTP Application Checklist:
- A current resume with contact information, including current phone number, email, and physical mailing address
- A digital 8 x 10 headshot or photograph (JPEG or PNG preferred)
- Names and email addresses for two professional references who can attest to your academic accomplishments and/or your talent, potential, and dedication
- A 1 - 2 page letter telling us your reasons for pursuing a career in acting or musical theatre, as well as your career goals
- Non-refundable $30 application fee*
* If you need to have your audition fee waived for any reason, please contact us at
Step 3: Register and Schedule Your MTP Audition
When you are ready to schedule your MTP audition, follow the steps below:
- Register and pay your audition fee through UMarket. If you have received a fee waiver, you do not need to register and pay.
- After your payment (or fee waiver request) is complete, you'll receive an email with a coupon code from
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . - Once you have received your coupon code, you can schedule your audition at the link below. Make sure your resume, headshot, references, and letter are ready to upload.Schedule your MTP audition
Step 4: Prepare For Your MTP Audition
The Musical Theatre Program is a non-prescreen participant in the Musical Theatre Common Prescreen (MTCP). Students may use the same materials to audition in-person for the University of Utah as they would for any other participating institution in the MTCP.
Please note: students will need to submit a dance video before their in-person audition.
Song Requirements
Auditionees may choose either Option A or B from the Musical Theatre Common Prescreen.
Option A
- One song written before 1970 (musical theater, Golden Age, pop, hip-hop)
- One song written before 1970 (musical theatre, Golden Age, pop, hip-hop, folk, rock, rap, soul, country, punk, etc.) This song should contrast the style of the first selection.
Option B
- One musical theater song from any time period.
- One song of your choice from any time period and in any style that best suits you (musical theatre, pop, hip-hop, folk, rock, rap, soul, country, punk, etc.). This song should contrast the style of the first selection.
In person audition note:
If you are auditioning at the University of Utah campus, an accompanist will be provided. Please have sheet music clearly marked with start and end points, in the correct key, and either in an iPad or printed, hole punched and in a three-ring binder. No loose-leaf pages, please.
If you are auditioning in another location (or virtually), please bring a backing track and speaker for your songs.
Song Tips
Some examples of contrasting songs are fast tempo vs slow tempo, sustained melodic singing vs speech-like singing, dramatic vs comedic, belt vs head/falsetto mix.
Many accompaniment tracks are available on YouTube and other websites. If you do not have a way to work with a live accompanist or don’t have access to a recorded track of your music, consider using an app that will play the piano part for you. Harmony Helper is one such app that allows you to take photos of your sheet music, upload them to the app and then generate a piano track that you can use.
Monologue Requirements
Please use Option A from the Musical Theatre Common Prescreen.
Option A
- One monologue from a published play or written by a professional writer.
- A professional writer is someone whose plays have been produced, but may not have been professionally published.
Monologue Tips:
It is recommended to choose monologues that are age-appropriate (generally within 5-10 years of your actual age) and that feel authentic to your culture, background and lived experience.
Active monologues are often better for auditions; an active monologue takes place in real time and focuses on what you want and puts you in direct communication with an imaginary scene partner. This is often more successful in an audition situation than pieces that are a story or remembrance. Additionally, it can be helpful to avoid monologues that rely on extreme emotions as it can be hard to believably justify those responses in a short piece.
Step 4a: Submit Dance Audition Video
Please provide an unlisted YouTube link or upload video file into the audition form. *Please note: You can return to your audition application at any point to submit this at another time, but we will not be able to make you an offer if we do not have this submitted by Feb 16.
Dance Requirements
Please Use Option B from the Musical Theatre Common Prescreen.
Option B:
- Show us your best version of dancing or moving.
Ballet Option
Please use Option B from the Musical Theatre Common Prescreen.
Option B
- Ballet optional. If you choose to submit a ballet video, please submit it along with your required dance video before your in-person audition.
Dance Tips:
Make sure you can execute all the choreography well. It is to your advantage to choose steps and movement that highlight your strengths instead of your weaknesses.
You may use recent videos of you from a show or concert, but it must just be you in the frame.
Dance sample should be in whatever dance discipline you feel most confident. This may include, but is not limited to jazz, ballet, tap, modern, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, or dance styles beyond American and Euro-western styles.
Dance media can be “self-choreographed”, but it must be a solo video of you. This can include a show, competition or other performance so long as you are clearly featured on your own.
Please use steps, movement and physical vocabulary that you are familiar with and can execute well. Fully move your body to the best of your ability.
To assist applicants with the dance prescreen, several institutions provided the following resources for applicants who do not have access to a choreographed combo for the prescreen process. You may submit this choreography (or a combination of it) to any of the schools you are applying to that ask for a dance prescreen. This list will be updated as more institutions share resources, so be sure to check back [on the MTCP website]
Abilene Christian University Dance Combo Resource
Emerson College Dance Combo Resource
Nazareth University Dance Combo Resource
Texas State University Dance Combo Resource
Framing for Dance and Ballet:
We recommend a set up that allows us to see the top of your head to the floor. This allows us to see how you inhabit space.
Framing for Dance and Ballet Tip:
If it is helpful for you to see yourself, place a full-length mirror behind the filming device and remember that the camera is your audience.
Step 5: Break a Leg!
Congratulations! If you've completed all the steps above, your MTP application is complete!
You may still need to submit your FAFSA if you haven't already, and you'll want to keep an eye out for acceptance notifications from the University of Utah and the Department of Theatre.
University notifications will start going out in mid-January for applicants who met the December 1 deadline, and Department of Theatre notifications will be distributed shortly after that. Pay close attention to these notices—they should include instructions for confirming your enrollment with the University as well as the Department.
If you decide to join us, you'll need to confirm your enrollment before the May 1 deadline in order to secure your position, along with any housing and financial aid offers you might have received.
If you have any additional questions, drop us a line at
Stage Management Program
Step 1: Apply to the University of Utah
We strongly recommend that you apply to the U by December 1, 2024.
Students who apply to the University of Utah by this date are eligible for a variety of benefits, including the following:
- Automatic Consideration for all university merit-based scholarships
- Automatic Consideration for the For Utah scholarship, which covers eight semesters of tuition and mandatory fees (UT residents only)
- Discounted Tuition for students from participating states and U.S. territories through the Western Undergraduate Exchange
APPLY TO THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
For more information about automatic scholarship consideration, the For Utah scholarship, and the Western Undergraduate Exchange, visit our Scholarships & Financial Aid page.
Step 2: Prepare your SM Application Materials
You’ll be asked to provide additional application materials when you schedule your SM interview, so make sure you gather them in advance.
SM Application Materials Checklist:
- A current resume with contact information, including current phone number, email, and physical mailing address
- A one- to two-page letter of purpose addressing the following questions:
- Why do you want a BFA in Stage Management from the University of Utah?
- What do you think makes a great stage manager?
- A portfolio website or PDF sample of work including one or more of the following:
- Stage Management Work Examples:
- Rehearsal/Performance Notes or Reports
- Staging Notation
- Calling Script, etc.
- Theatrical Work Examples:
- Design Renderings
- Photographs
- Technical Drawings, etc.
- Creative or Professional Writing Examples:
- Formal Essay
- Research Paper
- Short Story
- Speech
- Professional Emails, etc.
- Stage Management Work Examples:
Step 3: Schedule Your SM Interview
Schedule your SM interview and submit your application materials.
Step 4: Break a Leg!
Congratulations! If you've completed all the steps above, your SM application is complete!
You may still need to submit your FAFSA if you haven't already, and you'll want to keep an eye out for acceptance notifications from the University of Utah and the Department of Theatre.
University notifications will start going out in mid-January for applicants who met the December 1 deadline, and Department of Theatre notifications will be distributed shortly after that. Pay close attention to these notices—they should include instructions for confirming your enrollment with the University as well as the Department.
If you decide to join us, you'll need to confirm your enrollment before the May 1 deadline in order to secure your position, along with any housing and financial aid offers you might have received.
If you have any additional questions, drop us a line at
Performing Arts Design Program
Step 1: Apply to the University of Utah
We strongly recommend that you apply to the U by December 1, 2024
Students who apply to the University of Utah by this date are eligible for a variety of benefits, including the following:
- Automatic Consideration for all university merit-based scholarships
- Automatic Consideration for the For Utah scholarship, which covers eight semesters of tuition and mandatory fees (UT residents only)
- Discounted Tuition for students from participating states and U.S. territories through the Western Undergraduate Exchange
APPLY TO THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
For more information about automatic scholarship consideration, the For Utah scholarship, and the Western Undergraduate Exchange, visit our Scholarships & Financial Aid page.
Step 2: Prepare your PADP Application Materials
You’ll be asked to provide additional application materials when you schedule your PADP interview, so make sure you gather them in advance.
PADP Application Materials Checklist:
- A current resume with contact information, including current phone number, email, and physical mailing address
- A one- to two-page letter of purpose addressing the following questions:
- Why do you want a BFA in Performing Arts Design from the University of Utah?
- Who has inspired you as a theatrical designer?
- A three- to five-page PDF sample of your work including one or more of the following:
- Design Work Examples: Design Rendering, Photographs, Links to any Video or Audio Work
- Technical Work Examples: Photographs, Ground Plan Drawings, Elevation Drawings, Light Plots, Sound Plots, Links to any Video or Audio Work
Step 3: Schedule Your PADP Interview
Schedule your PADP interview and submit your application materials here
Step 4: Break a Leg!
Congratulations! If you've completed all the steps above, your PADP application is complete!
You may still need to submit your FAFSA if you haven't already, and you'll want to keep an eye out for acceptance notifications from the University of Utah and the Department of Theatre.
University notifications will start going out in mid-January for applicants who met the December 1 deadline, and Department of Theatre notifications will be distributed shortly after that. Pay close attention to these notices—they should include instructions for confirming your enrollment with the University as well as the Department.
If you decide to join us, you'll need to confirm your enrollment before the May 1 deadline in order to secure your position, along with any housing and financial aid offers you might have received.
If you have any additional questions, drop us a line at
Theatre Studies
Step 1: Apply to the University of Utah
We strongly recommend that you apply to the U by December 1, 2024
Students who apply to the University of Utah by this date are eligible for a variety of benefits, including the following:
- Automatic Consideration for all university merit-based scholarships
- Automatic Consideration for the For Utah scholarship, which covers eight semesters of tuition and mandatory fees (UT residents only)
- Discounted Tuition for students from participating states and U.S. territories through the Western Undergraduate Exchange
APPLY TO THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
Step 2: Tell us about you
Theatre Teaching Program
Step 1: Apply to the University of Utah
We strongly recommend that you apply to the U by December 1, 2024
Students who apply to the University of Utah by this date are eligible for a variety of benefits, including the following:
- Automatic Consideration for all university merit-based scholarships
- Automatic Consideration for the For Utah scholarship, which covers eight semesters of tuition and mandatory fees (UT residents only)
- Discounted Tuition for students from participating states and U.S. territories through the Western Undergraduate Exchange
APPLY TO THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
For more information about automatic scholarship consideration, the For Utah scholarship, and the Western Undergraduate Exchange, visit our Scholarships & Financial Aid page.
Step 2: Prepare your TT Application Materials
You’ll be asked to provide additional application materials when you schedule your TT interview, so make sure you gather them in advance.
TT Application Materials Checklist:
- A current resume with contact information, including current phone number, email, and physical mailing address
- A 1-2 page letter of purpose summarizing your reasons for wanting to pursue a career in theatre education (K-12) and your career goals
- 2 letters of recommendation submitted directly to the Department of Theatre at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - One letter should address your academic accomplishments. This letter must be written by a teacher who can speak to your scholastic abilities and achievements.
- One letter should focus on teaching and working with youth. This letter should be written by a professional educator, theatre teacher, or director who has supervised and/or observed you while you interacted with school-aged children, (grades K-12) in an afterschool program, summer camp, artistic or academic setting.
Step 3: Schedule Your TT Interview
Schedule your TT interview and submit application materials here
Step 4: Break a Leg!
Congratulations! If you've completed all the steps above, your TT application is complete!
You may still need to submit your FAFSA if you haven't already, and you'll want to keep an eye out for acceptance notifications from the University of Utah and the Department of Theatre.
University notifications will start going out in mid-January for applicants who met the December 1 deadline, and Department of Theatre notifications will be distributed shortly after that. Pay close attention to these notices—they should include instructions for confirming your enrollment with the University as well as the Department.
If you decide to join us, you'll need to confirm your enrollment before the May 1 deadline in order to secure your position, along with any housing and financial aid offers you might have received.
If you have any additional questions, drop us a line at
Transfer Students
If you want to transfer into one of our BFA programs, please email