University of Washington School of Drama

The School of Drama is an undergraduate and graduate theatre school in the Arts Division of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1940, the School of Drama offers a Bachelor's degree and MFA degrees in directing, design, and acting. A Ph.D. in history theory and criticism is also offered. The MFA programs have outstanding reputations as top programs in the country. Each year, the MFA programs admit up to six actors, up to six design students, (two each for costume, scenic design, and lighting), up to three for the Ph.D. program and, every other year, two students are chosen for directing. The School of Drama presents a full subscription season of six productions every academic year, which feature MFA students and undergraduates. The Undergraduate Theater Society (UTS) founded by undergraduate James Newman in 1992, self-produces a season of its own. History The University of Washington School of Drama traces its origins to 1919 when Glenn Hughes, a recent graduate of Stanford University, joined the faculty of the Department of Dramatic Art, a part of the English Department. Though he came to the University of Washington as a poetry fellow, Hughes soon became determined to create a first-rate drama school. From 1930 to 1961 Hughes led the Department, which became the School of Drama (SoD) in 1941. He wrote more than 60 plays; wrote and edited various literary and scholarly publications; launched one of the West Coast's first foreign film series, and established the drama program as the center of theatrical life in Seattle. Under Hughes’ leadership, the drama program became a center of Seattle's theatrical life and a respected part of its cultural milieu. In 1961, Hughes retired and was succeeded by Gregory A. Falls. Falls created the Professional Actor Training Program (PATP), a prestigious BFA (now MFA) program that placed the school among the nation's top professional acting conservatories and initiated the Ph.D. program in theatre history, theory, and criticism. It was during this time that the stream of UW drama graduates began pooling in Seattle. Graduates and former faculty stayed in the city, founding their own theatres and forming the genesis of what is today one of the country's most active and diverse theatre communities. The School's role in establishing Seattle's vibrant theatre life was seminal.