Classical Acting
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)
Location: Foggy Bottom and D.C.
The department offers a calendar-year, conservatory-style graduate acting program especially geared for professional actors who want to immerse themselves in a rigorous training environment that is guided by an extraordinary professional faculty.
The program features an unprecedented collaboration between two leading D.C. institutions. The Shakespeare Theatre Company brings to the partnership world-class artists/teachers, a comprehensive training program and a distinguished reputation as a nationally and internationally recognized leader in classical repertory, under the guidance of Artistic Director Michael Kahn. GW brings to the partnership its resources and reputation as a major research university, with strong links to the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Library of Congress, as well as shared faculty and space resources.
Located in one of the most vibrant cultural centers in the nation today—considered by many to be the second most important theater center after New York—the Academy for Classical Acting (ACA) is the only Masters of Fine Arts program in the United States dedicated solely to classical acting. Students are in class full-time, 40 hours or more a week, for about 44 weeks. Since 2000, the ACA has been graduating between 12 and 18 students each year who are helping transform the way classical theater is performed on Broadway, in regional theaters and on teaching faculties around the country.
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