Department of Theater (Acting OR Musical Theater)
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES
Undergraduate Application Procedures for Fall 2014 (for current UCLA students)
The Department of Theater admits freshmen and juniors to the major. If you wish to change your UCLA major to
Theater (with an emphasis in Acting or Musical Theater) - you must submit an application in the Winter Quarter
of your sophomore year. If accepted, you will be admitted to the Theater major in the Fall quarter of your junior
year. Undergraduate applicants to this program are expected to have at least a 3.0 GPA at the time of application,
and by the time of entrance must: 1) have completed the general education (GE) requirements of the College of
Letters & Science, or the School of Theater, Film and Television, or one of the other professional schools at UCLA;
and 2) have completed a minimum of 90 or a maximum of 135 units (including transfer and AP). If admitted to the
major, TFT's literature and foreign language requirements will be required. All applicants must submit the items
below to be considered for admission.
DEADLINE
Postmark Deadline for the Supporting Materials: January 17, 2014.
THE SUPPORTING MATERIALS (for current UCLA students)
The package of supporting materials must contain the items listed below.
1)
UCLA Undergraduate Program Change of Major Petition. This petition must be filled out completely
and can be found at www.registrar.ucla.edu/forms/programchange.pdf
2)
Questionnaire for Current UCLA Applicants. This must be filled out completely and accurately.
Applications without a completed Questionnaire will not be considered. This is your self-reported
academic record, verified by the transcripts you submit, of your college academic record to date and the
work in progress you will complete to satisfy these requirements.
3)
A copy of your UCLA Degree Progress Report.
4)
A personal essay (3 pages maximum, typed, double-spaced, 12-point font). Do not staple the pages
together; on the first page, put your name and the words “Personal Essay.” The personal essay should
include your reasons for wanting to enter the Theater major. It should include a summary of your
background, creative interests, academic and professional goals.
5)
A resume of theater training and experience. Do not staple the pages together. List courses, workshops,
and practical experience you have had in theater, film or television. Include a description of the experience,
workshop, or title of course, name of school or theater, and dates.
6)
Other arts education and training. Do not staple the pages together. List courses and experience you
have had in other fine arts such as dance, music and art. Include a description of the experience or title of
course, name of school or workshop, and dates.
7)
(OPTIONAL) Letters of recommendation. These should be from faculty members, TAs, or staff members
that you've worked with from the UCLA Department of Theater. If you have not worked with Theater
faculty, TAs, or staff - you do not need to submit letters of recommendation.
Use a large clip in the upper left hand corner to join all the Supporting Materials together. Submit the Supporting
Materials by the Postmark Deadline of Friday, January 17, 2014 to: Natasha Levy, Admissions Counselor, UCLA
Department of Theater, 103 East Melnitz Hall, Los Angeles, California 90095-1622.
THE INTERVIEW AND AUDITION (for current UCLA students)
All applicants to the Undergraduate Theater Program are required to attend an in-person interview with the Theater
Department's Admissions Committee. Acting and Musical Theater applicants must also audition. Acting and
Musical Theater applicants need to be available to interview and audition on Sunday, February 16, 2014. After
you file your application, you will be contacted with your assigned time to meet with the faculty.
INTERVIEW/AUDITION DAY:
There are several parts to the interview/audition process, as described below.
ACTING ONLY
*Information Session
*Interview
*Monologues
MUSICAL THEATER ONLY
*Information Session
*Interview
*Monologues
*Dance
*Singing
INFORMATION SESSION
The Information Session will be held during your scheduled interview/audition time. At the information session you
will learn about the requirements for the Theater major at UCLA, as well as our undergraduate acting/musical theater
curriculum. You will also have a chance to ask any questions you may have about the theater program.
INTERVIEW
There will be a short interview during which you will discuss your goals and aspirations as a student studying theater
in a college setting.
MONOLOGUES
You must fully prepare and memorize two 1 1/2 minute monologues. Be prepared to answer questions and discuss
the play and author, if asked. You should prepare:
•Classical Monologue (prior to 1800).
•Contemporary Monologue (after 1800).
You may be asked to stop and make adjustments at any time during the audition. Remember that monologues may
not exceed the allotted time, and the faculty may stop you at any given time. You may be asked to perform only one
of your monologues. Please note that monologues originating from "monologue books" or movies are strictly
prohibited. You may not use props during your audition.
DANCE (Musical Theater only)
Under the direction of a choreographer, students will learn and perform a dance routine. Dance shoes (split sole jazz
or split sole ballet) and attire are required. Do not prepare a dance routine for this audition. Applicants auditioning
for Musical Theater should come dressed to dance. The dance audition will be right after the Information Session.
The other parts of the audition may not necessarily be in the order listed.
SINGING (Musical Theater only)
Students should prepare 2 musical selections: a ballad and an up-tempo number. Music should be comprised of show
tunes from published musicals. Any other genres (i.e. hip hop, rock, folk songs, etc.) are strictly prohibited.
TIPS ON AUDITIONING (for current UCLA students)

Your appearance is important. Be well-groomed. If you wear such things as facial or tongue piercings,
please remove them for the audition.

Your choice of material must come from published plays. Material from novels, screenplays or elsewhere is
not acceptable.

Our faculty prefer to see you without outside direction or coaching. Material that you have already
performed before an audience is problematic for that reason.

Choose material to which you can relate and fully understand. Don't be obliged to choose material you think
best shows off "your type" or what you think you would be cast as. On the other hand, don't stretch too-far
against your age range, and try to avoid affecting a foreign accent.

When giving your presentation do not play to the faculty. If you are talking to the audience, place them over
the heads of the faculty. If you are talking to a specific character, use an imaginary person in front of you.

We do not give feedback on your interview or audition. Anything the faculty may say such as "good job" or
"very funny", etc. is not feedback nor is it an evaluation of your interview or audition.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (for current UCLA students)









Applicants will be notified in July after final grades for Spring Quarter have been posted and the School’s
Student Services Office has determined that all criteria for acceptance have been met. You must check
http://my.ucla.edu under "Petitions" to see if you have been accepted. Students who are accepted will begin
their residency in the School of Theater, Film and Television the following Fall Quarter. Note: Students
must complete a minimum of 35 units in residence in the School.
Not all applicants are accepted to the Theater major. Very few "seats" are available. Some years we do not
accept anyone. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to choose an alternate major in the event they are not
admitted.
Students may only apply for ONE major in the School of Theater, Film and Television per year.
Students denied in the past, if reapplying, will be in competition with a new group of students on an equal
basis. There is no waiting list.
Applicants who would exceed UCLA's 216 quarter unit limit for the degree cannot be accepted to the
Theater major. An applicant with a large unit total will not be given preference over other applicants.
Do not apply to the Theater major if you are planning to transfer to the Film and Television major. It is not
possible to transfer to the Film and Television major if you are a Theater major.
The Department's Undergraduate Admissions Committee is composed of faculty members with many years
of teaching and professional experience. The Committee carefully considers the applicant's academic
record, all supporting materials, and the interview in selecting students for the Theater major.
Applicants should notify the School’s Student Services Office of any change of email address and/or
telephone number.
Applicants with questions about the application process, the required supporting materials, or the
interview/audition can stop by the School’s Student Services Office in 103 East Melnitz Hall, email
[email protected], or call 310-206-8441.
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR CURRENT UCLA APPLICANTS
DEPARTMENT OF THEATER - UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES
Name
(Please print)
Current G.P.A.__________
First
M.I.
Last
Current telephone number: _____________________E-mail address: ______________________________
Please check your area of interest:
___Acting
___Musical Theater
This form must be filled out completely and accurately or your application will not be reviewed.
Applicants must achieve junior standing and complete their General Education (GE) requirements prior to
entry. Check the General Education plan you will have completed:
The GE plan for the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
The GE plan for the UCLA College of Letters & Science
The GE plan for the UCLA School of the Arts & Architecture
The GE plan for the UCLA School of Engineering & Applied Science
The GE plan for the UCLA School of Nursing
List the specific GE requirements of the plan you checked above, the courses you have completed and/or
will complete to satisfy these requirements, and where and when taken. Do not list all courses taken, only
those satisfying GE requirements.
REQUIREMENT
Example:
English Comp & Rhet
COURSE TAKEN
WHERE
WHEN
English 3
UCLA
F-03
The admissions committee will not review incomplete applications. Please submit all materials
in one packet. The department will not be able to confirm that all items have been received.