USD Magazine, Spring 1999

"They learn to research the history and criticism of the pla

text and the meanings the actors have to convey. That's ha

Take Hutchison. A first-year student in the program, this spring he performed Albee's Men at the 225-seat, theatre-in– the-round Cassius Carter Center Stage, one of three venues - the Old Globe Theatre and the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre are the other two - that comprise San Diego's nation– ally recognized Simon Edison Centre for the Performing Arts. And he's not alone. At any given time, the 14 students in the MFA program are acting or understudying roles in classical and contemporary dramas for the dozen-and-a-half performances they will give, on campus and off, during their two years at USD. At some point in the program, they all go on stage at the Old Globe Theatre. Some are cast in supporting roles, those who understudy are ready to step in at a moment's notice if a featured actor can't go on. "Graduate school for actors is not about angst-ridden exer– cises in class," says Richard Seer, director of the program since 1993. "Many of our students are already talented actors. What we do is refine their skills and challenge them with more diffi– cult texts." The focus is on the most difficult texts of all, the plays of William Shakespeare. When the idea of forming a partnership between the Old Globe Theatre and a master's program at USD first arose, it was agreed that this professional training program would have classical theater as its centerpiece. The Old Globe benefits from the arrangement by having a ready supply of actors to understudy and perform its classical productions. The university enjoys the prominence of association with a 60-year– old acclaimed theater. And students hone their skills on the toughest material in the acting world. "With classical training, you learn to flex all your acting muscles," says Erika Rolfsrud '96, who since graduating has toured nationally with The Acting Company's production of Romeo and Juliet, understudied How I Learned to Drive off– Broadway, and is currently working on a new comedy-thriller at Farleigh Dickinson University's American Stage. "I feel

Erika RaUsrud '96

stronger than actors from other programs, because I paid greater attention to the texts and the history of classical the– ater." WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? Concentration on the works of Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw and Anton Chekov is only one aspect of a program with many unique features. Most master's programs take three years in semester chunks to complete, whereas this one is an inten– sive, year-round process for two years. USD's classes are signif– icantly smaller than programs at other universities, allowing for more one-on-one instruction. The seven students accepted each year - out of hundreds who audition - are on full scholar– ship, allowing them to study and rehearse constantly, sometimes

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