URTA | Events

The URTA Auditions & Interviews are not the same as the “Unified Auditions” for undergraduate programs. Only URTA-member MFA programs and qualified guest institutions take part in the URTAs.

The live-virtual URTAs will run very similarly to the in-person URTAs, and serve as an option for candidates that are unable to participate in-person for any reason.

The live-virtual auditions and interviews will take place live, online on the specific dates listed here on the URTA website. By attending the live-virtual URTAs, candidates will be seen by all of the schools registered to recruit online in their specific disciplines – review the Attendees list above to see which programs will be recruiting at the live-virtual URTAs.

All applications must be submitted in advance on Acceptd, there are no walk-ins/same-day registrations accepted  for the live-virtual URTAs. For candidates who would like to participate in the live-virtual auditions, select the Virtual application for your discipline on Acceptd.

Please be sure to review the Candidate Handbook for details on the event, how to prepare, and what technology requirements will be necessary to participate in the live-virtual URTAs.

The URTAs are open to anyone eligible to attend graduate school beginning in the fall semester after the event. You do not need to have received an undergraduate degree in theater to apply. You will be asked to provide your undergraduate information (school, degree earned, and gpa) in your URTA application.

If you are still in undergrad and will not have received your degree prior to the fall semester after the URTAs, we offer an Undergrad Preview program, which gives prospective candidates a chance to see how the URTAs process works to prepare for the future. This program must be set up by your undergraduate faculty for you and a group of your classmates. Faculty can email theurtas@urta.com to get more information about Undergrad Preview.

You can see the list of schools registered to recruit at the URTAs by scrolling up on this page to the Attendees section. The list can be filtered to show only the disciplines of interest to you. This list will be updated as schools register, so please check back regularly for any updates.

Nope! No additional applications or fees are required for you to attend the URTAs. However, many schools may require you to complete their university’s application process after the URTAs before they can formally consider you for their program, or make you an official offer. Each school has a different procedure, and we strongly urge you to check with the schools you are most interested in and see what they require.

In some cases, a school may ask you to submit a formal application during your interview in order to establish your interest. This is not an offer for a place at their school; they may simply need to have your completed application in order to consider you for a spot in their program.

Once you fill out the application on Acceptd, you will be directed to a page where you can pay. If you have any difficulty with payment, please contact Acceptd’s customer support using the ‘Help’ button displayed on the application page.

There are various participation options for the 2024 URTAs – some are in-person, some are live-virtual, and there is a hybrid option at Cal State Fullerton. Scroll to the top of this page to review the dates/locations for each recruiting discipline, and be sure to review the Candidate Handbook for details on what to expect and how to prepare for the URTAs.

The Guest Auditions are an optional second day of acting auditions in-person in Philadelphia and Chicago open to URTA acting candidates to add for a nominal fee. These auditions are attended by non-URTA member institutions.

A candidate must be registered for the URTA Auditions to take part in the Guest Auditions. You can register for the Guest Auditions in your initial URTA application on Acceptd, or add them later, if spots are available, by emailing theurtas@urta.com.

It is not possible to do both your URTA Audition and your Guest Audition on the same day. Candidates will be scheduled for two separate (often consecutive) dates for their URTA and Guest auditions. The audition process is very similar, and you may perform the same material, if you like.

For acting candidates participating in the Live-Virtual auditions or the hybrid auditions at Cal State Fullerton, there is no option to add Guest Auditions. All Guest programs registered to recruit at these events will attend the URTA Auditions along with the member programs.

To see the programs registered to recruit in the Guest Auditions in the various locations, scroll up to the Attendees list. The Guest Catalog is a good starting place for researching the Guest programs.

Most candidates pursuing graduate-level training are focused on a particular area of study–acting, design, directing, etc. If you’re unsure where your interests and strengths lie, consider speaking with a trusted professor or mentor to weigh all your options.

If you are truly serious about multiple fields, you must submit separate applications to register for each discipline. Candidates may email theurtas@urta.com to receive a discount code for 50% off the URTA registration fee on their second application (further instructions included in the Acceptd application). Please realize, that a given graduate program will likely only consider you in a single area.

Candidates in design and technology may select up to two areas of focus on their registration (e.g. costume, scenic, sound, etc.).

Please note: a candidate may only apply for to attend one location/URTA event within a specific discipline (e.g. – you cannot participate in both in-person and virtual acting auditions).

If you’re a candidate registering in directing, stage management or arts leadership, you will need to prepare a “common packet” of materials, which you will submit through Acceptd. The Candidate Handbook details what materials are required in the “common packet”.

After your application is submitted in Acceptd programs may reach out to you to request additional information or arrange pre-interviews. Candidates are also encouraged to reach out to programs to introduce themselves.

You will be scheduled to attend one day of live-virtual recruiting, and on that day you will interview with the schools via Zoom. Your interview schedule will be pre-scheduled based on the faculty review of your Acceptd application, and you will receive your schedule for the day at least 1 day in advance of the virtual event.

If you are a candidate in directing, stage management, or arts leadership, you do need letters of recommendation, as part of your “common packet”. Keep in mind, these are not formal, sealed letters that you may have requested for college applications in the past. Your recommenders will be able to upload their letters directly to your Acceptd application after you have submitted your registration.

Candidates in other areas do not need recommendation letters to register for the URTAs, however you may need formal letters of recommendation later down the line, if you are asked to complete school applications or if you are made a formal offer.

Unfortunately no, you cannot choose your date. If you have a conflict with a specific date or dates, you have the opportunity to indicate those conflicts within your Acceptd application, and we will do our best to accommodate you.

The value of the URTA Auditions & Interviews are that they preclude the need for individual auditions. Some of our members only recruit via the URTAs. However, we always suggest that you be your own best advocate. If you have keen interest in a particular school, you should feel free to send them your headshot/resume, or a link to your design portfolio, along with a note expressing your interest to that particular program. You can do this weeks in advance of the URTAs. If a school knows you are interested, they may seek you out the day of your audition or portfolio review. By reaching out, you’ve indicated that you’re a motivated candidate, who has done their research.

Bottom line: If you have great interest in a certain school, contact them. Nothing can be lost by opening a dialogue.

URTA’s Guest Auditions are open to producing theatres that may wish to recruit for their summer companies, and past guest institutions have included Actors Theatre of Louisville, PCPA Theatrefest, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Blue Man Group, Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival, the Glimmerglass Festival, and others. However, most years our recruiters are made up primarily of MFA programs seeking graduate students.

Scroll up this page to see what institutions are registered to attend for the current year.

You will receive important information, including your scheduled URTAs date, via Acceptd messages. Please log in to your Acceptd account often to check your messages, to be sure you don’t miss any important information.

It is also important that you check the email address you listed within your application often, both for updates/information from URTA, as well as potential emails from recruiters that may want to speak with you in advance of the event.

You will have a log-in for your Acceptd account and can log in and out to make updates prior to submission. Once your application has been fully submitted, any changes must be requested by contacting URTA though Acceptd messages, or at theurtas@urta.com. Changes cannot be made after the URTA application closing date.

Please note, if a candidate should need to make a change to their scheduled URTAs date, requests should be made promptly in writing to theurtas@urta.com. While URTA makes best efforts to accommodate change requests, scheduling is based on availability, therefore not all requests can be accommodated. Any change requests received within 30 days of the start of the URTAs will incur a change fee.

The URTAs are a full day commitment, therefore we ask that you make no other plans or commitments on the day of your URTA Auditions & Interviews. Since we don’t know in advance how many callback interviews you may receive, we cannot tell you how long your day will be, but some interviews may go into the evening.

Please refer to the Candidate Handbook for sample schedules and timing based on your discipline.

Yes! Philadelphia and New York City are in close proximity, with many quick and affordable travel options. Philadelphia and NYC are approximately 1.5 hours apart by train (Amtrak), or approximately 2 hours apart by car or bus (there are many bus companies that provide service between these cities).

However, please keep in mind that the URTAs are a full day commitment, therefore we ask that you make no other plans or commitments on the day of your URTA Auditions & Interviews. Since we don’t know in advance how many callback interviews you may receive, we cannot tell you how long your day will be, but some interviews may go late into the evening. Also, if plan to participate in the URTA Guest Auditions (an optional second-day of auditions for non-member programs) you will need to be available for a second full-day, as your URTA and Guest Auditions cannot take place on the same day.

Acting auditions are two minutes in length. Timing starts when you begin your first piece.

We strongly advise you to choose two contrasting pieces, such as a contemporary piece paired with a classical piece, however you are not required to, and may use your two minutes however you choose. There are some guidelines and limitations, which are covered in the Candidate Handbook, so please review the acting section for details.

Interviews are 15 minutes long. Interview styles vary, but usually the recruiter is trying to get a sense of who you are and what you are looking for in a grad program, while at the same time telling you about the program they represent. Candidates can greatly increase the productivity of this time by doing some research in advance. That way, instead of the recruiter talking generally about their school, they can jump right in with details important to you and how you will fit into their program. Review the schools registered to recruit in your discipline, found in the Attendees list above on this page, and research those schools using the Membership Directory. More tips for preparation and what to expect can be found in the Candidate Handbook.

First, continue to research programs that you’re interested in, and that expressed interest in you. Follow up with thank you notes or emails.

You may be asked to submit a formal application to the university, along with their application fee. Please note that the fee you paid to URTA was for your attendance at the URTAs – not an application fee for a particular school or schools.

You might be invited to visit the campus for a required callback audition, and sometimes the school will offer to defray your travel costs. It might also be a good idea to contact current students, or alumni of the program, to hear their thoughts.

You should be sure to read the URTA Offer/Acceptance Policy (in the Candidate Handbook) regarding how and when offers might start to come in, but be aware that once the two-week period is over, an offer could come at any time, and an answer could be required fairly quickly. Make sure you know what you want, where you want to go, who you want to study with, and more.

After the URTAs, recruiters may contact candidates. Take such correspondence as an indication of “interest,” but it should not be interpreted as an official offer. When an official offer is made, it will be clearly stated as such, and accompanied by something in writing.

The process is a two-way street. You are free to inquire whether you’re on a recruiter’s “short list,” or not. And later in the spring, if you don’t get into a program, you can always follow up with an email to see if spots have opened up that you would be perfect to fill.

Please note: The artist-teacher who serves as a recruiter normally does not have a great deal of support staff assisting them.  They may not have time to write the “thank you” email to the many candidates they met, and may not have the time to let you know you are NOT in the running for an official offer. This is not an excuse for poor manners, only an explanation of why you might not hear back.

Cancellation Policy: All cancellation requests must be made in writing to URTA at theurtas@urta.com. Cancellations made more than 30 days prior to the start of the URTAs will be refunded 100% of the amount paid, minus a cancellation fee. Cancellations made within 30 days of the start of the URTAs, or during the event (including no-shows) will not receive a refund. All donations made to the Pay It Forward Candidate Award are non-refundable.

Change Policy: Candidates are given the opportunity to provide schedule conflicts within the URTA application in order to avoid changes to their scheduled URTAs date. If a candidate should need to make a change to their scheduled URTAs date, requests should be made promptly in writing to theurtas@urta.com. While URTA makes best efforts to accommodate change requests, scheduling is based on availability, therefore not all requests can be accommodated. Any change requests received within 30 days of the start of the URTAs will incur a change fee.

Walk-ins/day-of registrations are only accepted at the in-person Acting and Design/Tech events, pending availability (space is limited). Candidates are strongly encouraged to register in advance on Acceptd to guarantee their space. There will be NO walk-ins/day-of registrations accepted at virtual or hybrid URTA events.

Free registration is available for eligible candidates through our Candidate Award program. Learn more on our Awards page.

Absolutely! While many URTA candidates are just completing their undergraduate degree, all ages are welcome to participate. Most MFA programs seek to recruit graduate students of varied ages and backgrounds to provide a more diverse program for all involved. Training programs are very interested in experienced candidates – people who have spent some time pursuing their craft professionally.

Yes! Like all candidates, international candidates are encouraged to review the Candidate Handbook for information about what to expect at the URTAs, and how to prepare. There is a specific section in the Handbook for International Candidates, and we encourage you to review this prior to applying for the URTAs.

Be sure to read the Candidate Handbook, which is full of useful information about the process. If you still have questions, please send an email to: TheUrtas@urta.com. All emails will be replied to in a timely fashion.