Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting
Develop and refine your voice as a writer—and gain the skills you need to sustain a life in the arts—with the Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting at Temple's School of Theater, Film and Media Arts. With the vibrant Philadelphia theater community as a backdrop, students in the Playwriting MFA program undergo rigorous training in the craft of storytelling for the stage. Graduates of this immersive program primarily go on to careers in theater. The MFA in Playwriting is a 60-credit program that can be completed over the course of three years.
With small class sizes and individualized instruction, candidates for the MFA in Playwriting are trained to deepen both the quality of their self-expression and the social purpose of their work. To that end, students are encouraged to engage with outside research areas, such as African American Studies, Anthropology, Art History, Film, Music and Women's Studies. In addition, the program emphasizes collaboration with other theater professionals across different disciplines.
The final product of the program is the thesis—a completed full-length play. The curriculum emphasizes the diversity of playwriting forms, with course selections that allow Playwriting MFA students to explore creating work in genres like
- adaptation,
- docudrama and
- musical theatre bookwriting.
Students in the program are mentored by full-time faculty, many of whom have led some of the most successful productions in American theater. Students can also take advantage of Temple's affiliations with the numerous professional theaters in the region, particularly those with new play programs.
