B.A. in Theatre and Dance

All applicants will submit a video prescreen audition. Select applicants may be invited to attend an in-person or virtual callback audition.

Applicants prepare a personal introduction video and two movement samples. Each video will be approximately one-minute in length.

• Personal introduction video: Share your name and hometown, then explain why you are pursuing a degree in dance and what draws you to UT Austin’s program specifically.
• Movement sample 1: This video should show your capacity in your favorite genre of dance. Excerpts can be choreographed, self-choreographed or improvised. If ballet is one of the selected genres, please show center work (no barre).
• Movement sample 2: Demonstrate your capacity for creative risk-taking. You could explore a dance form that is unfamiliar to you or perform a familiar dance form in an innovative way. If you have not choreographed before, you might choreograph your own movement, or if you have not improvised before, you might explore improvisation. The important thing is to move outside of your comfort zone.

Applicants will also be asked to upload a headshot.

• NOTE: headshot does not have to be a professional headshot. It can be a clear image taken on your mobile device.

Applicants will also be required to respond to several short written prompts.

All applicants will submit short written prompts and a headshot.

• NOTE: The headshot does not have to be a professional headshot. It can be a clear image taken on your mobile device.

Select applicants may be invited to attend an in-person or virtual interview.

Applicants who are applying for any of the following emphases are required to submit a portfolio for admission to the B.A. in Theatre and Dance program:

• design and technology (includes stage management)
• history, literature and dramaturgy
• playwriting and directing
• NOTE: Students who are applying for the theatre for youth and communities emphasis do not need to submit a portfolio. You will be invited to engage in a virtual interview after the application deadline.

A portfolio is a collection of your work that is related to theatre and/or dance. Applicants have the option to upload visual images of their work (up to 10 images), a PowerPoint presentation of their work or a website link. Items may include:

• Directing: notes, blocking sketches, scene breakdowns;
• Stage Management: notes, blocking notations, call-sheets, script with cues, cue list, rehearsal notes;
• Theatrical Design: research, sketches, mood boards, renderings, models, light plots, draftings, production photos, audio design clips, and samples of sewing, tailoring, woodworking, drawing and painting;
• Dramaturgy: research, actor packets, program notes, timelines, cultural or historical context analysis;
• Playwriting: writing samples;
• Other items you may want to include in your portfolio: playbills/posters you have designed, marketing materials, fundraising plans, budgets, acting or dance samples

Applicants will also be asked to upload a headshot.

• NOTE: headshot does not have to be a professional headshot. It can be a clear image taken on your mobile device.

The schedule and availability of Theatre and Dance courses changes each semester. The courses listed above are examples for this focus. Students must also fulfill The University of Texas at Austin’s core curriculum, department core and elective requirements. 

The schedule and availability of Theatre and Dance courses changes each semester. The courses listed above are examples for this focus. Students must also fulfill The University of Texas at Austin’s core curriculum, department core and elective requirements. 

The schedule and availability of Theatre and Dance courses changes each semester. The courses listed above are examples for this focus. Students must also fulfill The University of Texas at Austin’s core curriculum, department core and elective requirements. 

The schedule and availability of Theatre and Dance courses changes each semester. The courses listed above are examples for this focus. Students must also fulfill The University of Texas at Austin’s core curriculum, department core and elective requirements. 

The schedule and availability of Theatre and Dance courses changes each semester. The courses listed above are examples for this focus. Students must also fulfill The University of Texas at Austin’s core curriculum, department core and elective requirements. 

The schedule and availability of Theatre and Dance courses changes each semester. The courses listed above are examples for this focus. Students must also fulfill The University of Texas at Austin’s core curriculum, department core and elective requirements.