MFA in Theatre - Western Theatre in Honolulu United States | University of Hawaii at Manoa

The Western Theatre program blends academic studies in theatre history, theory, performance analysis, and dramaturgy with hands-on training in acting and directing. Faculty research spans Russian theatre, performance theory, American avant-garde movements, and African-American drama. Teaching and productions showcase this diversity with an international perspective. Students gain additional experience through workshops in commedia dell'arte, stage combat, Theatrical Biomechanics, clowning, devised theatre, and television. Distinguished guest artists like Anna Deavere Smith, Gennadi Bogdanov, Antonio Fava, and Tim Miller have enriched our program.

Our department is celebrated for its collaborative World Theatre history courses, taught jointly by Western and Asian Theatre experts. These courses explore subjects ranging from commedia dell'arte to women's roles in theatre to modern political drama. Theory classes examine significant dramatic theories, current critical perspectives, and performance studies. Students engage with their community through dramaturgy courses and projects, a growing field in today's American theatre scene. The Page to Stage initiative connects dramaturgs with schools across the island, from high schools to universities. Notable recent events include the Brecht In/And Asia conference and a public series on The Zombie Renaissance.
Faculty and directing students regularly stage both classical and contemporary productions at Kennedy Theatre's Mainstage and Earle Ernst Lab Theatre. The repertoire includes works by Shakespeare, Aeschylus, Ibsen, and Gogol alongside modern pieces by Mee, Mamet, Churchill, Steinbeck, and Rodgers & Hammerstein, plus original works by MFA playwrights. Cross-program collaborations with Asian Theatre yield innovative productions. Late Night Theatre, a student-led company, provides management and artistic direction experience while fostering experimental work in an intimate space.