BFA in Acting Auditions

A female student actor performing on stage in a U-M-B-C Theatre production of Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco. She is gasping and has a bread basket and cat puppet in her hands, with rollers in her hair.
Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco. Spring 2016. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11.

About Our BFA in Acting Program

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Acting is a degree option for students interested in an intensive performance program leading to the pursuit of graduate study and/or careers in professional acting. These students immerse themselves in advanced technique in acting, voice, and movement courses, and learn the application of these skills to characterization in a wide range of productions in which they perform.

Admission to the BFA in Acting major is by audition and interview only. 

Read more about UMBC Theatre’s BFA in Acting Program here.

Scheduling an Audition

  1. Start by applying to the UMBC – read more about that process on our How to Apply page.
  2. After you have begun or submitted your application, please select an audition date below that works best for you. Auditions are held throughout the academic year with both in-person and virtual audition opportunities are available.
    1. If you are applying for the Linehan Artist Scholars Program, you will need to audition on the Linehan specific audition day indicated below.
    2. We encourage you to attend our in person auditions, which are immediately followed by our Prospective Student Day events, but please consider which best meets your needs.
    3. Students cannot be admitted to the BFA in Acting Major without acceptance to UMBC by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. However, as long as we have an application on file, students can begin the audition process.
    4. Current UMBC students who wish to enter the BFA from another department must audition before or during their first year of study. We advise students changing majors to FIRST email theatre@umbc.edu so that we may establish the smoothest transition possible for you.
  3. You may sign up for an audition and interview via the UMBC Theatre BFA in Acting Audition Form, 2025 – 2026.
    1. Once you submit the BFA in Acting Audition Form, you will receive a confirmation email with details about how to proceed.
    2. If you intend on pursuing the Linehan Artist Scholars program, please instead sign up via the UMBC Theatre Linehan Artist Scholar Registration Form, 2025 – 2026. You do not need to sign up on both forms. Read more about applying for Linehan here.

2025 – 2026 BFA in Acting Audition Dates

  • Saturday, August 23, 2025 – Virtual
    • For Freshmen and Transfers entering Fall ’25
  • Sunday, November 9, 2025 – In Person, On campus
    • For Freshmen and Transfers entering Spring ’26 or Fall ’26
    • Followed by Prospective Student Day Events – we invite you to join us for the whole day!
  • LINEHAN AUDITION DAY: Saturday, January 24, 2026 – In Person, On campus
    • For Linehan Artist Scholar Applicants (incoming Freshmen) ONLY.
    • We encourage all incoming Freshmen to apply for the Linehan Artist Scholars Program. Read more about the Linehan Artist Scholars Program, and sign up here.
    • Linehan applicants who are actors will automatically be considered for acceptance into the BFA in Acting program during their Linehan audition. You do not need to schedule a separate audition. Even if you are not accepted into Linehan, you will still be in consideration for admittance into the BFA in Acting program.
  • Saturday, March 7, 2026 – Virtual
    • For Freshmen and Transfers entering Fall ’26
  • Sunday, April 12 – In Person, On campus

Unless otherwise indicated via your confirmation email, all BFA in Acting Auditions (including Linehan) will begin at 10am EST on your scheduled day, and students will be seen in the order they sign up. All prospective students auditioning, virtual or in person, should plan to arrive by 10am EST – check in will begin at 9:45am EST.

Virtual Auditions will be performed live over Zoom – audition videos will not be accepted ahead of time. The link will be included in your confirmation email.

What to Prepare

Audition Requirements (both virtual and in person):

  • Freshmen: Prepare one 60-90 second contemporary monologue (comedic or dramatic).
  • Transfer: Prepare two, contrasting, 60-90 second monologues (no more than 3 minutes all together). The pieces may be either comedic or dramatic, contemporary or classical.

Ideally, your audition monologue should feature material you feel connected to and excited to perform. It’s helpful if the monologue is from a published play, but not required.

Interview Questions

After your monologue, the faculty may ask you the following questions. There’s no need to prepare scripted answers; the purpose of this interview is to get to know your interests as a theatre artist. It’s meant to be casual, and an opportunity to get to know you better!

  1. Why are you interested in the UMBC Department of Theatre?
  2. Choose one of your recent roles/performances OR production/class experiences.  What did you learn about yourself both as an artist and as a person from working on this process?
  3. In addition to acting/performance OR design/production/stage management, what are your other academic and artistic areas of interest?
  4. When you see yourself working in your craft, where is that?
  5. What other colleges are you looking at?

Need Help?

We are always happy to answer your questions.

  • For questions about auditioning for UMBC Theatre, please contact the Theatre Office (theatre@umbc.edu)
  • For questions related to Admissions, please contact our Visual and Performing Arts Admissions Coordinator, Hana Albrecht (halbrecht@umbc.edu)