Hi all,
I have come to clear up some misinformation I gave concerning the MFA program at Virginia Tech. After I posted that it is an MFA in Stage Management I spoke with my advisor, who told me it is indeed actually an MFA in Theatre with a concentration in Stage Management. Many apologies for the mistake and confusion!
This being said, that it is not specifically an MFA in Stage Management does not mean that the curriculum is not specifically focused to Stage Management. In fact, the reason why I chose Virginia Tech is that each graduate student is able to shape and focus their own plan of study through studio work. I was recently speaking with a Stage Manager who interviewed here, and she was very impressed with the structure of the program in that it is built based entirely around the needs of each student. We spoke specifically about an MFA in Stage Management vs. Virginia Tech's MFA in Theatre with a concentration in Stage Management, and she found through her visit the same thing that I did--that a student who is striving to become a professional stage manager has more freedom to study what they need here than in many of the other programs. Each Stage Manager is different, and Virginia Tech can embrace and compliment those differences.
At any rate I just wanted to clear up that I was absolutely wrong in my earlier post concerning the title of the degree, but I wanted to express that the school still offers a very competitive education.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the program!