Sara Becker is Assistant Professor for voice and Shakespeare in the MFA acting program at University of Houston.  She is an URTA alum (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and recently became the head of the performance area in the BFA acting program.  She takes some time out of her busy schedule to discuss actor training and share insights on auditioning for graduate acting programs.

What do you think are the primary reasons for an actor to pursue a MFA?

The best reason to go back for a MFA is to work on your acting. It is important to be really honest with yourself about why you are thinking about school. You can very easily learn a lot about the theatre world if you go see shows and you can probably get yourself parts in plays where you get more time in the saddle, but if you want to dig in and spend time with the craft, that’s the time to think about school.

What qualities are you most interested in when auditioning actors for your program?

We have a set of words at the University of Houston that are a bit of a mission statement for us: imagination, agility, passion, precision, speed. I think the actors that fit our program best are the ones that know what they want to work on and are ready to hit the ground running.

How important would you say that training has been to you in your career?

There is no way I’d be able to do what I do today, had it not been for my training.

How would you describe your time in graduate school?

Probably everyone says this- but I’d describe it as intense! I had a really wonderful mentor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Susan Sweeney pushed me hard, and I trusted her completely. We still have a very close mentor relationship, and she’s a big inspiration to me as a teacher.

How does voice work differ between classical roles and contemporary ones?

Every play is its own world- classical or contemporary. Part of rehearsal is figuring out what serves best. I’m doing that as a vocal coach as much as the actors are doing that as actors. There are classical plays I’ve done multiple times where each production required a different type of voice work. I think that’s something training does- teaches you how to gauge what type of work you need to do in as many different performance situations and venues and scripts as possible.

What should an acting student look for in a training program?

Oh gosh, I would hope that an acting student would do a whole lot of research. You should be passionately in love with the program you chose. You should know your professors and want to work with them specifically.
I tell people to work backwards- think about the artist you want to be fifteen years from now. Who is training the people out there with those types of careers? Talk to people who went through the program you are interested in- grads and current students. After you do that level of research, match it with some good soul searching and listen to your heart.

What advice would you give to someone who has just completed a MFA and is about to embark on their acting career?

I’d tell them that you are going to be all right. You won’t get everything you want- no one does. I had a professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison who said that everyone gets the career they deserve. Your career will fit the energy and focus you put into it, it will be a mix of planning and surprises, and it will be utterly and totally yours alone.

Thank you, Sara!

Sara Becker is Assistant Professor of Voice and Shakespeare for the MFA program at the University of Houston. Her professional vocal coaching credits include: five seasons with both the American Players Theatre and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and productions at the Alley Theatre, The Guthrie Theatre/The Acting Company, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Milwaukee Rep Theatre, Clarence Brown Theatre, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Door Shakespeare Festival and others. She received her MFA from The University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is a member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA).