Who: Douglas Wager, Associate Dean
School: Temple University
City: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

What advice would you give to someone who is in the process of applying to MFA programs?

Look for schools that have are clearly connected both geographically and pedagogically to an established and broadly diverse and robust professional theater community. Assess the quality of professional backgrounds and connections to the field within the faculty. If you are serious about exploring a particular program do not hesitate to contact current students in the program as well as alums of the program to glean what their experience has been like in the program as well has the ability of the program to provide consistent and substantive ‘professional development’ resources that will optimize your subsequent introduction to and transition into the field.

What are some of the guiding principles of Temple’s Theater program, and of your teaching methods?

Temple Theater’s MFA programs are committed to providing access to top-tier professional training within the context of a large conservatory-level theater school that is located in the heart of Philadelphia’s nationally renowned and richly diverse theater community – with over 300 undergraduate students and a cohort of twenty MFA and MA graduate students – six in acting, two in directing, nine in design and several in playwriting and musical theater studies.

Teaching is professional, mentor based and highly personalized combination of intense craft and classwork as well as major and studio production work across the three year curriculum.

Where is your favorite place to eat lunch or grab coffee near campus?

Temple boasts a bustling ‘hip-happening’ progressive authentic urban campus 10 blocks due north of City Hall at the epicenter of the city – extremely good, affordable metropolitan public transportation puts anywhere in the city merely minutes from Temple. As for food, Main campus has an abundance of well known chain food vendors and hosts a well-established, legendary Philly ‘food truck’ culinary culture that is the envy of our peers. So there is no one ‘favorite place’ really.

How do you commute to the university? Do you feel like students need a car or is there sufficient public transportation/is it a walking city?

You do NOT need a car – unless you want ultimate transportation flexibility – The SEPTA public transportation system is simply stellar!