URTA Candidate Information and Resources – Graduate school
Candidate Handbook: is a comprehensive guide for candidates participating in the URTA Auditions & Interviews. From the application process to the day of the event, the Candidate Handbook provides an overview of what candidates should prepare and what they can expect at the URTAs. The Handbook also contains important event policy documents, such as the Code of Conduct, and the Offer/Acceptance Policy. Prospective candidates with questions about the URTAs will likely find the answers in the 2025-2026 Candidate Handbook.
URTA Directory: contains information about all of the URTA Member programs. The 2025-2026 URTA Directory is a great starting point for research, however not all schools recruit in all disciplines every year. Make sure to check the programs’ recruiting plans for this year on the individual school websites, and refer to the URTAs attendees list, found on the URTA website for the latest list of schools registered to recruit this year (this list will be updated as schools register throughout the fall/winter).
Guest Catalog: contains information about all of the programs recruiting actors at the Guest Auditions, which are attended by non-member programs. The 2025-2026 Guest Catalog is a great starting point for researching these non-member programs. Programs will be registering throughout the fall and early-winter, and this Catalog will be updated accordingly. Please refer to the attendees list found on the URTA website for the latest list of Guest programs registered to recruit this year (this list will be updated as schools register). Guest Auditions are an optional second day of in-person acting auditions. There are no Guest Auditions at the Hybrid or the Live-Virtual auditions, instead any Guest programs recruiting at these events will attend the URTA Auditions along with the member programs.
Ready to register for the URTAs? The URTA application is on Acceptd. Candidate registration for the 2026 URTAs is now closed on Acceptd. The registration deadline for Acting and Design/Tech was December 27, 2025, and the deadline for Directing, Stage Management, and Arts Leadership was December 14, 2025.
Missed the registration deadline and still hoping to apply? Walk-ins/same-day registrations are only accepted at the in-person and hybrid Acting auditions, and the in-person Design/Tech event, pending availability (space is limited). Candidates interested in registering as a walk-in should email TheURTAs@URTA.com to inquire about space availability and receive additional information. There will be NO walk-ins/same-day registrations accepted at any of the virtual URTA events. Please review to the Candidate Handbook for additional event information.
For the most up-to-date list of schools registered to recruit at the URTAs, please refer to the URTA website. The Attendees list can be filtered to show your specific area(s) of interest.