URTA Announces Candidate Award in Sound Design

Recognizing the shortage in professionally trained sound designers entering the theatre profession, URTA announces the Candidate Award in Sound Design, providing the opportunity to more potential MFA candidates to meet and interview with URTA member training programs from across the nation. As part of the award, registration fees for the 2017 "URTAs" will be waived for candidates in sound design and their attendance at URTA's seminars and workshops will be free.

"Many of the top MFA programs in sound design recruit through the URTAs, including universities such as UMKC, CalArts, Purdue, UC Irvine, University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, and the University of Illinois. We want to give as many aspiring MFA candidates as possible the chance to interview with all of these nationally ranked institutions," said Scott Steele, URTA's executive director.

The URTA Audition & Interviews -- "The URTAs" -- allow prospective MFA candidates in all areas of theatre to meet with recruiters from among our 39 member programs at a single site, in a single day. They've long been the most popular and efficient way to find and secure a placement in a quality MFA theatre training program.

Sound design is a burgeoning area of theatre employment, with a growing need for trained artists and technicians. Yet the field has suffered a diminished public profile, having recently been removed as a category at Broadway's Tony Awards. URTA is determined to lead the way in promoting the opportunities in the field, and helping develop the next wave of MFA-trained designers.

URTA's Arts Leadership Initiative, launched last year to promote academic recruiting in producing/theatre management, was a hugely successful endeavor, increasing the number of candidates in that area three-fold. The initiative will continue on as the URTA Career Award in Arts Leadership.

Design interviews at the URTAs will take place in January in Chicago. Registration will begin in September.