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Special Section: TrainingUT Austin students inthe 2007 production ofElephants’s Graveyardfind out how many of their grads haverepresentation shortly after graduating.Headwall reports that upwards of80 percent of graduate students haveagency representation by July followingtheir graduating year.Mark rutkowskiPlaywritingThe Playwriting MFA program atthe University of Texas at Austin isdesigned for those who want to “activelyexplore, study and deepen” the waythey make plays in the future, saysSteven Dietz, professor of Playwritingand Screenwriting. Prospective studentsshould know what their careergoals are upon graduation, he says,and what kind of theatrical aestheticthey want to be exposed to throughoutthe program. Playwriting MFA studentsare a “diverse and eclectic mix,”he says. “Many have run small theatrecompanies or worked as actors/directors/performersbefore deciding toget their MFA in playwriting.”Students create networks within theindustry through the playwriting faculty,who all work regularly in theatre.“Every opportunity is made to enablestudents to be in residence at professionaltheatres to watch their professorsat work,” Dietz says.To get their unpublished worknoticed, playwriting students have regularopportunities to present their playsto outside “professional respondents,”Dietz says, including directors, dramaturgesand playwrights who come tothe university to offer critiques andevaluations of students’ work. Studentscan also showcase their work at thebi-annual New Works Festival, which“brings national and professional artistsin contact with our grad playwrights,”Dietz reports.In addition, students have the abilityto see their work turned into UTstudent productions for the Mainstageseason, Lab Theatre season and a programcalled UT New Theater. LocalAustin theatres and annual festivals areother outlets in the region that solicitstudent work. “We expect students toplay a major role in the process of seeingtheir work presented on campus,and strongly encourage them to selfproduce— even on a small scale — ona regular basis,” Dietz says.44 October 2008 • www.stage-directions.com