Portfolio Review Requirements
Portfolio Review Details
All Design, Production, and Management applicants must interview with a member of the faculty. During the Portfolio Review, an applicant presents a portfolio of work along with a resume, a photograph of the applicant, and two letters of recommendation. The latter may be duplicates of the letters sent to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
Portfolio Submission
Prior to the Portfolio Review, each applicant must submit an electronic portfolio, including a resume and a photograph of the applicant:
Submission Online:
Applicants may upload 30 images, including the resume and photograph of the applicant, to our Portfolio Submission website. JPEG format is preferred for all graphic images; PDF format is preferred for all text.
Submission by Email:
Applicants may attach their portfolio materials to an email. Alternatively, a student may provide the URL for a personal website; the website should include the required portfolio materials along with a photograph of the applicant and a current resume.
Submission by DVD:
DVD submissions should be mailed to Roger Meeker, Boston University Theatre, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. Portfolio materials submitted by mail will not be returned.
Portfolio Recommendations
For the interview, applicants should edit their portfolios so that they can discuss each entry and leaf through the entire collection within ten minutes. The faculty discussion of the work will likely extend the interview by an additional ten minutes. Applicants should include a variety of materials. Often, a preliminary quick-study says the most about an artist's intention and native talent. Applicants should expect the interview to be friendly and informative. The applicant retains the portfolio at the conclusion of the interview.
Design and Production portfolios should demonstrate the broadest range of theatrical and artistic expression. Anything that suggests the applicant's ability to communicate using the tools of the visual artist can be included, such as actual theatre renderings, related painting or graphics, working drawings, ground plans, lighting plots, props, masks, photography, and photographs of sculpture, murals, or other non-transportable works.
Stage Management portfolios may contain prompt books, programs, director's notes, and examples of creative writing. The interview provides the primary basis for evaluating applicants to the Stage Management Program. Applicants should come prepared to discuss their activities in the theatre.