Theatre
Your Journey Starts Here
The UMKC Conservatory Theatre Division offer comprehensive graduate and undergraduate programs that blend critical inquiry with creative training. Students gain hands-on experience through Conservatory productions and professional partnerships with Kansas City theatres, building skills in performance, design, technology, and stage management.
Explore Our Programs
We prepare theatre artists to excel through a blend of rigorous academic study, practical experience and vibrant professional partnerships.
Why Study Theatre at UMKC Conservatory?
Experienced Faculty
Learn from faculty who work actively in professional theatre and whose main aim is helping students reach their goals of working professionally as actors, designers, technicians and dramaturgs.
Real-World Experience
Gain experience on stage and behind the scenes on campus and at professional venues across the city through our formal affiliations with Kansas City's professional theatres, including the Kansas City Actors Theatre, The Coterie Theatre, The Unicorn Theatre, and KC Rep.
Integrated Arts Training
Regularly collaborate with the Music and Dance divisions as part of our interdisciplinary approach to training, which produces innovative performance opportunities and more room to grow your skills.
Balanced Programs and Mentorship Opportunities
Our undergraduate and graduate programs cultivate foundational knowledge and specialized expertise in acting, design and technology. MFA students also have mentorship opportunities where they can help guide undergraduates and foster artistic growth across levels.
Student Insights
UMKC's emphasis on rigorous training, combined with its supportive theatre environment, made it clear that this program would be a place where I could grow not only as an actor but also as a theatre educator and future leader in the field.
Isaiah Lane
Master of Fine Arts: Acting
Popular Student Resources
Our Theatre Partners
Furthering the Conservatory's vision to engage in community-centered learning, the Theatre Division recognizes formal affiliations with the following local professional theatre organizations:
Kansas City Actors Theatre
The Coterie Theatre
The Unicorn Theatre
Kansas City Repertory Theatre
Community Support
Hall Family Foundation
The Hall Family Foundation Excellence in Theatre Scholarship Fund was established by a $1.9 million grant to provide scholarships and assistantships in perpetuity to graduate theatre students at UMKC Conservatory.
Mark Edelman Theater Fund
The Edelman Theater Scholarship Fund is a 10-year investment by the Mark Edelman Theater Fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City, which provides (10) $10,000 scholarships annually for MFA theatre students or students pursuing a graduate certificate in performing arts management.
Our Students in Action
