D’Youville

Master of Fine Arts Program

The Dramatic Arts Program at D’Youville offers the first, and only, MFA program in Western New York for Acting. Housed within The Kavinoky Theatre, D’Youville’s professional theatre company in residence on campus since 1980, the program is a two-year intensive that provides holistic artistic education where professionals, students, and audiences interface in dynamic, integrative experiences. We leverage the professional setting of The Kavinoky Theatre to engage student practitioners in active training alongside industry experts.

Our program asks the question: what’s next? What are the next stories we tell? Where will the next stories be told? Who will be the next storytellers? These questions - and the questions yet to be asked - drive our robust, inquiry-based curriculum that is shaped by the values of AUDACITY, AGILITY, and AGENCY.

We believe that art is a central part of the human experience. It is fundamental to the health of the individual and a healthy individual is fundamental to social, economic, and civic health. We believe that artists, by sharing their stories, can challenge the primacy of the past and the assumptions of the present in order to imagine a new future. We believe that future will be created by well-trained, holistic practitioners who are committed to the advancement of art in society.

Next Stage Players Production
2025-2026

MFA FACULTY

The Players

  • Harris Skinner

    CLASS OF ‘26

    Harris Skinner is a MFA candidate from Wharton, Texas with a primary focus on Playwriting and Dramaturgy. Harris holds a BA in Theatre with a minor in Creative Writing from Stephen F. Austin State University. As a writer, he has a passion for stories that amplify voices often overlooked by history and has been mentored by the award-winning author, Jack Heifner. Harris has written numerous plays such as Garfield Died on Monday, Grantdemona, and more which can be found on his New Play Exchange. Harris has been the dramaturg for the Kav’s productions of King James and Sanctuary City. Additionally, Harris also has a passion for acting. Some of his favorite acting credits include The Mastiff (The Moors), Mr. Webb (Our Town), and Lamps (Talking With). "I have loved this program! The professors and admin are all super helpful and encouraging, and getting to study theatre so close to Buffalo's Theater district has been an amazing experience."

  • Linda Paola Varela

    CLASS OF ‘27

    Linda Paola Varela is a multidisciplinary artist focused on film/video and performance originally from Cananea, Mexico. Linda holds a BFA in Film and Television with minors in Theatre Arts and Psychology from the University of Arizona. She recently received her MFA in Film/Video from California Institute of the Arts and she is now pursuing her MFA in Dramatic Theatre Arts at the D’Youville Kavinoky MFA program. Her work focuses on the intersections of culture, religion and spirituality, the psychological impacts of patriarchy, generational trauma, and the inner self. Linda thinks of her work as a visual and aural metaphor for her own experiences as well as the stories that touch her. Her film/video and installation work has shown at Festival Fotogenia in Mexico City, the Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival, Bijou Fest, various spaces at CalArts, and at the Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater (REDCAT) in Downtown LA. Her original one-act play Crowning Glory, written under the mentorship of award-winning playwright Elaine Romero, was commissioned as part of the Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre’s inaugural BIPOC Emerging Playwright Fellowship. As a performer, she has been in various theatre/live performance productions at the University of Arizona’s Tornabene Theatre, various spaces at CalArts including the Sharon Disney Lund Theatre and the Wild Beast pavilion, and REDCAT.  The only thing that rivals her dedication to her art is her love and adoration for her dog, a chaotic ball of fluff named Loki.

Next Stage Players
Past Productions
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MFA ALUMNI

  • Brendan Didio

    CLASS OF ‘24

  • Kodi James

    CLASS OF ‘24

  • Shannell Dixon

    CLASS OF ‘24

  • Araia Heathcott

    CLASS OF ‘25

  • Harris Skinner

    CLASS OF ‘26

 Admission FAQs

    • An undergraduate Bachelor’s Degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

    • Previous training in theatre (whether it be a Bachelor’s Degree in performing arts, completion of a performing arts intensive, certification, or internship; private lessons or additional training).

    • (Optional) Artist Portfolio of your work. This could include:

      • Documentation of performances.

      • Interviews or news articles about you or your work.

      • Artist statements or philosophies or teaching statements or philosophies.

      • Film reels.

      • Testimonials.

      • Websites for artistic or professional work.

  • Prospective students should prepare:

    2 Contrasting texts.

    • A contemporary text (post 1980s prose).

    • Classical/verse text (Shakespeare, Moliere, Greek Tragedy, poetry, etc.)

    OR

    • A comedic text.

    • A dramatic text.

  • There are three options for auditioning:

    • Attending one of the audition sessions through URTA.

      We will be attending the following URTA auditions:

      January 18, 2026 - Atlanta Virtual Auditions

      January 31 - February 1, 2026 - Live Virtual Auditions

    • Attend an on-campus audition.

    • Schedule an online/virtual audition.

    Following the audition, students will be called back for a brief interview.

  • For priority consideration, prospective students are encouraged to have submitted their application and audition to the university by March 15.

To learn more about the D’Youville MFA Program, visit our DYU MFA Info & Auditions page.