The University of Houston / Alley Theatre MFA in Acting – Professional Actor Training Program expands the existing MFA in Acting program at the University of Houston by placing acting students in residence at Alley Theatre, working directly with the Alley’s Resident Acting Company, in the third year of their graduate degree program. This partnership provides students exclusive opportunities to collaborate with accomplished professional actors and directors of both national and international acclaim. Through this collaboration, students forge meaningful networking relationships and garner exposure that paves the way for future employment in the dynamic world of theatre.

The students this year are Mason Dowd, Bryan Jahnke, Claire Metusalem, Woody Minshew, Callee Miles, Allysia Peine, Micah Weese, and Forrest Stringfellow. Students will be featured in  Romeo and Juliet, The Shark is Broken, and Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile.

The inaugural class entered the expanded program at the University of Houston in fall 2024, and during the 2026–27 academic year, will become the first cohort to begin their residency at the Alley. Prior to this collaboration, the University of Houston’s MFA program was completed in two years. This partnership adds an additional year working in residence at the Alley, working on shows, learning from staff members across multiple disciplines, and a direct mentorship with a member of the Alley’s Resident Acting Company. Through this relationship, MFA candidates gain invaluable professional experience. 

This unique partnership makes the MFA program vastly more competitive by giving students the opportunity to work at a professional level alongside leading professionals in the industry. Collaborations between MFA programs and regional theatres have become a true rarity. It is especially significant that the organizations established this in Houston, made possible by the exceptional caliber and artistic standard of the Alley. 

The program admits eight students annually. Students receive a comprehensive financial support package that includes a UH Graduate Tuition Fellowship covering tuition and mandatory fees each semester, as well as a graduate assistantship with a stipend.  

During their third year, MFA candidates will gain professional experience in residence at Alley Theatre in downtown Houston, working alongside members of the Alley’s Resident Acting Company and nationally and internationally recognized actors, directors, playwrights, designers, and other theatre artists. This immersive experience gives students the opportunity to apply their training within a leading professional theatre, build meaningful relationships across the industry, and develop the experience and connections that can help launch the next stage of their careers.