Who we are

Located in the heart of the National Capital’s entertainment district and surrounded by major museums and art galleries, the University of Ottawa’s Department of Theatre offers an intensive Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in acting program (BPT) and training in the fields of theatre studies, theatre education, theatre production, and arts administration (BA, Major, Minor).

At the graduate level, the Department offers two programs: the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in directing degree is a two-year, practical training program. The Master of Arts (MA) in Theatre Theory and Dramaturgy, offers three options for completion: with written thesis (2 years), with research-creation project (2 years) and with a major research paper (1 year).

The Department’s fifteen or so professors, artists and technical staff have access to two facilities which include workshops (sets and costumes), rehearsal studios and three theatre spaces, including the almost centennial Academic Hall and the brand new LabO.

Information on the BFA program

Visit the program page for more details.

Candidates of all linguistic and cultural origins 17 years of age or older are welcome to apply.

Application deadline:  March 1^st, 2027

Dates and locations of in-person auditions

1. Ottawa: at LabO, 60 Waller Street, Ottawa, ON. March 12 and 13, 2027.
2. Toronto: at the Théâtre français de Toronto, 21 College Street, Room 610 (6th floor). March 6 and 7, 2027.
3. Callbacks: at LabO, 60 Waller Street, Ottawa, ON. April 10, 2027.

Online auditions

The Department of Theatre prefers in-person auditions; however, Zoom auditions will be permitted for applicants living outside a 300 km radius of Ottawa-Gatineau or Toronto.  Zoom audition date to be confirmed.

Examples of cities and regions where candidates may audition by Zoom

Northern Canada (Yukon, North-West Territories and Nunavut), Western Canada, Northern Ontario (Timmins, Kapuskasing, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay...), certain regions of Québec (Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Bas-St-Laurent, Côte-Nord, Gaspésie, Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean), and all Atlantic Canada provinces. 

Examples of cities and regions where candidates must audition in person in Ottawa or Toronto.

Hamilton, Kingston, London, Montréal.

To prepare your audition

You must present two short pieces (less than 2 minutes). Choose two of the three options listed below.

OPTION A: Contemporary Monologue

1. Candidates are invited to present one contemporary monologue of less than two minutes.
2. The Department of Theatre has no requirements regarding the genre (dramatic or comedic).
3. Monologues presented must be taken from a published play. Monologues taken from film scripts, web series or other scripts are not eligible.

OPTION B: Shakespearean Monologue

1.  Candidates are invited to present a monologue selected from a play by Shakespeare.
2. Contrasting with your contemporary monologue, if you selected that option.

OPTION C: Original Creation

1. Prepare a two-minute original theatrical presentation.
2. You may tell a story, write and perform an original monologue, sing a song you have written, create a very short play where you play all the characters, or any other form of original performance.
3. Show us your creativity, originality and special skills.
4. This piece must be rehearsed, structured and reproducible (no improvisation), and we may ask you to perform it more than once during the audition.

Call backs

Candidates selected for a call back must attend in person. The Call back will take place in Ottawa, at the Department of Theatre’s LabO (60 Waller Street).

1. Candidates do not need to prepare anything new for the call backs, but may be asked to present their audition material again.
2. Candidates selected for a call back will be responsible for their own transportation and accommodation costs.
3. International candidates will not be obligated to participate in person during callbacks.

To apply for admission

Students already enrolled at the University of Ottawa

If you are already a student at the University of Ottawa, you do not have to re-apply through OUAC, but you MUST audition to be accepted into the program.

1. Fill out the form before March 1st to obtain your audition slot. For online auditions, see conditions above. If you wish to audition in both languages, you will need to audition twice.
2. Send a resume and a good-quality photo (close-up of the face) in PDF format to [email protected].
3. You will receive confirmation of your audition date and time by email.
4. If you have received confirmation of acceptance following the callbacks, you will need to request a change of study program via your uoZone account.  The deadline to apply is May 20, 2027. An administrative fee of $50 will be applied to your tuition fees.

Students not registered at the University of Ottawa

1. Apply for admission via OUAC.
2. Fill out the form to obtain your audition slot. For online auditions, see conditions above. If you wish to audition in both languages, you will need to audition twice.
3. Send a resumé and a good quality photo (close-up of the face) in PDF format to [email protected].
4. Following the call-back, your audition result will be added to your student account and the Admissions Office will analyze your application according to the Faculty of Arts’ admission requirements. If your file is complete and meets the requirements, you will receive an official offer of admission. You will need to accept the admission offer through your student account.

For more information, contact the Director of Practical Programs: [email protected]