A Guthrie Experience
From the program director
A Guthrie Experience is designed for M.F.A. actors and theatermakers to engage in a deep dive the summer before their final year of graduate school, offering an opportunity to cross-pollinate a wide range of artistic practices and perspectives that inform our field. Our purpose is to inspire a culture of collaboration and artistic excellence among early career professionals and engage future leaders of the American theater.
After a successful relaunch of A Guthrie Experience last June, we are thrilled to begin auditioning actors for summer 2023. I am honored to carry the torch of this legendary program that has influenced so many lives and artistic careers.
Maija García
Director of Education and Professional Training

About the program
Who
M.F.A. actors and theatermakers with a passion for enduring works and an interest in examining the classical canon are encouraged to apply.
What
Designed to cultivate future leaders of the American theater, the experience includes voice, movement and acting intensives, professional mentorship, cultural immersion in the vibrant Twin Cities theater scene and an opportunity to collaborate on a production in the Guthrie’s Dowling Studio.
Where
The Guthrie’s state-of-the-art facility on the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis.
When
This seven-week summer intensive will run from June 20 to August 7, 2023.
Auditions
Auditions will be held on the East Coast in October 2022 and on the West Coast in November 2022.
- If you are part of an M.F.A. program and signed up to audition, complete the actor application form 48 hours before your audition.
- If you are part of an M.F.A. program that is not on the Guthrie audition tour but you would like to audition, complete the actor application form and submit your resume and headshot online. We will follow up with an opportunity to audition live on Zoom.
For your audition, please prepare the following:
- Two monologues, one contemporary and one classical
- A piece of dramatic literature, poetry or prose that is set to movement
- A song you love to sing, in any genre, sung a cappella
Contact us
View our FAQ or email Maija García at maijag@guthrietheater.org or Cody Kour at codyk@guthrietheater.org.

History and alumni
Launched in 1997 under the leadership of Kenneth Washington and Marcela Lorca, A Guthrie Experience was designed to introduce emerging actors to a preeminent American Theater at the center of the Twin Cities vibrant arts community, building a bridge between training and profession.
For more than 20 years, A Guthrie Experience alumnus have developed successful careers onstage and on screen, garnered numerous awards and returned to perform on the Guthrie’s stages. Notable alumni include Mahershala Ali, Morena Baccarin, Ryan Michelle Bathe, Sterling K. Brown, Dion Flynn, Cassandra Freeman, Miriam Hyman, Josh Radnor, Corey Stoll and Emily Swallow, among others.
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