This topic is adequately covered in the books dedicated to writing about theatre. See links to summaries here.

The artistic statement is an assignment rarely found in course syllabi. However, apart from representing a common genre for artists, it holds an enormous value even for students starting their artistic path as it allows to measure a combination of expectations and current state of affairs at the beginning of the course and then evaluate the shifts that occurred during the course at the end. As such it offers a self-evaluative tool for the student as well as a way for the instructor to have a sense of where the students are in their journey towards or through the theatre arts.

In a practical course, the artistic statement can then be developed as part of a portfolio containing music or art reflective of the manifesto as well as on stage as a short scene.

Example of Artistic Statement Assignment: “This is my theatre”

Purpose: Creating a snapshot of your current artistic sensibility / aesthetics.

Describe your theatre. Write your manifesto.
You do not need to be a perfect writer. If it is too complicated to describe it in your own words, you can use texts of different authors, collecting prose, dramatic texts or poetry. It can become a collage. The length is up to you, but it should be at least a full page, and no longer than five.

This brief biographical piece is often requested by the production team at the last minute for a show’s printed program. Thus, it is good practice for an artist to have it readily available and update it regularly along with one’s resume’s developments. It may also offer an opportunity for a low-stakes writing assignment.

Example 1: Play Program

The producer of the show that recently cast you needs a brief text to go along with your head shot for the evening’s playbill. Write a short 60 words bio that includes your most relevant theatre studies and latest artistic achievements.

Example 2: Yourself as Artist

Imagine that your artistic life until now could be analyzed through the Aristotelian triadic theory of action (beginning, middle, and end). Write a short 60-80 words bio that includes the most relevant beginning of your interest or studies in theatre, a culmination of your dedication to this art, and your current involvement with it.

This is usually the very first item required at auditions and serves here as a first, basic tool for the instructor to obtain important information, e.g. regarding medical conditions that might impact the actor’s physical work in class. The internet offers several templates and a particularly complete resource is the Business Form Template’s Theatre section available here. The individual contact sheet form can be found here.