The University of Texas at Austin Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program offers a cognitive apprenticeship for graduate students in drama-based pedagogy (DBP) through Drama for Schools (DFS), a professional development program for K-12 educators. This article presents findings from an exploratory case study investigation of graduate students' experiences in the cognitive apprenticeship in the practice of drama-based pedagogy in K-12 public school classrooms. Findings indicate that when graduate students simultaneously participated in fieldwork (as "masters") and related coursework (as "apprentices"), they developed a personal understanding of how theory was realized and confounded within real world contexts. Implications for university faculty members and teaching artist educators are included.