Playwriting and Script Development – (M.A.)

Our unique Theatre Practice postgraduate programmes cover practice-based work in theatre and can be taken either as an MA, full-time over 1 year or part-time over 2 years, or as a 2-year full-time MFA.

The MA and MFA are divided into a number of flexible pathways. You can specialise in an area of your choice by following a specific pathway, select modules from different pathways to tailor an individual programme, or even take a module from outside Drama to complement the range of enquiry. All pathways are taught by leading academics in one of the largest and best equipped Drama departments in the country.

The programmes appeal to a range of prospective students: practitioners who want to develop their practice; graduates who are planning a career in arts education (schools, colleges, universities); and those who want to look more in depth into aspects of drama they have enjoyed and benefitted from through undergraduate studies.

As a student enrolled on one of these programmes, you will develop skills and techniques to further your vocational career, theoretical knowledge which will enrich and enhance your creative work, as well as the ability to critically interrogate your performance practice.

The Playwriting and Dramaturgy pathway

This pathway is ideal for playwrights, dramaturgs, translators, adaptors and performance writers or first-degree graduates who want to advance their practice in writing for live and recorded performance and/or dramaturgy. The pathway offers the chance to develop writing and dramaturgical skills in the context of a vibrant department with an international research profile as exemplified by Cathy Turner’s co-written book Dramaturgy and Performance (2008) and Graham Ley’s work on dramaturgy and adaptation.

It includes the opportunity for playwrights to develop a major script, through workshops and staged readings with actors. You will also benefit from the contributions of directors, playwrights and other practitioners. The department’s continuous engagement with renowned playwrights and dramaturgs, such as David Lane and Howard Barker, ensures that the programmes is in step with the latest developments in the industry.

Dramaturgs develop skills in modules that focus on dramaturgy and curation, and are supported through attachment to postgraduate productions as well as individual projects of their choice.

While the MA provides a strong foundation if you wish to develop your creative writing ability and dramaturgical skills, it also forms an ideal preparation if you want to continue to a higher degree by research in drama or performance practice. There is an excellent record of success, with students becoming professional writers for stage, radio and TV, and as literary managers/dramaturgs at theatres.