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 Applied Theatre pathway

This pathway is ideal for anyone interested in the potential of drama and theatre for affecting social change. Designed to increase your understanding of the uses of drama and theatre in education and community settings, it offers a blend of practice-led research and rigorous critical enquiry.

It includes creating performances in non-traditional theatre contexts, devising and implementing individual and group projects locally, and placements with practitioners in the field. You may find yourself working, for example, in pupil referral units, schools, hospitals, within the youth custody system, in psychiatric and geriatric settings or as members of an on-course Theatre in Education team. These placements provide exciting opportunities to gain hands on experience of theatre in an outreach community environment. Study is carried out through lectures, seminars, staff-led workshops, field visits, independent study, student presentations and practical studio-sessions.

This programme is particularly suitable for workers in social care, probation, health, education, heritage interpretation and community and public art.